Make Your Proposal Memorable with Aerial Banners

Tom and Jenny had been going together for six months and Tom was sure this was the girl with whom he wanted to spend his life. He was also sure she would say 'yes' to the big question but wanted to ask her in a spectacular way that would be remembered all their lives.

To do this, Tom hired an aerial advertising company to design and display a banner, reading, "Jenny, will you marry me? - Tom." His family had planned a reunion the second Saturday in July and that would be the perfect time to unveil his desire. The company handled everything, design, construction, and display of his message. When it flew overhead, Jenny wasn't the only one who was impressed!

You only celebrate your parents' 50th anniversary once, and the Williamson family managed to coordinate their busy schedules to be together for the special day. Memories were shared, songs were sung, favorite jokes were told, and the food was delicious. As a grand finale, at exactly 3:00 pm, the children took their parents to the back yard and looked up as a plane flew by towing an aerial billboard that read, "Dad and Mom Williamson, you are loved!" The entire community knew that was true.


What are a few dollars in light of the lasting memories a banner message will bring to your special day? Think of using an aerial message to recognize an honor, to celebrate a special birthday, or to welcome home someone has been gone for a long time. The investment itself would tell them and the whole community how much they mean to you.

When looking for a company to help you, don't confuse banner ads or aerial advertising with the banner ads on the computer. An aerial message is a full-length sentence or message pulled behind an airplane at a given location for a designated length of time; it is not an annoying frame that pops up on the screen. Banner ads are often seen at beaches or athletic events. The same company that provides these ads can help you with the banner message fitting for your occasion.

An aerial message as described above is simple. Think of a sentence or few words that would express what you want to convey. Then contact an aerial advertising company and present your idea. They will have suggestions to make it just right. The company will do all the work and fly the message where you want it displayed. In some areas more than one company has this service so investigate to find out what is right for you.

By the way, remember Tom and Jenny? Jenny's reply was, "Oh, Tom, I do love you but give me a week to think it over and talk with my parents, and I'll give you my answer then." Sure both Tom and his family were disappointed but they appreciated her mature approach to such an important decision. Little did he or they know what she was planning. The next Saturday, another banner flew overhead, right on time and at the right location. It read, "Yes! - Jenny"

AirSign has been providing customized banner towing services since 1996. Call them today at 888-645-3442 and have them fly an aerial banner that will make your special day unforgettable.

How Can Skywriting Boost Your Business?

The movie The Wizard of Oz, a smash hit when it came out in 1939, had a scene where the wicked witch wrote SURRENDER DOROTHY OR DIE in the sky with her broom. Ever since sky writing has fascinated people. (The witch's message was actually just special effects, produced in a 6 foot by 6 foot glass tank.) But sky writing goes back further than that. It was first tried in1922 in England. Advertisers began using skywriting at the same time but Pepsi-Cola made it famous, using skywriting from 1931 to 1953.

Are the letters really formed by smoke? Yes, skywriting smoke is made by inserting paraffin oil into the exhaust of the plane. The oil vaporizes in the heat making an environmentally friendly white smoke that lingers in the air. Of course, the pilot only injects the oil into the exhaust when he is in a position to form part of a letter.

How tall are the letters? A mile tall. How long is the message? Up to fifteen miles long. How long do the letters stay visible before drifting away? They last up to twenty minutes. What determines if the skywriting will be a success? First, the skill of the pilot. He must be really good at maneuvering the plane and knowing exactly where he is in terms of the message. Second, the size of the plane engine. It must be large enough to make the letters quickly, but it also must be hot enough to vaporize sufficient paraffin oil to make the smoke. That means the paraffin must reach 1500 degrees and to do this, some recommend 450 horsepower engines that are six times hotter than small planes.

Besides these factors, there is the weather. The wind cannot exceed three to five miles per hour. The sky must be nearly clear for the white letters to be visible against the blue sky. Since wind speed may vary at different heights, the planes will fly anywhere from 7000 and 17000 feet. At these heights, the message is visible for thirty miles on either side. Cooler air temperature makes more smoke, but the air temperature cannot exceed 95 degrees. The best months for these conditions are September and October.

