Any Pilot's from Aerial Banners

[agpilot]

I am looking for any pilots who fly for Aerial Banners out of Hollywood Florida. If anyone is here please respond.

 

[outdoorsguy]

I am looking for any pilots who fly for Aerial Banners out of Hollywood Florida. If anyone is here please respond.

Say HI to Bob for me.

 

[mcjohn]

I just left there after 3 months of towing. Was a complete nightmare. BB and his wife are the biggest crooks I've had the pleasure of meeting in aviation so far. Stay VERY far away from this scumbag. He will try to own you and have you do all kinds of non-aviation side jobs for him. If you refuse they will treat you horribly. He has one of the weakest and most unorganized training programs out there that is directly proportional to his safety record. It's not worth a penny. He has a partner in crime DE that he makes you pay $300 to get checked out to tow for him. There is no need for this. The FSDO typically sends out a POI to banner companies for free for this sort of thing so there is no need to pay a DE. It's all a scam. The DE is not even a DPE.

Beware of the impression you get speaking with him on the phone. He'll sound like the nicest most down to earth guy and so will his wife. It's all part of the act. They will lie about the time you'll get flying there, what training is like, and what/how you'll get paid. I went to Aerial Banners to build Pawnee time just like you probably want to for ag. flying. IT'S NOT WORTH IT. I'd have rather flown a season for Sky Signs in Myrtle Beach for $10 an hour to get that Pawnee time. Aerial Banners is not a very busy place anyway. You may get 10-15 hours a week.

Also, you are an independant contractor at Aerial Banners and responsible for all equipment. I had previously worked for a very high volume banner company in NJ and know that banner equipment fails and so do the planes. This is not something the pilot wants to be liable for. I had a banner fall of my plane and lost in the ocean towing for Aerial Banners and BB charge me $825 for it on my last day there while showing me a contract that I unknowingly signed like a dumb ass. He never gave me any warning he'd do that for the 2 months I towed between losing that banner and heading home.

He has no REAL insurance for his business. His pilots are his insurance because they are contracted and held liable. Do yourself a huge favor and stay VERY far away from this company. Feel free to PM for any more details.

Van Wagner across the field from him is a very solid and well respected banner company that pays quite well and even offers benefits. They only fly a variety of Piper Cubs though. No Pawnees.

Right now is high season for banner companies hiring all up and down the eastern seaboard. Timing is everything. In Conway S.C. (Myrtle Beach) there is Sky Signs and Barnstormers. Up in New Jersey there is Paramount Air Service and High Exposure. Paramount gave me a free travel trailer to stay in at the field for their 3.5-4 months summer season. If your timing is right you can get the same. Good luck!

 

[tangodelta21]

It's what you make it. Bob was super cool to me. We had our disagreements but that's gonna happen when you put a New Yorker and a Texas country boy in the same room. We would laugh it off and say our F-you's and move on. As far as training it was as advertised when I was there ('02). I didn't have to pay a DE to come out and watch me pull a banner. As far as other duties, thats just part of it, they pay you to do them. I apreciated that stuff, when the flying was slow during the week it kept me in Beer money and I learned alot more about the aircraft. As far as making you pay for a banner that you put in the water maybe it was your fault. The more likely thing is that you were a jerk to him and his wife and he wanted to put your feet to the fire. Bob was always fair, his checks always cleared and the Pawnee's rocked.

 

[mcjohn]

I got along with Bob just fine. We partied it up and all and had fun. You are referring to 2002. I'm referring to 2007.

I WAS at fault when I put the banner in the water during my learn as you go self training. I tried to adjust the seat position and off it went. The lever was under the seat. My bad.

Anyway. The trainer (instructor) at the time probably could have used an endorsement or three from me. Hell, I had to give them to the other guys flying along side of me.

Bob's shiit was half ass and very unorganized. He preys on the young, very inexperienced, and the redneck. Whether that's a New England style redneck or a deep south redneck it's all the same.

His favorite employees are the ones who wash his chromed out Hummer or his wife's cheesy Porsche. I refused and was instantly on the shiit list.

That was one shiit list I was proud to be on. I don't mind a ton of BS side work but when I'm only flying 5 hours a week at times I figure it's best to pack the bags and head home. But I stayed, got all the Super Bowl and winter work knocked out, collected my hours and then headed home.

 

[tangodelta21]

Fair enough, there is alot of merit to what your saying. But it is a banner-tow gig and disorganized chaos is the name of the game. I was pretty happy to have a job also and I'm sure that clouded my perspective.

The washing of cars would have put me on the pooplist also. I'm sure if we sat down over a barley pop or two we would have alot of the same stories. As far as the redneck comments, by most standards I'm a well educated, cultured and successful Texas Redneck !

 

[mcjohn]

Oh DAMN! The Republic of Texas huh?! Word.

I can only imagine all the "F'you" drama up inside that hanger. Bob WAS the epitome of the Napolean complex man.

I'll never forget his checkairman Ruben. Good guy but damn was he wet behind the ears. Wasn't even a DPE. He only had the designation to check out banner guys. Said to me, "You know, it kind of pissed me off when you told me on the radio that you were going to go missed over the graveyard if I didn't call the rope before your dive. I mean c'mon on! I'm the DE!! It kind of offends me."

I was like, WHATEVER. I'm not cutting a 45 degree angle over the highway's lightpoles during my hard dive. IN THE NAME OF SAFETY MF'er!! And that is one company that could stand a BIG improvement on the old safety record if you know what I mean.

They can all kiss my ass. I'd be glad to go back down there and tow for them from time to time but I wouldn't hesitate for one second if they tried to give me any shiit. I imagine he was glad to get me out of his hair and I'd be willing to bet, he'd probably never hire a banner pilot with any solid experience again.