As the popularity of automotive paint protection has grown in the automotive industry, so has the intensity in the competition. It’s no surprise that some automotive detailers have made the transition to aircraft detailing to broaden their customer base. At first glance, the transition seems pretty straightforward. Cars have painted surfaces and aircraft have painted surfaces, so it can’t be all that different, right? Not exactly. While cars can be expensive, aircraft are extremely valuable assets. Both greatly benefit from durable paint protection, increased gloss and shine, and easy maintenance routines. But when it comes to applying paint protection products to aircraft, using automotive-grade products isn’t just inappropriate. It can also lead to safety concerns.
The Problem with Automotive-Grade, Non-Approved Products on Aircraft
Ceramic coatings are not engineered with aviation requirements in mind. These coatings, that originated in the 1970’s as, “glass coatings”, are the exact same products today as they were 50 years ago and were designed exclusively for automotive use. They are designed for automotive vehicles that operate on the ground and not for an aircraft flying at 30,000 feet in varying atmospheric conditions, such as intense UV exposure, icing, strong winds, and extreme temperatures. Automotive paint protection products are not aviation-approved, nor will they ever be, and using them on aircraft can lead to issues with paint degradation and even potential aircraft warranties being voided by the aircraft OEM.
For example, just recently Cirrus Aircraft released a Service Advisory (SA25-02) that clearly states that ceramic coatings are not approved for use on Cirrus aircraft exterior surfaces, due to static dissipation issues. These issues are very alarming, especially when numerous aircraft have been treated with non-approved ceramic products. Some planes have certainly had ceramic products applied numerous times in order to fix installation errors, or due to durability issues from the aerospace environment. This creates quite a dilemma for, not only the detailers, but for the aircraft owners purchasing these services. Removing several coats of a ceramic product is very labor intensive and requires heavy compounding and/or wet sanding. For Cirrus aircraft, it’s imperative that detailers make sure they are absolutely certain that the ceramic coating is completely removed before applying Permagard. Even if the detailer is unsure if there has been some form of paint protection applied to a Cirrus aircraft, we strongly recommend performing a full paint correction for all of the painted surfaces. For the detailer, this process is grueling and can take multiple days or even a week to completely remove a ceramic coating off of an aircraft. For the aircraft owners, these paint correction services can be expensive and will also inevitably shave off layers of your aircraft’s valuable, thin clearcoat.
And after all that, how do you know the product has actually been removed from all your aircraft’s painted surfaces? Most importantly, how do you remove all the ceramic coating from all the coated surfaces, while mitigating the damage caused from the paint correction shaving off layers of clearcoat? Because damaging your paint is inevitable when paint correction is necessary. And just like with every ceramic coating, you have to correct the paint (damaging it) before you can protect it. It seems pretty counterintuitive when you have to damage the paint to apply a protective coating, only to damage the paint again to remove it. Eventually, other aircraft OEMs will follow suit and do the same as Cirrus Aircraft when it comes to disapproving ceramic coatings for aircraft surfaces. Despite all of this, we’ve seen a growing number of automotive detailers marketing their ceramic coating services for aircraft using the same products they use on cars. While these detailers may have the best intentions for their customers, applying non-approved, automotive-grade coatings to aircraft is not an aviation-compliant practice.
Choose Permagard, an Aviation-Grade and Aviation-Approved Solution
Here at Permagard HQ, we understand the importance of protecting valuable painted surfaces on aircraft. After all, that is exactly what we have been doing for over 26 years and have the reputation to show for it. Saying that, Permagard was specifically designed as a system to effectively protect aircraft flying in any environment across the world, no matter the age of the asset. Therefore, Permagard is an aviation-grade product because it was designed with protecting aircraft first in mind. Even Permagard’s many benefits were formulated to protect aircraft against their environments. Permagard’s formulation was designed to protect against high-altitude UV exposure, acid rain, snow, engine smoke, and many other environmental attacks to keep the aircraft clean and protected during flights. Permagard has even been shown to reduce parasitic drag and increase fuel efficiency for aircraft.
Each bottle of Permagard products is also backed by traceability documents for the raw materials used during the manufacturing process. This allows us to track the exact batch of raw materials used by referencing our own batch stickers that are applied to each bottle of Permagard products. This means we know precisely which aircraft have received Permagard treatments, and which batch was applied to them, providing accountability and unmatched quality assurance. After all, we are an aviation-approved product backed by an ISO 9001 certification. Every single Permagard product that is manufactured in our facility undergoes a stringent quality assurance process that is all managed by our Quality Management System and is certified by ISO 9001.
Bought Permagard Through an Automotive Installer? Contact Us First
If you plan to purchase a Permagard installation, we strongly encourage you to reach out to us directly first, before proceeding with the application, to verify that authentic Permagard products will be applied to your aircraft. Unfortunately, some automotive detailers or services may advertise Permagard installations/services but use other products instead. Ensuring that your aircraft receives a certified application of Permagard is essential to maintaining compliance, safety, and long-term protection. This is why every single aircraft detailer that applies Permagard today across the world has gone through our certification and training program. For aircraft owners, it’s important to remember that Permagard Headquarters in Miami, Florida, USA, are the only sellers and manufacturers of all handmade Permagard products. Detailers must purchase the products through us directly and they MUST be trained and certified to do so. This is to ensure that the Permagard brand’s commitment to quality for our products is also upheld through our network of certified installers. If you are unsure if a detailer or company is certified and they are offering you a Permagard application, contact us directly at info@permagard.com or call us at (305) 905-1685 ASAP to confirm if you are receiving an authentic Permagard application. You will get your answer in minutes during our regular operating hours, which are Monday – Friday from 9 AM – 6 PM EST.
Protect Your Aircraft the Right Way
ccFor detailers, transitioning from automotive detailing to aircraft detailing requires more than just skill and ability. It demands understanding, proper training, and knowing the importance of applying aviation-approved products, such as Permagard. For aircraft owners, there is no substitute for aviation-grade paint protection. There is no ceramic coating on the market today, nor will they’ll ever be, that will be approved for use on aircraft. Why not choose a product that’s been around for more than 26 years, approved by the biggest aircraft OEMs in the world, and was designed specifically for aircraft? Choose Permagard for an aviation paint protection solution that was engineered for flight, is backed by traceability and an ISO 9001 Quality Management System and trusted by aircraft detailers worldwide.
If you would like to learn how we record Permagard installations for aircraft all over the world to give aircraft owners peace of mind, or if you would like to know how our certification process works, please contact us today at (305) 662-5070 for more information.
