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He Sells Ad Space In the Sky
Kent Heitzinger turned his love of flying into a booming business. If you've been at a farm show lately, you might have seen him flying overhead.
"Many companies say it's their most effective form of advertising," says Heitzinger, owner and president of AdAirlines, LLC.
"You can get to people who wouldn'
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He Sells Ad Space In the Sky 34-1-6 Kent Heitzinger turned his love of flying into a booming business. If you've been at a farm show lately, you might have seen him flying overhead.
"Many companies say it's their most effective form of advertising," says Heitzinger, owner and president of AdAirlines, LLC.
"You can get to people who wouldn't see other kinds of advertising whether it's at a show, a busy beach, an entire city or a section of the city, or over beach or auto traffic," Heitzinger says. "I've been hired to do business openings, political campaigns, and to sell products such as cars and insurance. We can focus on small or large areas."
The Illinois entrepreneur says his business, founded in 1991, is the oldest in the industry. He started pulling banners for Chicago businesses with a Cessna. Now his company has a fleet of Cessna planes with company-trained crews that work throughout the U.S. and into Mexico.
"It's very difficult to get the permission to do this now and to get insurance. We were in it before it got really tough," Heitzinger says. The terrorist attacks in 2001 added further regulations and put some venues like large sporting events off limits. The company fills out lots of paperwork for certified waivers from the FAA every time pilots pull a banner through the sky.
The Cessna planes are modified with extra oil coolers to keep oil temperatures low and have a twisted prop to get the best climb. The planes have certain style wings and extra gas tanks. Ad Airlines uses GPS to provide precise time and position logs for all flights.
AdAirlines pilots typically fly in three-hour blocks for a fee of $1,250, plus a commuting fee. The banner is included and has up to 32 5-ft. letters and numbers.
Another popular option is a 20 by 70-ft. banner.
"They are hand-painted and have four to five times better results," Heitzinger says. They cost $3,000, plus a tow time fee.
The strong nylon fabric is good for about 100 flights, and then can be used as a stationary banner.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, AdAirlines LLC, 2859 Central St., Evanston, Ill. 60201 (ph 773 785-3100; www.adairlines.com).
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