Aerial advertising flies high above Wyoming Valley

Aug. 17--FORTY FORT -- A small yellow bush plane has been flying over the Wyoming Valley towing a banner with the message: "No Obama 2012!"

Aerial advertising, which also has included other messages, is a new initiative for Valley Aviation at the Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort.

Nanticoke resident Ed Topper, 27, who flies the Aviat Husky plane out of the Wyoming Valley Airport, would not say who paid for the "No Obama 2012!" banner because the client asked to remain anonymous. It will continue to fly throughout the area this summer, he said. The cost to fly a banner starts at $300 an hour, he said.

Local Republican officials said they didn't know who was behind the banner.

"If there is some enterprising Republican behind it, it sounds like a good message to me," said Bill Urbanski, chair of the Luzerne County Republican Party. "I support the message. I just don't know the messenger."

Aerial advertising is common along the beaches of the Jersey Shore, but it is new in the area. Topper said he has eight years experience flying with banners at the Jersey Shore and he just started aerial advertising here this summer. He already has a few clients, including Luzerne Bank and a few people who sponsored messages such as "Happy Birthday" and "Will you marry me?"

On Wednesday night, he flew throughout the Back Mountain area with a banner reading "Let's Go Dallas Jr. Mounts" in support of the mini-football team and cheerleaders.

"We're excited to offer this to the area," Topper said. "It's a very new and innovative way for people to do a 'Happy Birthday,' 'Will you marry me?' or a 'Congratulations' banner. If somebody wants to promote their business, it's very new and innovative to the area. It's eye-catching. People notice it."

For the starting cost of $300 an hour, Topper said the message could saturate a very large area.

"In an hour, I could go through Wilkes-Barre and all the surrounding areas -- Edwardsville, Swoyersville, Wyoming, Dallas," Topper said. "We do special events, races, Mohegan Sun concerts, concerts at the arena or the Toyota Pavilion."

The Federal Aviation Administration regulates aerial advertising for safety, privacy and aesthetic reasons.

Topper said the FAA has inspected the operation and he has a waiver for banner towing. To receive the waiver, he said he had to prove the operation was conducted safely and that he has taken proper precautions, such as making sure no one is in the area when he picks up banners.

Currently, Topper and another pilot are the only ones listed on the waiver. He is working on getting a few more pilots so that as clients come, enough are available to tow banners that are 150 feet long and can hold a personalized message up to 45 characters.

In addition to advertising for clients, he also has been promoting Airport Day at the Wyoming Valley Airport, which will be held Sept. 15. So far, business has been good, he said.

"The phones have been ringing pretty steadily," he said.

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Copyright 2012 - The Citizens' Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.