How do airplane banners work?

LongRoadBob

LongRoadBob

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When I didn't know much about flight (not that I know so much now but...) it seemed like no big deal that you'd sometimes see an airplane towing a banner ad. And I know they tow sailplanes but there you have a pilot in it.

It just seems so weird to me now. Having a long banner in tow, must really upset the CG, control response, etc. not to mention

- how do they take off with a banner? Seems from a stand still, it would be dragging this long (hundreds of pounds?) banner behind that can't get caught on anything, or else it is stop...how doe it get airborne?

- I'm guessing it has to be a still day, but how does the banner sit so well, facing the correct way, not flapping around, etc.? How is it attached to the plane?

- then landings...seems even worse. I would imagine it had to land straight in, but even then slowing down airspeed would make it drag, and again how doesn't it catch on anything?

Just all the practical things. Anyone ever done it and can explain it?
 
You think banner towing is cool. Check out this Air Force extraction deal done by the MC-130 by Air Force Special Ops.



 
Thanks! I did think it must be some kind of tail hook to pick up, and thought it would be dropped, but the effect on flying and the narrow airspeed requirements, that was really interesting.
 
The main thing is the banner company doesn't get paid when the banner is not in the air. As a result, time wasters like "patterns" are not flown between takeoff / pickup and drop / landing and the runway to use will be the one next to the banner drop zone, not the runway that other aircraft may be using - things to be aware of if there is a banner tow operation at your airport. Also, banner pilots get good as overestimating visibility and ceilings.
 
Every summer my city has a music festival and there's a guy who owns a Cessna 188 that does banner towing for the event. He picks up from my home drome and drops off every couple of hours. Pretty neat to watch him.

In a nut shell the aircraft has a large harness that the pilot controls from the cockpit, makes a swooping low pass to pick up and then climbs at Vx until the entire banner is airborne. Neat process.
 
mscard88 said:
WTF is that, a Tomcat w/ a target?
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Yeah for aerial gunnery. This one departed off a carrier with it. We used to have F-18s do it occasionally when I did ATC. They'd come back with a low approach over the infield area and local would say "drop, drop, drop." On the 3rd drop, they release the banner, ground dudes gather it up and record the scores.
 
Had a couple F-4s from Eglin years ago shooting at a target out over the Gulf. Lead went first and began to slide over to the right to let the wingman have his turn, except wingman opened up early and shot lead down. :eek::eek:
 
They dont let them tow over stadiums any more. Hmm, could this be the reason for stadium TFR's?
 
coloradobluesky said:
They dont let them tow over stadiums any more. Hmm, could this be the reason for stadium TFR's?
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They still tow around here, what'cha talking about?

I still love the banner dude who dropped his banner and plowed his Pawnee into his ex-wife's house here locally, then casually walked down the staircase from where he crashed into the second floor, out front and got the garden hose (since he used to live there and was also a firefighter) and went inside and put the fire out.

Can't get any nuttier than that.
 
Yes but they dont tow over the stadiums any more. TFR and ATC won't let them in. At least thats what the tow guy that tows out of Platte Valley , 18V told me. He can tow over Red Rocks Concerts.
 
Nobody does it better...

 
coloradobluesky said:
Yes but they dont tow over the stadiums any more. TFR and ATC won't let them in. At least thats what the tow guy that tows out of Platte Valley , 18V told me. He can tow over Red Rocks Concerts.
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Sure, but they tow right up until the beginning of the TFR...
 
You guys don't know what fun is until you've pulled targets with a stripped out B-26.
 
coloradobluesky said:
Yes but they dont tow over the stadiums any more. TFR and ATC won't let them in. At least thats what the tow guy that tows out of Platte Valley , 18V told me. He can tow over Red Rocks Concerts.
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They were towing last year inside the Rockies game TFRs as best as I could tell, watching them from the stands. Dunno. Not like we are missing much, not seeing there's a special deal at the strip club after the home games. LOL.

Thought they had some special deal where they could be vetted and all that. Maybe it changed.
 
Stadium tfr only need ATC contact I thought
 
Yes, but they don't HAVE to let you in. And they don't, or weren't, letting banner towers in. That was as of two years ago.
 
denverpilot said:
They still tow around here, what'cha talking about?

I still love the banner dude who dropped his banner and plowed his Pawnee into his ex-wife's house here locally, then casually walked down the staircase from where he crashed into the second floor, out front and got the garden hose (since he used to live there and was also a firefighter) and went inside and put the fire out.

Can't get any nuttier than that.
Click to expand...
Video or it didn't happen!
 
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