Ceramic Coating at Payerne (Swiss Aeropole) (LSMP)

What changes at Payerne (Swiss Aeropole)?

Payerne sits at 1,460 ft elevation in the Swiss plateau, sharing its runway—roughly 2.8 km—with Swiss Air Force F/A-18 squadrons and industrial flight-test operations. Civil movements require PPR approval through the Swiss Aeropole online portal, and handling is mandatory; the sole agent is Speedwings Business SA, which operates from its own FBO on frequency 131.880 MHz. The airport is not slot-coordinated—only Geneva and Zurich fall under Slot Coordination Switzerland—so turnaround windows are negotiated directly with the handler rather than claimed months in advance.

The Speedwings terminal, inaugurated in 2019, offers direct ramp access and 6,600 m² of heated hangar space marketed as 'aircraft residences,' alongside 1,240 m² of offices. That indoor capacity makes Payerne one of the few regional fields in Switzerland where a week-long ceramic-coating project can proceed in stable temperature and humidity year-round, unaffected by snow, wind, or the altitude's sharper UV exposure. Because the site doubles as a military base, airside-pass procedures and escort requirements follow Swiss federal security rules; the handler coordinates all third-party access, including our crew's entry, tool movement, and waste disposal.

Why ceramic coating rather than another wash or polish?

A rinseless wash removes dirt; a single-stage polish removes oxidation and restores gloss. Ceramic coating does neither of those jobs—it locks in the result once the paint has been corrected. The two-layer ceramic film is a few microns thick, chemically bonded to the clear coat, and it presents a hydrophobic surface that sheds water, de-icing fluid, and the fine dust that clings to uncoated paint between washes. Leading edges stay cleaner through a northern-European winter, the belly picks up less exhaust staining on short hops, and nacelles rinse with half the dwell time.

The coating also absorbs UV before it reaches the paint, slowing chalk and fade on older schemes, and it resists the mild etching that Type I fluid can leave on a cold-soaked fuselage. Brightwork—polished spinner, nacelle rings, cheat line—receives its own ceramic formula, so the mirror finish you see at handover will still be recognisable two years later without another multi-hour polishing session. Windows get a separate hydrophobic treatment that improves rain shedding on approach and simplifies bug removal at the next decon wash.

We recommend ceramic every two to three years, ideally straight after a repaint when the clear coat is fresh, or after a complete detail that has already corrected swirls and oxidation. Applying it over tired paint only preserves the tired paint; correction first, protection second.

How does the three-to-six-day schedule fit between legs?

Ceramic curing is the clock that stretches the calendar. Paint decontamination—clay bar, iron remover, solvent wipe—takes half a day for a super-midsize, a full day for an ACJ. Paint correction follows: we machine-polish every panel to remove swirls, light scratches, and oxidation, which can run two days on a long fuselage or a jet that has lived on an open ramp. The first ceramic layer goes on next, panel by panel, buffed to clarity within minutes but left to cross-link for twelve hours before the second layer is applied. Another twelve-hour cure, then brightwork and windows are treated. Finally, the aircraft sits overnight so the entire system can harden fully before it sees sunlight, rain, or a GPU exhaust plume.

If the owner books a ten-day maintenance window in the Speedwings hangar, we can start the day the aircraft lands and finish two days before it departs, leaving margin for an unexpected parts delay or a tech-log snag. If the jet is scheduled for a quick crew change and immediate departure, ceramic coating is the wrong service—an express dry wash or a rinseless turnaround is the better match. For fleets that winter a tail at Payerne, ceramic application in November means the aircraft emerges in March still shedding de-icing fluid rather than wearing it.

What does the handler expect from a third-party detailing crew at Payerne?

Speedwings manages all civil apron activity under the aerodrome's PPR regime, so our crew chief submits a work plan—dates, personnel count, equipment list, waste type—at least five working days before arrival. The handler arranges airside passes through the cantonal police and assigns an escort if our team has not previously held Payerne credentials. Because the site is a federal military installation, every person and every toolbox is logged in and out; random-access ramp wandering is not part of the culture.

Inside the hangar, the handler expects us to bring our own lighting rigs, extension leads, and water if we plan to rinse panels—mains water is available, but any runoff must be contained and declared. We lay absorbent mats under the belly and wheel wells during decon, collect all clay-bar waste and spent polish in sealed drums, and remove those drums at the end of each day. Speedwings provides GPU power and climate control; we provide everything that touches the aircraft. The handler also asks for a daily progress note so the flight-department manager can track the schedule without telephoning the chief pilot, and we oblige with a short email and three photographs each afternoon.

What documentation and photo record do you deliver?

Ceramic coating is invisible once cured, so the photo record becomes the proof that the work was completed to specification and the paint was in a particular condition at handover. We shoot the entire airframe before decon—daylight exterior angles, close-ups of any existing chips, scratches, or staining that correction will not remove—so there is no argument later about what was already there. After paint correction and before the first ceramic layer, we photograph the same panels again to show the improvement. After the second layer cures, we shoot the full airframe once more, this time capturing the water-beading test on the fuselage, wing, and tail: a spray bottle and a few seconds of video prove the hydrophobic bond.

The written report lists every product applied—manufacturer, batch code, number of layers—and the curing times recorded for each stage. If the coating carries a manufacturer's warranty, that certificate is attached, along with the maintenance schedule: what wash chemistry is permitted, what is prohibited, and when the coating should be inspected or topped up. The chief pilot receives a USB stick with the full resolution photographs, the report as a PDF, and a simple one-page summary that can be forwarded to the owner or included in the aircraft's logbook. When the jet is sold or re-registered, the new operator knows exactly what protection is on the paint and how much service life remains.

How does ceramic coating interact with de-icing and winter operations?

Type I and Type IV fluids are mildly alkaline and designed to break down on their own, but they can etch unprotected clear coat if the aircraft sits for days without a rinse, especially when cold-soaked overnight and then warmed by morning sun. Ceramic coating places a sacrificial barrier between the fluid and the paint: the fluid still does its job on the wing and tail, but it slides off the fuselage and nacelles faster during taxi and takeoff, and any residue left behind wipes away with a damp microfibre rather than requiring a solvent and a scrub brush.

The hydrophobic surface also means that frost and light snow sit on top of the coating rather than bonding to microscopic paint texture, so holdover times are unaffected but post-flight cleanup is simpler. We do not claim that ceramic coating reduces the need for Type IV or changes any dispatch procedure—it does not—but it does reduce the labour cost of keeping a winter-operated jet presentable between proper washes, and it prevents the paint from looking tired by March.