Light sport & antiques detailing in Helotes.
Specialty detailing for Piper J-3 Cub, Aeronca Champ, Citabria, Cessna 140/170, Carbon Cub — light-sport and vintage aircraft.
Helotes-based light sport & antiques owners typically operate out of Stinson Municipal (SSF, in town). GA ramp loaded with owner-flown singles, twins, and turboprops. Multiple FBOs and tenant hangars. We also work San Antonio International (SAT) and Boerne Stage Field (5C1) for owners with hangar arrangements across multiple fields.
Service specs · Helotes
Built for Helotes owners.
Helotes feels rural compared to inner San Antonio — properties are larger, the boat-and-trailer rigs are common in driveways, and Medina Lake is just 25 minutes west. We work Helotes driveways year-round for boat-and-RV combos and the smaller fleet of home-strip experimental airplanes northwest of the city.
Owner profile. Helotes is the family-property northwest fringe of San Antonio. Driveways are big enough for boats and trailers, and owners typically trailer to Medina Lake (closest) and Canyon Lake. RV storage is plentiful, and most rigs are family-use travel trailers and 5th wheels.
Light sport aircraft and vintage tailwheels are a special category — they live on grass strips, get flown for pure joy on Saturday mornings, and accumulate the kind of patina that only comes from low-and-slow flying. A 1946 Piper J-3 Cub has fabric-covered wings that need fabric-safe chemistry. A 1950s Cessna 170 has aluminum sides and a butyrate dope finish on some panels. A modern Carbon Cub EX-3 has polyurethane paint on aluminum, more like a modern Cessna 172. We treat each one according to its construction — and we respect the fact that the owner often built or restored the airplane themselves. The cabin is small, the panel is simple (or built with a Garmin G3X Touch retrofit), and the airplane is light enough that we can reposition by hand if needed.
Where Helotes owners keep their light sport & antiques.
Canyon Lake
40 minutes north from Helotes. Marinas: Cypress Bend Marina, Mountain Springs Resort, Cranes Mill Marina. Ramps: Cranes Mill Park ramp, Comal Park ramp, Boat Ramp #1 (Canyon City).
Hard mineral water from Comal Springs feed leaves spots if rinses aren't quick.
Stinson Municipal (SSF)
in town from Helotes. GA ramp loaded with owner-flown singles, twins, and turboprops. Multiple FBOs and tenant hangars.
Storage facilities
various I-10 corridor storage facilities, Loop 1604 storage yards, South Side storage parks. We service trailers and RVs on-site at storage yards.
Also serving these lakes
Medina Lake (40 minutes west), Lake LBJ (1 hour north), Lake Travis (1.5 hours northeast).
Additional airports
San Antonio International (SAT, in town) · Boerne Stage Field (5C1, in Boerne) · New Braunfels Regional (BAZ, 30 minutes east)
Light sport & antiques protocol — Helotes edition.
Pre-detail consultation with owner — confirm construction (fabric vs aluminum), paint system, any owner-applied repair areas.
Test products on hidden area first if any uncertainty about chemistry compatibility.
Mask sensors, antennas, pitot, period decals.
Tailwheel aircraft: secure the tail before any work at the cabin or wings.
Pre-soak leading edges with paint-appropriate bug remover (very gentle on dope or older finishes).
Fabric panels: fabric-safe cleaning only (Stits Polyfiber-approved if owner approves). Brush-clean, no water flood.
Aluminum panels: pH-neutral hand wash, period-correct soap if owner prefers vintage chemistry.
Hand-polish painted surfaces gently — no rotary, no aggressive compounds.
Polished aluminum brightwork (cowl rings on some Cessna 140s/170s, Stinson 108 fairings) by hand.
Acrylic windshield Plexus care.
Cabin interior: vacuum, vintage Naugahyde or cloth seat care, instrument panel wipe (vintage gauges).
Tail-tie secured before final walk; photo log handed off.
What's included.
What owners always ask.
Yes — Stinson Municipal (SSF, in town) is part of our regular service rotation. We coordinate hangar or ramp access with the FBO or owner ahead of every appointment. GA ramp loaded with owner-flown singles, twins, and turboprops. Multiple FBOs and tenant hangars.
Yes — fabric panels get Stits/Polyfiber-approved cleaning only, brush-cleaned, never wet-washed. We don't use water-based detergents that can swell fabric or solvents that attack dope. We confirm chemistry with you before applying anything.
No — dope finishes (still common on J-3 Cubs and some Champ wings) get extra-gentle care. We test any cleaner on a hidden area first. Standard modern aviation soap is generally fine on dope but we always confirm.
Yes — we secure the tail before any work that puts weight or pressure on the airframe. Tailwheel aircraft can pivot if not secured, and we treat that as a safety item.
Yes — we service home strips across the Hill Country, grass strips in Boerne, Fredericksburg, Llano, and surrounding areas. We bring our own water and power. Coordinate access ahead.
Yes — Carbon Cub EX-2, EX-3, FX-3, and SS variants are modern polyurethane-paint airplanes. We treat them like any modern light single. Same chemistry as a Cessna or Piper.
Yes — we'll work at fly-ins and airshow events. Coordinate with event management ahead of time. We bring our own setup.
A J-3 Cub or Aeronca Champ standard detail starts at $400. A Cessna 140/170 with polished aluminum runs $500-700. A Carbon Cub EX-3 or Aviat Husky with full modern care runs $600-800. Larger or heavily-restored antiques can run $900-1,000.
Park it. We'll handle it.
Same care, every job. We come to your Helotes driveway, dock, hangar, or storage site.