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Aerial Advertising
- Thread starter c172
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ThomasR
Eye of the Storm
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RipCurl
surfing the midwest
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2004
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This thread got me looking into banner towing (something I had not considered before). How does this business work? I have found many companies that say they are based in one part of the country, but provide services to lots of far away regions. Do they just fly to wherever the contract is, set up camp, and start towing, or do they have "branches" all over the place? I'd like to live near Chicago this summer... is there a comprehensive list of banner operators out there that I could look through?
momalley81
Done spillt mah beer...
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2002
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Depends. Some companies travel; they'll send a couple of planes and pilots out with a bunch of equipment and set up base for a major sporting event, or even set them up for the season. Many others will just get the contract, then farm the job out to a subcontractor. You're going to find the busiest places for towing are areas where there are large congregations of people; beaches work well because you can get low over the water; Florida, the Carolinas, Ocean City, MD, the Jersey Shore, CT, and Long Island are some of the areas where I know it's busy, the east coast is somewhat better, because people aren't squinting into the afternoon sun as well.
There used to be a website with a list of most aerial advertising companies, but I managed to lose the link, sorry. It should turn up on a google search though.
RipCurl
surfing the midwest
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- Feb 17, 2004
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Man I looked and I looked and I looked. Seems like most companies are either on the Jersey Shore or in Florida. I did find one company in Chicago, Ad Airlines. I sent a message to them via email; I'm awaiting their reply. Maybe I'll call tomorrow. Does anybody know any other companies around here? Do I even have a chance at getting hired with ~280 hours and a Comm-Multi-Inst (and a H/P endorsement)?
Bryan D
Registered User
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- May 30, 2004
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Take a look at Sky-Signs, Myrtle Beach SC http://www.sky-signs.net/. They are a good honest outfit with good equipment and those two things are very important in this line of work. The season just ending but it will start up again in March. It's best to begin your training in Feburary and then your ready by March. The training consists of a tailwheel endorsement, banner pick up/drop, emergency procedures and route familiarization amoung other things. This is done in a Piper Super Cub PA18-160 (about 900 lbs empty) with a SuperBorer prop. Basically, you'll need 350 hrs PIC and CSEL certification. The training is 50 hrs, so if you have 300 hrs. now you will be good to go.
There is a certain amount of risk involved, alot of it depends on pilot. Your flying at MCA 90% of the time with a big ol' drag inducer behind you. It can be hard work when the wind is blowing say...18-25 mph crosswind, worse when gusting and over a ten story building (your at 500' agl).
The pick up and drop are the most interesting, you have your grappling hook on a 20-23 ft. rope attatched to the hitch mounted just above the tailwheel and for takeoff you hang this hook on the ledge of the door on the right and tie any slack rope around the wing strut using a slip knot. After you get airborn you toss your hook out and pull the slip knot and then you yaw the airplane to make sure the hook/tow rope are'nt tangled. If everything is AoK you trim for about 45-55 mph (yes, the airspeed indicator is mph) hands off level flight, 300' agl downwind and set one notch of flaps. At a point that you feel comfortable with turn base and then final, upon turning final descend to 250' agl and yaw (side slip) into the wind while maintaining a ground track consistant with the two poles (as viewed thru the lower corner of the windshield) that hold your banners lead rope. It takes >alot< of rudder. At a point ~45° horizontal from your poles pull the power to idle and pitch down at ~45°, your aiming point is 15' in front of the poles, make that point your primary focus, at about 60' agl add full power and push the stick forward some more to keep the nose from rising and at ~25' pull up to about 45° and listen for "you got it" on the radio. In any case you push the nose over at 250', if you have the banner you'll feel a slight tug depending on the size of the banner, if you don't have the banner you come back around and try again. The objective is to swing your hook between two poles that are 8' tall and 10' apart. The banner lead rope is 250' long with a loop that is strung between these poles. When everything is done correctly the airplane is above the banner and at the slowest airspeed at the top of swing (climb out) at 250' agl, and you don't rip the banner in half by snatching it off the ground.
If you fly an entire season, March-October, you can expect to log 700-900 hrs. At the peak I flew from 9:00a-5:30p stopping only 5 minutes between banners to refuel, rehook and shake the dew off my lilly. The ground crew does the refueling, rehooking, checks the oil and pushes the airplane back. I just jump back in "hot and brakes" and one of them hand props the engine. It's alot of fun, the atmosphere is laid back, lots of beer drinking around the picnic table after work, no dress code, you will be a good stick and rudder pilot afterwards..no question about it.
