If you have ever been to a beach or sporting event, you might have seen a banner or billboard pulled behind a plane, advertising something. These signs tell of products or services, announce a special event, tell where to find further information (like a webpage), display political ads, and are used many other ways.

Most banner or billboard ads are pulled behind a small single engine prop plane. This type of plane has enough power to pull the extra weight and drag of the banner. However, some firms offer banner ads that are pulled behind a helicopter. This has several advantages and some disadvantages over the standard airplane.

First, because helicopters are much more versatile, they require more training to learn to fly them. This means the pilots are paid more and the banners are more expensive. Also, the power of the helicopter demands  a larger engine and thus more fuel cost. Again, the one using this service will pay more.

Helicopters can fly more slowly and even hover to provide a longer viewing time. Normally when banner ads pulled behind an airplane allow the audience an average of 17 seconds to read the message. Of course, there is a minimum speed needed to keep the banner out straight so it can be read. A billboard hung below a helicopter can be a stationary ad for a short period of time. At least the read time will be greatly lengthened.

The banner and billboard ad is normally attached to a rigid pole so that it stays upright and readable. Weights are attached to the bottom of it so that it does not spiral or turn over.

The other method developed by skydivers is called Sling Load banner pulling. Here the helicopter basically pulls the upper corner of the banner and a weight is attached to the bottom of the leading edge so that it stays vertical. In spite of this weight, however, the ad often distorts as the wind hits it for the lower edge can’t keep up with the top. The weight could be as much as 500 pounds so a safety factor is also involved. Standard banners only require 10-15 pounds of weight to keep them vertical.

One chief advantage of the helicopter is in the power of their engines and in the upward lift, not directly opposed to the drag of the banner. This results in the ability to pull much larger banners, some as large as 50,000 square feet. Compare that to the normal perhaps 3000 square feet banner pulled behind a plane.

Both a helicopter and an airplane make enough noise to draw the attention of the spectators. And both methods provide the unique ability of having a message presented to a large audience in a very short period of time without any competition for attention. Because of this, 99% of the audience will read the ad and get the message fixed in their minds.

When you have your advertising message perfected, it is time to call a company that flies aerial banners who can guide you through the process of getting it printed and into the sky. The effort you put into making it just what you want will soon begin to turn into great results.

Pulling Banner Ads with Helicopters is a post from: CPAPortal.com

Aerial Advertising Services

The last frontier is a phrase used by some to describe deep space, and by others to describe the oceans. In advertising the sky is like a huge surface on which to display a temporary message for all to see. We might say the sky is the last frontier in advertising. Aerial advertising uses this resource by pulling banners or billboards behind planes over large crowds. The message they contain gets read by a large number of people in a short time.

Aerial messages were once largely extravagant novelty statements like wishing someone a happy birthday or proposing marriage. How could a girl decline when the proposal is so creative and public?! But recently the messages more likely contain advertisements for products or services, political ads, or special events coming up.

Though most of the time these ads are pulled behind single engine planes, some have hired helicopters, and others have used remote controlled blimps or balloons. The novelty of a message in the sky defies being ignored, whether watchers are interested in the product or service or not. It has proven to be a low cost way to get a message to a large audience quickly.

Aerial advertising has taken a new form recently called night ads. These are lighted messages displayed on the bottom of the plane as it flies over. Like a UFO in the sky, a plane is heard and then, suddenly, a message begins to appear, written in the inky darkness.

We have all seen the signs on banks or motels where lights form words or numbers to display a message.  Now imagine this display attached to the underside of an airplane and flown over a crowd of people at night.  That is a night aerial ad. One company states the message is displayed on a 36 foot grid with letters 8 feet high, the grid containing 252 lights.

The moving letters are about eight feet high and are made of high intensity individual lights. Like the bank sign, the message can blink on and off, can be made bold, can travel right or left, can scroll up or down, and can sweep right or left. By using a creative variety, the attention of the audience is kept as they wonder what else it will say.

Though not yet as colorful, aerial nighttime ads have several advantages over daytime banner ads. First, there is no need for risky low level flying in order to hook the message and get it into the sky. Second, preparing the message is much simpler. Just type into the computer what you want displayed and the effects desired. No printing is needed. The message can be repeated or reworded for variety. Third, the message can be longer because it is only displayed a few words at a time. One disadvantage would be that fewer people are generally outside at night looking into the sky.

If someone is interested in an aerial night message, the first step is to plan a message. The message should be less than 45 characters (so it can all be read in time) yet contain all the information you want to get across. When this is accomplished, check online to see where an airplane banner company is available. It is a creative way to capture the attention of night sky gazers and get your message into their lives.

Aerial Advertising at Night is a post from: CPAPortal.com