LT4247
Pre-takeoff checklist
Your prices are much too low. For entry level, amateur work I suggest you triple the fees.
Washing Aircraft
- Thread starter Jack
- Start date
He's advertising a wash, not a detail job. If you take your car through a $10 drive-through car wash, do you expect it to come out perfect? If it comes out generally clean, the customer should be satisfied given the price. Unfortunately, the world is full of jerks who think they are entitled to more than they paid for. For the OP, consider taking a look at the planes you wash before you start, and being up front that you need to charge extra if the plane has a year's worth of crusted-on oil and lead deposits on the belly (which will likely take more than an hour to clean).
denverpilot
Tied Down
Every car wash I've ever been through posts huge signs that say they're not responsible for damages and every hand car wash I've ever been through makes you sign it as part of the "payment" process as you enter the place.
All of them that were commercial anyway, and not bikini clad girls making money for a charity in a parking lot, that is. Haha.
James331
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James331
It does, which makes it easier to clean to the bugs off next time.
I'm surprised you use lemon pledge, but don't know about its use on plexi
Couple of thoughts..
I think your prices are probably a little too good but I wouldn't go as high as some others are saying. For my Archer II I'd say $50 would be as much as I'd want to hand over to some unaffiliated stranger to do something I could do myself. That's not to say that's enough for it to be worth it for some or that you wouldn't pay much more elsewhere, it's just my personal price point.
Second, how long does it take you to wash an entire airplane and do a decent job? You mentioned doing this at pancake breakfasts... well I'm pretty sure there's no way I could wash my own plane in the time it would take someone to get their pancakes and have a post-breakfast conversation. Maybe if I hurried rather than taking my time... but then that's one. Maybe with people showing up at different times you could get a 2nd in.... a third is questionable but if you're fast then maybe. By then its going to be almost lunchtime, the event will be done, and if working by yourself you're going to be so worn out and exhausted you may not make it past the FBO couch
Really I think the better way to go is maybe try to arrange to be doing one while people are flying as a demo and sign them up for a time slot on a future date. That way you're not overwhelmed.
I think your prices are probably a little too good but I wouldn't go as high as some others are saying. For my Archer II I'd say $50 would be as much as I'd want to hand over to some unaffiliated stranger to do something I could do myself. That's not to say that's enough for it to be worth it for some or that you wouldn't pay much more elsewhere, it's just my personal price point.
Second, how long does it take you to wash an entire airplane and do a decent job? You mentioned doing this at pancake breakfasts... well I'm pretty sure there's no way I could wash my own plane in the time it would take someone to get their pancakes and have a post-breakfast conversation. Maybe if I hurried rather than taking my time... but then that's one. Maybe with people showing up at different times you could get a 2nd in.... a third is questionable but if you're fast then maybe. By then its going to be almost lunchtime, the event will be done, and if working by yourself you're going to be so worn out and exhausted you may not make it past the FBO couch
Really I think the better way to go is maybe try to arrange to be doing one while people are flying as a demo and sign them up for a time slot on a future date. That way you're not overwhelmed.
Jack
Filing Flight Plan
Thank you for the advice I think I will do that. I do think I could get at least 3 planes done at a breakfast because at my local airport the breakfast starts at 7am and there's still about 20 airplanes left by 3pm
denverpilot
Tied Down
That also assumes the people who want the washes are the ones who will wait around all day.
Although they could be like us with our airplane. We would love to pay someone to wash it but there's no access to water on the airport and airport folks get real cranky if they see you washing on ramps or anywhere because of runoff issues and no capture system or wash rack either.
So we fly the thing to another airport and use their wash rack and water when we have a really dirty airplane.
If I could just land the thing on my driveway...
MooneyDriver78
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Tom
A. You can't have too many clean towels, microfiber ones for the plexiglass
B. Have you timed yourself....how long does it take? I would use time as a gauge for how much to charge
C. The stall warning is probably most dangerous thing to bust, I would preflight before and after make sure everything that did work still works (even though the PIC should do it)
B. Have you timed yourself....how long does it take? I would use time as a gauge for how much to charge
C. The stall warning is probably most dangerous thing to bust, I would preflight before and after make sure everything that did work still works (even though the PIC should do it)
texasag93
Line Up and Wait
Don't do the belly that cheap.
Go for it! Make money where old pilots are willing to spend it.
Go for it! Make money where old pilots are willing to spend it.
PaulMillner
Line Up and Wait
Cool! I can get a plane wash when I visit my friends in Alex Bay!
Zeldman
Touchdown! Greaser!
Don't do the belly that cheap.
Go for it! Make money where old pilots are willing to spend it.
Exactly. That is why I did the top of the plane for free, then charged out the wazoo for the top and bottom.