RealClean Aircraft Detailing · A buyer-side investigation
Own a franchise that works with private jets.
A mobile, B2B service business built for private aviation.
Built to serve aircraft owners, flight departments and charter operators. Share your market to receive a free Airport Market Snapshot and a buyer-side assessment of whether RealClean fits your goals.
Private buyer-side analysis. No cost. No obligation.
$2,987.50
2024 average ticket*
$1.895M
2024 affiliate Total Income*
$235K–$414K
Tier 1 estimated initial investment
0
Storefronts required
*One affiliate-operated location, not average franchisee results. See Item 19 disclosure below.
The Franchise Insiders · Franchise Owners Helping Future Franchise Owners
Your airport market
Get your free Airport Market Snapshot.
Tell us where you'd build. We'll send your snapshot, request current territory information from RealClean, and follow up with a private fit analysis.
20+ years
Founded in 2004 by a commercial pilot
50+ airports
Served by the original Midwest operation
Now open
New franchise locations in Tulsa and Wichita
Backed by
Franchise Altitude, the team behind Koala Insulation and Fleet Clean
The customer
A repaint takes the plane out of service. RealClean brings it back.
Co-founder Dustin Zeitler says RealClean's paint revitalization can make an aircraft look new for a tenth of the cost of a repaint, with far less downtime. For an owner or operator, that's the pitch in one line.
Customers include private owners, charter operators, corporate flight departments, FBOs and aircraft management companies. Services include interior and exterior detailing, washing, waxing, ceramic coating and paint revitalization, plus an Aircraft RX package that restores damaged aircraft and supports the insurance claims process.
Aircraft don't stay clean.
The thesis isn't "detail one Gulfstream, then find another." It's building repeat relationships with owners, operators and fleets.
The demand
More jets. More flights. More aircraft to keep clean.
+5%
North American business jet departures, H1 2026¹
+10%
Growth in private flight department and fractional activity¹
86%
Of new business jet deliveries went to North America, H1 2026¹
RealClean's best customers are the operators growing fastest: flight departments, fractional fleets and aircraft managers. The question is whether your market has enough of them.
The founders
Consolidators are buying up aircraft detailers. RealClean chose a different path.
Dustin Zeitler, a commercial pilot, started RealClean about two decades ago with co-owner Luke Goucher. As large buyers began acquiring aircraft detailing brands nationwide, including in RealClean's home Chicago market, the founders chose franchising: putting local owners in other markets to compete with boutique, high-end service.
RealClean began franchising in 2024, with sales support from Franchise FastLane and backing from Franchise Altitude.
Item 19
~$1.9M gets your attention. Here's the context.
RealClean's Item 19 reports historical results from one affiliate-operated Illinois operation, not an average across franchisees. That operation's history predates the franchise system.
$1,895,380
2024 Total Income*
$972,469
2024 Gross Profit*
51.3%
2024 Gross Margin*
$386,833
2024 Income less COGS + disclosed SG&A*
20.4%
2024 margin on that disclosed result*
2024 average ticket $2,987.50, median ticket $1,652.18, highest ticket $34,995.46.*
Two years give you more context.
| Affiliate-operated location* | 2023* | 2024* |
|---|---|---|
| Total Income | $1,921,800* | $1,895,380* |
| Income less COGS + disclosed SG&A | $424,270* | $386,833* |
| Margin on disclosed result | 22.1%* | 20.4%* |
Revenue held near $1.9 million both years while the disclosed operating result declined. That's why we look past headline revenue.
Questions we'd ask
- How many employees, aircraft and accounts produced these results?
- How concentrated was revenue among the largest customers?
- Which services drove revenue and profit?
- What management compensation is included?
- What might be different for a new franchisee during ramp-up?
*RealClean's Item 19 reports historical results from one affiliate-operated location, not average franchisee results or owner earnings. The 2024 Total Income was $1,895,380*, and income less total COGS and disclosed SG&A was $386,833*, or 20.4%* of Total Income. Its average ticket was $2,987.50*, median ticket $1,652.18*, and highest ticket $34,995.46*. Historical performance is not a forecast and does not guarantee future results. Read the complete current FDD and seek independent legal, financial and business advice.
Winning customers
You can't just buy Google leads for Gulfstreams.