How large is the message? It is usually four to six letters and it takes one to two minutes to form each letter. A shorter message is more likely to be visible at once. Why not make it longer? When a message is longer than this, it will take too long to form so that it is seen all at once. One remedy is to hire multiple pilots. The two or three pilots coordinate their maneuvers so that, as they work together, they will produce the message visible for the minutes before it drifts away.

Think about this: the pilot is writing from the top, parallel to the earth though the message may seem to be vertical. Therefore the pilot must write the letters backwards from above so that they appear correctly to the readers below. The letters must also be uniform and in a straight line so that the message is attractive. This requires great piloting skills.

This method of advertising is so novel that it almost demands to be read all the time the letters are forming. So what kind of people would benefit from hiring skywriting to get their message across? Skywriting has been used to advertise soft drinks, motion pictures, websites, political candidates, products, and so forth. One company says they skywrite fifty marriage proposals each year.

What does all this cost? The cost depends on the company, and on the availability. For example, if you must fly in a skilled pilot from some distance, that will add significant cost to the adventure. But for local skywriting, count on starting around $1000 and look for a discount if you get more than one message or the same message multiple times.

Skywriting advertising is just one of the aerial advertising services AirSign provides. Learn how AirSign has been leading the industry in providing this innovative advertising method since 1996.

Steps for Getting Aerial Ads into the Air

Have you ever been at a large gathering somewhere, like a sporting event or a beach, and seen an airplane fly by pulling an announcement or an advertisement of some type? These ads or messages are called aerial advertising, and have proven to be an effective way to get a message out to a large group quickly.

So how do they get such a huge banner into the sky? If the banner were attached to the plane before it took off, this would cause two problems. First, the banner would drag across the runway and get damaged. Second, The drag of the huge banner would make it more difficult to get off the ground and this means the banner would drag even longer.

Getting the aerial ad into the sky takes a great deal of skill. But the huge success of banner advertising makes it worth the trouble. First, the airplane takes off with a device called a "grapnel hook" hanging in the window. The other end is attacked to the tail of the airplane by either rope or cable.

Once the airplane is airborne, the pilot releases the hook from his window and lets it fall. The hook falls below the plane and is ready for the next part. Meanwhile, on the ground the banner is folded up, but it has a lead pole attached to the front. A harness is attached to that and a pick up rope to that. Finally a loop of rope connected to the lead rope is draped between two poles about five or six feet off the ground.

Next the plane flies over the open area where the banner's loop is visible. As he passes low over the area, the hook dragging below the plane is designed to catch the loop, pulling the lead rope and then the banner into the air. The moment he reaches the pick up area, he pulls back on the stick and throttles the engine, making the plane soar upward at a steep angle. The hook snags the loop of rope, and pulls the banner up into the sky. If for some reason his hook misses, then he circles around and tries again.

How do they keep the banner straight and not acting like a spiraling kite? The bottom of the banner is weighted so that it is always down. The end of it also has tiny parachutes that keep it stretched out. Banners could be up to fifty letters long and when you consider the letters are seven feet tall, that is a long banner to pull! It takes skill and practice to do it just right.

When the pilot has completed his mission over the designated area, he will fly the banner back to the drop off place, fly low again, and, release the hook so the banner falls to the ground unharmed. This way it is reusable if that is appropriate.

Larger planes are able to actually pull the banner with them on takeoff without damaging it, but most single engine prop planes use the plan outlined above to get the banner into the air.
All this may seem like a lot of trouble, but the result is worth the effort. Thousands will see the banner, both at the event and on the way to and from it. The message will get out and people will be influenced by the message.

But not all aerial advertising companies are alike. Some simply take an order and contract it out. Since 1996, AirSign has been leading the industry by taking personal care of their customers using the best pilots, sharpest looking planes, and providing accountability for their work through free GPS tracking. Give them a call and find out what they can do for you!

Using Balloons in Aerial Advertising

Advertising in the sky has become a very successful means of getting a message across to a local group of people quickly. Usually a banner is pulled behind a single engine plane over a beach or sporting event. This huge exposure of a product, service, coming event or the like means more people are likely to investigate further.

Billboard ads are also flown over crowds of people. These can be as large as a roadside billboard but are much lighter. These aerial billboards are pulled by planes or even helicopters for helicopters can pull a greater weight. If the plane can handle it and the budget allows, some even pull a banner behind a billboard ad. It usually contains additional information like an address or webpage.

