Love your plane again
The Aviana Story
I graduated in 2009 with a degree in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Cornell College. I found myself working at a local biotech company and worked my way into the R&D lab. I didn’t find the work very fulfilling, so logically I… bought a nice car….to get to work faster.
The e39 M5 was my dream car growing up, and thanks to the wonders of depreciation, I was able to buy one! Although this did not lead to professional fulfillment, it did lead me down the detailing rabbit hole.
Back in high school I worked in a detail shop and even though the work there was mostly turning around very dirty cars, I applied what I learned to my first car, a 1985 SAAB 900s. With all the energy of a teenage boy, I frequently washed and waxed this car to keep it looking like some sort of classic show car.
And so we get back to the M5, after finding that a car does not provide happiness at work and having left my job in biotech to run a marketing business, I now had the time and resources to really perfect my own car. Sticking with my science background I researched and experimented with various methods of paint corrections and ceramic paint coatings.
I shared my findings on the M5board, a forum for BMW M5 enthusiasts, and before long I found myself detailing other E39 M5’s as well. Attracted to my systematic methodology, and (at the time) cutting edge use of ceramic coatings, clients were traveling 4-5 hours to get their cars treated. I also started to travel the country myself, having detailed cars from FL to CA. This was the beginning of eM Detailing, which went on to polish and coat 100’s of cars, mostly Tesla’s in the Minneapolis region.
Cool story, but what about detailing airplanes?
Like most private pilots, I learned to fly in 1960’s equipment with dull single stage paint. And so I was pondering, why don’t we paint correct and ceramic coat airplanes? I researched the problem and to my surprise didn’t find any good reason not to coat planes… Attended an aircraft detailing training, and so Aviana Aircraft was born.
Then in June of 2015, I took the M5, along with two freshly coated Teslas to a Tesla meetup in Minneapolis for a show and tell on coatings and no-rinse washing. I noticed a guy wearing a Piper Aircraft polo and we got to talking airplanes. Turns out, that was Chad Menne, owner of Malibu Aerospace. He was a bit skeptical about this coating business, but agreed to try it on his airplane, N550MP. Initially, Chad was very impressed with the new shine and slickness that we extracted out of his 25 year old paint job. As time went on, he remained impressed with the ceramic coating’s ability to maintain gloss and protect the paint from UV exposure.
Together with Malibu as a strategic partner, Aviana has Ceramic coated countless PA-46 Malibus Matrix (Matrices?), Meridians and JetProps.
In addition to restoring aircraft exteriors, our leather cleaning and protecting services were also quite well received. However there were many times where our results were limited by damaged leather, or worse yet, poorly repaired leather. So in May of 2019 we became certified by Colourlock in leather repair services, which compliments our mission of making you love your plane again nicely.
In August of 2018 we launched our YouTube Channel, to share our process. It has become a diary of sorts for the growth of Aviana, while serving to educate aircraft owners on paint restoration options other than repainting. A fresh interior adds immense value and greatly improves the feel of the airplane.
Early in 2019, our work on Tom Haines’ Bonanza was also featured in the AOPA Pilot Magazine. We restored luster to his Bonanza’s 30 year old paint, and locked in the shine.
“Six months later and 75 or so flight hours after the work, both airplanes still look terrific. I’ve ditched all the other cleaners and polishes I used before, especially to remove bugs from the leading edges. After flights, I use a spray bottle with water or the highly diluted no-rinse spray to wipe the bugs off. Occasionally I need a spritz of the citrus cleaner for a tough spot and to remove the belly grease.
The result is a deep gloss and smooth surface that I thought not possible, especially on the Bonanza’s 30-year-old paint. The deep blue and red stripes look stunning. I had been thinking the airplane needed a new paint job. I’m now putting that off for years.”
-Tom Haines
Ceramic Coatings for Airplanes
Since Aviana’s main focus is on paint correction and ceramic coating of aircraft, our methodologies are optimized for this process. We paint correct and ceramic coat about an airplane a week, and this repetition ensures quick, yet effective results. Yet we have done this long enough to know realistically what type of performance can be expected from a ceramic coating. We have had coatings on airplanes for longer than most new ceramic coating products have been on the market..
A big part of coating durability is how well the airplane is maintained afterwards. We have developed simple wash procedures and will train each owner in proper washing techniques following a ceramic coating job. Washing after coating is easy and quick. That’s the whole point of coating the aircraft in the first place :)