This is a relationship business. Channels include FBOs, aircraft managers, charter operators, corporate flight departments, private owners and maintenance shops. The real question: can you become part of your local aviation ecosystem?
A market can have plenty of wealth and still be a poor RealClean market if the right aircraft, airports and relationships aren't there.
Operations and your role
You're not opening a store. You're running a team around high-value aircraft.
RealClean is fully mobile: your team goes to the aircraft. The franchisor describes an executive ownership option, but executive doesn't mean passive.
What the business requires
- Hiring and training
- Scheduling and quality control
- Airport access
- Insurance and liability
- Equipment and vehicles
- Service standards
What to ask about your role
- Who builds the aviation relationships?
- Who manages technicians and quality?
- Who responds when a key customer needs service?
- When does hiring a manager make economic sense?
No aviation experience is required by the franchisor. Leadership and relationship skills matter more.
The Cessna coating
A factory-approved Cessna ceramic coating. Here's what to ask.
RealClean's franchise materials describe a factory-approved Cessna ceramic coating among its proprietary products. That could be a real advantage with Cessna owners and operators. We'd want to know:
- What exactly Cessna approved: the product, the process or RealClean
- Whether any part of the relationship is exclusive
- Whether it generates referrals or customer access
- How it translates into an advantage in your market
The investment
What it takes to get in.
Tier 1 territory
$235,641–$414,419
Estimated initial investment. Up to 400 registered aircraft and 25 aviation-related businesses.
Tier 2 territory
$228,641–$407,419
Estimated initial investment. Up to 300 registered aircraft and 15 aviation-related businesses.
Published franchise information. Confirm all fees, qualifications and territory-specific amounts in the current FDD.
The real question isn't whether you barely qualify. It's whether you can fund startup, working capital and the ramp without relying on early distributions.
TFI Airport Market Analysis
Population doesn't determine this territory. Aircraft do.
RealClean territories are defined by registered aircraft and aviation businesses, not residents. Territory availability tells you where you can buy. Your Airport Market Snapshot helps you see whether you should.
What your free snapshot covers
Based aircraft
How much aircraft activity exists around the territory
FBO network
Which fixed-base operators serve the airports
Private and charter activity
Business and general aviation traffic
Aircraft mix
Piston aircraft or meaningful jet activity
Aviation businesses
Managers, maintenance, charter and flight departments
Competition and access
Who already details aircraft nearby
Only RealClean can confirm territory availability. We'll request it for you.
The risk
Specialized can be powerful. It can also be concentrated.
- Franchising since 2024, so limited mature franchisee history
- Customer concentration and airport dependence
- Access to FBOs and aircraft
- Labor quality around expensive assets
- Aircraft-related liability and insurance
- Local competitors and consolidators
- Limited resale history
Early doesn't automatically mean better. It means more to investigate, and we'll help you do it.
RealClean isn't for everyone. Good.
RealClean may fit you if
- You like building B2B relationships
- Your market has meaningful aviation activity
- You prefer mobile service to retail
- You're comfortable leading a service team
- You can fund startup and the ramp comfortably
- You're ready to evaluate a newer system seriously
RealClean probably isn't for you if
- You want fully passive income
- You dislike relationship-driven selling
- Your market lacks meaningful aviation activity
- You're relying mainly on the affiliate result
- You assume a niche means no competition
- You're drawn mainly by the idea of being around jets
The Franchise Insiders
We're paid by the franchisor. We work for you.
Jack and Jill Johnson founded The Franchise Insiders in 2016, after Jack helped scale TheKey Home Care's franchise system from 30 to 250+ locations and was on its leadership team during its private-equity sale. Since then, we've helped place 870+ franchise owners.
RealClean pays us if you buy. You pay nothing. And if RealClean is the wrong fit, we'll tell you, and show you what fits better.
870+
Owners helped
Every advisor
Has owned a franchise
$0
Consulting cost
Up to $10K
Eligible rebate
Franchise Owners Helping Future Franchise Owners.
Your airport market
Get your free Airport Market Snapshot.
Tell us where you'd build. We'll send your snapshot, request current territory information from RealClean, and follow up with a private fit analysis.
Ask the TFI AI Advisor.
Pressure-test the Item 19, the owner role or your airport market.
