It has often been said in the General Aviation Industry that aviation is a great place to spend money but not a very good place to try to make money. Ask any FBO Fixed Based Operator and they will tell you the millions of dollars they have spent developing their business and how the cash flow simply is not steady enough to justify the investment. Not to mention the fact that the general aviation industry is quite cyclical. Even so, not all small businesses in general aviation are so difficult or unprofitable.

In this article I wish to discuss starting a Mobile Aircraft Cleaning Company and how you can get into the business relatively inexpensively and have a much better chance of making a profit. I started my first aircraft washing services at age 12 and expanded my customer base to multi airports over a 5-year period. About 20 years later I began to franchise The Aircraft Wash Guys as part of our washing companies to many states. Over the years we were able to make our business model very efficient and thus this will be one of our primary focuses in this concept.

EPA and NPDES Permitting must be discussed if you are considering this type of business, as that is a major consideration. Collection of waste wash water and proper disposal for treatment is paramount. Safety is a very important part of aircraft cleaning too. Of course without customers your business will never get off the ground so we concentrate on marketing, branding, advertising, direct mail, public relations, publicity and customer service. You see having been in the Aircraft Cleaning Business for so long I realize how important these things are. Equipment specifications, techniques and procedures will also be a consideration for you to research.

I appreciate you reading my article and hope this information helps your business get clearance for takeoff. Maybe aircraft washing might be a good business for you to start? Perhaps this article is of interest to propel thought in 2007?