Encinitas auto detailer helps restore original Air Force One

An Encinitas auto detailing business owner last month had the chance to work on currently “the most elite detailing project” when he and 50 others helped restore historical aircraft, including the Original Presidential Jet Air Force One.

Jose Junco, who has owned High Performance Auto Detail for nearly three years, was invited to work on the project after training in Big Bear earlier this year with master automotive and aircraft detailer Renny Doyle of Detailing Success.

For the last 15 years, Doyle has selected a team to work with him on the restorations.

“I obviously like to do quality work, but just the skills he showed me and the way I was performing, that’s when Renny said it was a no-brainer for me to be invited to help restore the jet,” said Junco, who lives in Carlsbad.

From July 23 to July 30, auto detailers from all over the country convened in Seattle at the Museum of Flight to help restore Air Force One, along with 16 additional aircraft on display. These included the first “Jumbo Jet” Boeing 747 and a 1934 Boeing 247, which had never previously been polished.

Doyle said the project began when a Bush Administration official asked him to “save” the famous plane, which was “falling into ruin on the tarmac at Seattle’s Museum of Flight.”

“I had only five detailers with whom I trusted on such a project and we were horrified at the condition of the aircraft,” he said in a statement. “We have been very successful in reversing the plane’s deterioration over the years.”

The museum has contracted with Doyle’s team through 2020, he added.

“There is no room for mistakes on multimillion-dollar aircraft, and that’s why I brought on Jose with his exceptional skill and eye for detail,” he said.

When Junco started in the detailing business a decade ago, he said he never imagined he would work on such a noteworthy project.

Junco said working on Air Force One was “intense work,” and he felt honored to work on all the planes.

“For me, it’s been the best experience so far as a detailer,” he said. “I was very proud and honored to be a part of that team and help serve history.”

He said the experience was vastly different than working on a car because of the size and time it took.

“Just being up so high, it’s different,” he said. “Everything is different. The hours that you have to put into just a single wing on a plane. You’re there all day. It’s intense work. It’s not easy but it’s a lot of fun.”

Junco said he looks forward to continuing his work on the aircraft for years to come.

“Everybody was just so pumped up and proud to be working on this project,” he said. “You’re just filled with all these pockets of energy. It was just a good day every day.”

Junco said he is proud to have earned five-star ratings on Yelp and many repeat customers at High Performance Auto Detail, 790 S Coast Hwy 101 #101, over the years.

Anyone wishing to schedule a service can call him at 760-994-3462.