I remember as a boy laying on a beach in Hawaii on one of our family vacations and hearing the puttering of plane overhead, whenever I would look I would see a private plane towing a large sign advertising something going across the busy beaches of Hawaii.
I’ve always wondered myself how they manage to tow those huge banners across the sky. It’s actually a simple process that involves a hook hanging out of the back of an airplane and good aim.
When a plane takes off it will throw a hook out the window that will hang off of the back of the plane. The banner’s tow rope will be propped up off the side of the runway about five feet off the ground. It’s up to the pilot to aim right for that rope and hook on to it to take the banner sky high.
It’s fascinating how a plane can tow those large banners across the sky, usually around busy beaches or outdoor fronts where many people will be able to see it.
Of course things could go wrong such as the banner flipping over or starting to drag the plane down, the banner has a safety release so if there was an issue it would float down safely to the ground without any issues.
