The Ramp Agent Difference

Before Empire, Kevin Zhao spent years as a professional ramp agent — marshalling aircraft, handling ground operations, and working within arm’s reach of everything from piston singles to business jets. It is work that demands constant awareness: of moving surfaces, of foreign object debris, of the delicate paint and composite skins that make an aircraft both beautiful and expensive.

That experience taught him something most detailers never learn — how to move around an aircraft with genuine precision. He learned to respect every antenna, static wick, pitot tube, and control surface. He learned how flight departments actually operate, how tight a departure window can be, and why FOD discipline is not optional.

When Kevin founded Empire Aircraft Detailing, he set out to bring that ramp discipline to a service that too often treats aircraft like oversized cars. Every Empire detail reflects that background: careful handling, manufacturer-compliant products, and a documented process that leaves the aircraft genuinely departure-ready — not just clean.