Any Banner Towers out there?

[Onan the Clumsy]

I'd like to give this a try someday, but, round here at least, they're all tailwheel a/c. :(


I flew with a guy for a while who had done some banner towing and he pointed out that it's all about time on station - the opposite to freight hauling really. Freight hauling you learn shortcuts to get there more quickly, whereas with banner towing, what's the point? You have to stay up for a fixed time anyway.

He said he did his stuff in New Jersey and the Pawnee they used had a leather seat. The weather was good, so this one guy used to do it with no shirt on, then after a while he did it totally naked. The other pilots, looking folornly at the leather seat, tried to pursuade him to at least wear underpants :yuk: :}


Anyone notice the Pawnee towing the big yellow billboard right at the beginning of the intro for CSI Miami?

[Onan the Clumsy]

I'll take that as a no then

:zzz:

[mutt]

Towed banners and dropped jumpers in my past life... but not now.....


Mutt

[currawong]

Used to do it, but not in the same get up as your mate(?!?)

Could not do that these days I suppose.

Need somewhere to hang your ID card.:E :}

[Fly Better!]

Why the sad face when you mention tailwheel aircraft? Have you got a problem using your legs?

They use c182 near me for banner towing. I was hired to fly a photographer once who need to film a banner tow, my mate managed to hook the banner with the nosewheel rather than the hook which was interesting.

[Onan the Clumsy]

Why the long face? Because I have the endorsement, but I need 25 hours for "insurance purposes".

That has to be the dumbest, most stupedest pointless requirement ever :* Same with retract: Once it's flying it's an aeroplane. Why don't they just require n take offs and landings? Theoretically Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic would just about count and how much tailwheel practice did he get on that?


We had a bloke round here that was using a 182, but couldn't drop the banner, so another bloke went up to try and cut the line with his prop :hmm: ...at least that's the story they all tell. Knowing who they are, I could believe it too :ugh:

[currawong]

That is crazy. Land with it, it's been done before.

Land well in, thats all. At least banner length inside the perimeter fence....:E

[Fly Better!]

Same with retract

You could maybe promise to leave the gear down :) I agree about the hours thing, the number of hours make no difference.

[topcat450]

Agree about the hours requirement - 25 seems a lot. Mine was for 10 hours dual (for the insurance). However it does seem that a number-of-landings requirement rather than hours driven would be more sensible. After all - you could crank up 3 - 4 hours and only do 1 landing.

Back to point though - nope, never towed here although next time you're visiting the homeland Onan, these guys (http://www.airads.co.uk/) offer banner towing training.

[Onan the Clumsy]

thx - There used to be an outfit on Dallas, but they got bought by people in Houston. I still see them towing up here though.