Random question: Can I tow a banner?

[boingk]

Hey there guys, as the title suggest I'm looking into the practicalities and legalities of towing a banner with my aircraft.

 

Basically a mate is holding a combined Australia Day / birthday party and I rekon he'd love it if I were to go overhead a couple times with a banner. He's local so it would be a short flight, and away from urban areas as he lives out of town in the country.

 

At this stage I'm just looking whether or not its legal and if I would be able to do with with my aircraft - it gets around 600fpm climb solo and cruises around 80kt @ 75% throttle. I'm assuming it would have to work slightly harder with a banner, but not terribly so.

 

CHeers - boingk

 

 

[facthunter]

If you can slow it up without cooking the motor, you can pull a bigger banner. I think there is more drag than you might expect. Austers were used a lot with the 130 hp motor but they can go real slow. You will have to pick it up and drop it and it will have to tow correctly without spinning. I think you weight the front at the bottom. I don't know much else., but you better get it right. Nev

 

 

[metalman]

I have a mate who used to do banner work in an Ag Cat , reckons it was hard work and the margin for error was pretty small, watched a guy hooking up at echuca a while back, looked like fun but you would have to be pretty accurate

 

Met

 

 

[Ignition]

You will need permission from CASA. This CASA Document would be a good place to start:

 

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:bCUbwf9h3uAJ:www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_assets/main/lib100060/casa149.pdf+&hl=en&gl=au&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjXPX1azlVd1nfq6Nk5CIp5tNwvu0pzOhk3LAKoIbbk1i5qNZqrNUNGK0yFjQResAo5QrGmLPpTJ_QGCSRMD2l3Z-0PLx0riAmlVexziULFr64PuVplTAoAdu8KijIJqW60zlcq&sig=AHIEtbSyb2140aaJQBUS4XT7ZM4dzvmYCw

 

 

[fly_tornado]

just do it, what could go wrong?

 

 

[ruffasguts]

just do it, what could go wrong?

just the sort of attitude which we can do without

 

Mick

 

 

[Guernsey]

just the sort of attitude which we can do withoutMick

I think he forgot the tongue in cheek smilie.

 

Alan.

 

 

[boingk]

Sounds like I might forget about this one then, guys.

 

Last thing I want to do is stuff something up and wreck my aeroplane, or injur myself and/or others for what is essentially a stunt.

 

I rekon I might steer clear of this.

 

Cheers - boingk.

 

 

[Gentreau]

Boingk, you need specialist equipment fitted to the aircraft (sprung hook and cable release) so for a one-off, it would be complicated and expensive.

 

In France we do loads of banner towing in the summer and there are plenty of training courses for it.

 

You can tow with a microlight, there are people using skyrangers and savannahs to do it.

 

If you have good short takeoff performance, then you don't need to do the aerial pickup manoeuvre which is difficult and not without it's dangers.

 

What most here do is the following:

 

• Position the aircraft at the threshold of a private strip and shut down.
   
   
  
• Attach the rope to the hook and lay the rope and banner out in front of and to the left of the aircraft.
   
   
  
• Climb in, start up and repeat engine checks etc.
   
   
  
• Perform a short field takeoff, get airborne before the banner starts to lift.
   
   
  
• Climb at Vx until the banner starts to drag.
   
   
  
• Level off to slower angle of climb with the banner.
   
   
  

 

 

The rope is normally about 100m long, so you can go almost 200m before the banner starts to lift.

 

With the right aircraft it's fairly straightforward, but needs some planning and preparation.

 

Hope that helps.

 

.

 

 

[Ryanm]

What sort of plane are you going to use? You can't tow anything with an RA registered aircraft. To be able to tow, you need to be endorsed and have permission from CASA. There is a lot of paperwork to do!

 

 

[ayavner]

I know the FAA specifically prohibits it for their recreational license, so I am not surprised it would be the same w CASA.

 

 

[503]

I've seen a pic of an aerochute (pink chute)towing a big flag ,so it probably could be Done with a big bunch of paperwork?