Aircraft Detailing Concept RealClean Launches Franchise System

Wanting to compete at the national level, 20-year-old brand RealClean Aircraft Detailing launched its franchise system last month.

Co-owners Dustin Zeitler and Luke Goucher said plans for franchising began forming in response to consolidation taking place in the industry. Goucher said Berkshire Hathaway in recent years began acquiring aircraft detailing brands nationwide, including in RealClean’s home market of Chicago.

To stay competitive and have a larger presence, Goucher said they had a decision to make.

“Do we start widening our reach by putting distance between us and our crews,” Goucher said. “Or do we look at franchising, and put owners/operators in other markets who can effectively compete with this larger company with the continued high-end boutique service that we’ve become known for.”

Those services originated in 2004, when RealClean began as part of the J.A. Aircenter company, where Zeitler previously worked.

“I was working in aviation as a commercial pilot and as an aircraft mechanic,” Zeitler said. “I noticed that we had a service department that would do maintenance, and saw an opportunity for an additional revenue stream. Customers were coming in after getting their inspections and would also want their planes cleaned, so we started with simple things like washing, waxing and polishing on the exterior of the aircraft.”

In 2019, after being part of J.A. Aircenter for many years, Zeitler and Goucher purchased the concept and formed an independent business. The purchase came as the brand was adding more services for customers, such as producing its own aviation-exclusive cleaning products and increasing the ways crews detail a plane.

In addition to adding interior cleaning work, the brand offers several specialty services, such as revitalizing an airplane’s paint.

“People in the past may have gone and gotten a paint job and spent a lot of money and time repainting an aircraft and the owners lose it for a while,” Zeitler said. “What we can do is take that same paint already on the plane and revitalize it through a series of buffing and polishing, and then put a protective coating on top. We can bring it back to look like new for a tenth of the cost of repaint with much less down time.”

The detailing can extend to window polishing, where the aircraft windows are cleaned while ensuring they remained pressurized and kept within their tolerances. RealClean also added repairing and revitalizing interior leather to its offerings.

The brand’s services can be provided at airports large and small. RealClean has operations at regional and executive airports, as well as larger facilities such as the Midway International Airport in Chicago and Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport.

RealClean franchisees, depending on the territory they agree to, provide services at one or more airports. The territories will be determined by what area the franchisee is interested in, what profitability brand leadership sees in the region and where jets that register with the owner are housed.

At any given location, Goucher said most detailing is done on jets, although they can service any type of aircraft.

“There are some from private owners, but it’s mostly corporate business jets,” Goucher said. “We also do a lot of work with insurance and aviation brokers, because they’re buying and selling aircraft and want them to look their best. A lot of the time they need that specialty service work.”

On average, Goucher said aircraft have an annual budget of $20,000 for maintenance and detailing, which means that planes are usually brought in a couple times per year. To handle that demand, Goucher said they’re open to a variety of franchise partners.

“Dustin has aviation experience and I don’t,” Goucher said. “People can come to this from different avenues. At the core, what we want are people who’re excited, hard workers looking for a large return on investment. They can be either owner-operators or passive owners. We’ll provide a good system around them and we’re really well-versed to be able to support a large range of franchisees.”

“I hear constantly in the industry that there’s folks retiring in all aspects of aviation,” Zeitler said. “From mechanics to pilots, there are people who are winding down a bit, but are still want to be in the field. Those are really ideal candidates. Because of the processes and procedures we provide, though, we feel anybody can do it.”

With its franchise disclosure document still in the approval process, franchises are not available yet in 25 states, including California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington or Wisconsin.

“We’re working on making ourselves available in those 50 states,” Goucher said. “If you don’t see a state you’re looking for, reach out. Let us know you have interest and we’ll let you know when it becomes available.”

The initial investment to open a RealClean is between $242,050 and $307,000.