Sometimes the best stuff is right in front of you and you just don’t realize it! When it comes to cleaning dust, bugs, fingerprints, oil, and light exhaust stains off your airplane, I have found few products better than Lucas Slick Mist spray wax and a microfiber towel.

Intended as a finishing or touch up wax/cleaner for cars, I have found it works great on aircraft finishes as well. When used with a microfiber towel it also adds a layer of protection from UV damage and abrasion as it cleans and leaves the surface very slippery, which makes it easier to clean the next time.

It does very well to loosen bugs that are even weeks old, and after a few uses the bugs tend to stick to the plane less. I also use it to clean up fingerprints left either by people who look at my airplane with their hands, or by myself or others after performing maintenance.

After washing your airplane, it can be used over the entire surface to add a layer of wax to make your airplane shine and to give dust a surface that is more difficult to stick to. It leaves no residue when buffed lightly with a towel and dries invisible so there’s no worry of all that chalky white cake around rivets and seams. When your airplane does become dusty, a cloth wetted with Lucas will quickly remove the debris and restore your previous shine.

I have also had great results on polished, chrome, glass, fiberglass, and Plexiglas surfaces. Heck, I’ve even used it on tires! The best part is it’s available at nearly every auto parts store and big box store that has an automotive department.

At around $8-10 a bottle, it is very reasonably priced, and as I noted, it works on just about any shiny surface you can think of, so it can be used on all your toys. One bottle will usually last an entire season or more for the average pilot. Just be sure to keep it in an area where it won’t freeze.

Blue Skies, Tailwinds, & Cheap Avgas
Erich Rempert, A&P/IA Consultant

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