There is a certain amount of risk involved, alot of it depends on pilot. Your flying at MCA 90% of the time with a big ol' drag inducer behind you. It can be hard work when the wind is blowing say...18-25 mph crosswind, worse when gusting and over a ten story building (your at 500' agl).
The pick up and drop are the most interesting, you have your grappling hook on a 20-23 ft. rope attatched to the hitch mounted just above the tailwheel and for takeoff you hang this hook on the ledge of the door on the right and tie any slack rope around the wing strut using a slip knot. After you get airborn you toss your hook out and pull the slip knot and then you yaw the airplane to make sure the hook/tow rope are'nt tangled. If everything is AoK you trim for about 45-55 mph (yes, the airspeed indicator is mph) hands off level flight, 300' agl downwind and set one notch of flaps. At a point that you feel comfortable with turn base and then final, upon turning final descend to 250' agl and yaw (side slip) into the wind while maintaining a ground track consistant with the two poles (as viewed thru the lower corner of the windshield) that hold your banners lead rope. It takes >alot< of rudder. At a point ~45° horizontal from your poles pull the power to idle and pitch down at ~45°, your aiming point is 15' in front of the poles, make that point your primary focus, at about 60' agl add full power and push the stick forward some more to keep the nose from rising and at ~25' pull up to about 45° and listen for "you got it" on the radio. In any case you push the nose over at 250', if you have the banner you'll feel a slight tug depending on the size of the banner, if you don't have the banner you come back around and try again. The objective is to swing your hook between two poles that are 8' tall and 10' apart. The banner lead rope is 250' long with a loop that is strung between these poles. When everything is done correctly the airplane is above the banner and at the slowest airspeed at the top of swing (climb out) at 250' agl, and you don't rip the banner in half by snatching it off the ground.
If you fly an entire season, March-October, you can expect to log 700-900 hrs. At the peak I flew from 9:00a-5:30p stopping only 5 minutes between banners to refuel, rehook and shake the dew off my lilly. The ground crew does the refueling, rehooking, checks the oil and pushes the airplane back. I just jump back in "hot and brakes" and one of them hand props the engine. It's alot of fun, the atmosphere is laid back, lots of beer drinking around the picnic table after work, no dress code, you will be a good stick and rudder pilot afterwards..no question about it.
Last edited:
ThomasR
Eye of the Storm
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2004
- Posts
- 324
Job Market
This is probably really stupid, but, why don't they just take off and land with the banner already attached?
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Yeah, it was that transition fee that stopped me, I think someone called it PFT or something like that. You could probably pay it off in one season but without an agreement in writing you have no job security with the company and there are not many other places to go. Find out what their pilot turn ratio is and the management structure. You might have to live with three or four roommates which gets old fast. Apartment rates in Colorado (tourist areas) starts at $2500 a month.
This is probably really stupid, but, why don't they just take off and land with the banner already attached?
*
*
*
*
Yeah, it was that transition fee that stopped me, I think someone called it PFT or something like that. You could probably pay it off in one season but without an agreement in writing you have no job security with the company and there are not many other places to go. Find out what their pilot turn ratio is and the management structure. You might have to live with three or four roommates which gets old fast. Apartment rates in Colorado (tourist areas) starts at $2500 a month.
Last edited:
Bryan D
Registered User
- Joined
- May 30, 2004
- Posts
- 229
The training is required by the FAA and the insurance co. The insurance co. requires 50 hrs tailwheel time, the FAA requires banner tow specific training as specified in the letter of provisions that they grant to banner tow operators.
I was skeptical at first but, if I had'nt taken advantage of this opportunity, as meager as it is, I would still be sitting here with 325 hrs in my logbook wondering where I was going to get hours and move up the ladder. I've made my training costs back and then some, plus logged 800 hrs SEL PIC time. If you do the math 800 hrs at say $50.00 an hr is $40,000. and I did that in 7-8 month's. You won't get rich towing banners but it's a good way to put some hours in the logbook.
I was skeptical at first but, if I had'nt taken advantage of this opportunity, as meager as it is, I would still be sitting here with 325 hrs in my logbook wondering where I was going to get hours and move up the ladder. I've made my training costs back and then some, plus logged 800 hrs SEL PIC time. If you do the math 800 hrs at say $50.00 an hr is $40,000. and I did that in 7-8 month's. You won't get rich towing banners but it's a good way to put some hours in the logbook.
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