Helium balloons are also used to attract attention. When a giant balloon is seen attached to the ground by a banner, people will drive over to see where it leads. A newer form of aerial advertising is by hot air balloon, or blimp. It is possible to buy a blimp and have your company name put on the side. Goodyear has become famous doing this and their use of the blimp for others probably pays their expenses. However, this is very expensive and probably cost prohibitive to most companies.

Remote controlled balloons are a nice compromise, inexpensive but further off the ground than helium balloons. These balloons are heavier than air since they have to come down. Without the weight of a pilot, the balloon doesn't need to be as large to carry the ad.

These large balloons are propelled by a pusher prop attached to the rear of the balloon. The remote control unit determines the angle of the propeller, whether up, down, or turning. It actually resembles a slow moving model plane. When such a balloon displays an ad and is flown over a crowd of people, it will work much like a banner ad. The balloon can then be returned to the operator to be used again.

These balloons come in varying sizes, some starting at six feet and going to nearly twenty feet. They are not helium filled so preparing and launching them is simple. Of course, wind plays a factor with something so light and scheduled runs may need to be postponed.

How much would this type of advertising cost? A probably typical estimate for six foot balloons displaying a company sign or logo is about 1500 dollars. Larger sizes go from 4000 dollars for a thirteen foot, to 7000 dollars for a seventeen foot. Since a pilot is not needed for this type of ad, the owner can fly it any time he wants, that is, when the weather permits.

If you want to target your message effectively, it is time to get in touch with an aerial banner company and get it printed and into the air. It won't take long before your well planned message will be read by thousands and the result in sales will follow.

How Are Aerial Billboards Used in Advertising?

While traveling to Canada some years ago, I was struck by the absence of billboards along the roads. I guess it was against the law. Actually I missed them. Sure, too many can be obnoxious and an eyesore, but I found I rely on the information they present as I travel.

Of course, most billboards are huge signs pasted to a support on some rented piece of property like a farmer's field. The more people who travel that highway, the better. The billboard stands there, awaiting people traveling by to read the message. Now imagine this billboard flying into the air over some huge gathering of people. That is the essence of advertising with aerial billboards.

Aerial billboards are similar to roadside billboards but different in a number of ways as well. For example, the roadside billboard is fixed, being seen by moving people. Aerial billboards on the other hand, are moving while the people are stationary. Also, the roadside billboard is only noticed by those looking its way as they drive. The aerial billboard is read by virtually everyone who sees it because of the uniqueness of the display. The roadside billboard will be viewed by 100,000 people after a long time; the aerial billboard could be read by that many in a matter of minutes.

The aerial billboards are made of nylon. Some are painted and some are dyed with a sun inhibitor for protection. The billboard is not a banner but a banner is sometimes attached to the end of the billboard to give an additional message. Some billboards are as large as 50 feet tall and 100 feet long! The message on it may be a logo, the name of a product, photos, or just about anything a roadside billboard contains.

The billboard is weighted on the bottom so that it stays upright, and has a lead pole attached to the front. A bridle is attached to that and the bridle to a 250 feet long rope attached to the plane. To get the billboard into the air, the pilot must take off without it, then circle around and catch a loop of rope fastened to the tow rope. He catches it with a large hook attached to the rear of the plane. He immediately banks upward so the billboard is hoisted up and not dragged along the ground.

Of course, billboard advertising like this is dependent on the weather. Heavy winds could make it impossible for a small plane to pull such a resistance. Sometimes the banner cannot be added to the back of the billboard because of the drag. When the flight is over, the pilot is able to fly low and drop the billboard safely to the ground where it will be retrieved and stored for future use.

What is the difference between aerial banners and aerial billboards? The only real difference is the size and shape of the message trailing behind the plane. Clients might include restaurants, products, special events, congratulatory messages, wedding proposals, directions, information like a web page to get further details, special sales events, businesses, movie ads, and so on. Billboards display just about any brief message someone wants to get to the public in a hurry.

The cost for billboard or aerial ads varies with companies and locations. Generally you should plan on 0 to 0 an hour for towing time and 00 and up for the billboard or banner. If that seems like a lot of money, consider the revenue that the message will bring in as a result of thousands of people seeing your aerial advertising message in a single day.