HISTORIC A/C 28

What do we do and why does it matter? Well, as I said above, we count ourselves very lucky indeed and we don’t forget that for a minute. Basically, we LOVE these aircraft! We are passionate about them, and in doing a good job in every aspect of being in, near and around them. And that’s important; aviation is something you either kinda just like, or you totally breath. We’re the latter. And that means we ‘want to serve’ both the industry and our customers. We want to keep the industry alive and well, and to keep people flying and happy. It’s important to us that legacy finds its way and that these wonderful Warbirds and Vintage masterpieces are kept flying.

So, to answer the first question, “What do we do?” the answer is: “Everything we can”. Even down to our specifications, we love to do the research and include details about the history of the aircraft (which is often a wonderful journey of discovery and an interesting fact-finding mission). Our services include contract writing (happy to provide a contract and all supporting steps or work directly with lawyers and finance companies), we’re experienced in dealing with UK and foreign escrow companies. We have a huge amount of experience in shipping aircraft and working with everyone from foreign Civil Aviation Authorities to the people at the shipping port authorities.

Ultimately, you can’t buy experience, but you can choose to work with people who have it. So, if you need anything at all, even just down to some advice, please get in touch. And, in particular, if you have an aircraft to sell or an appetite or interest to purchase and operate anything vintage or Warbird era, please give us a chance, we would love to work with you.

The Grace Spitfire ‘ML407’

Having already covered the background story behind the magnificent Mk. IX Spitfire in a previous article (see ‘MH415’ in the October ’21 issue), I wanted to highlight another particularly wonderful example; the two-seat ‘Grace Spitfire’, and offer just a snapshot of its impressive wartime history:

‘ML407’ rolled off the production line at Castle Bromwich in early 1944 and found active service flying some 176 combat missions (accruing some 320 combat hours!) through the last twelve months of World War II.

In April 1944, ‘ML407’ was delivered to 485 New Zealand Squadron by Jackie Moggridge (one of the top female pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary), where it was handed over to Flying Officer Johnnie Houlton DFC who was accredited, while flying ‘ML407’, with the first enemy aircraft shot down over the Normandy beach head on 6th June 1944 (D-Day!).

‘ML407’ was transferred to 341 Free French Squadron to Sergeant Jean Dabos in December 1944. Thereafter it moved on through a number of Allied Squadrons including: 308 (Polish), 349 (Belgian), 345 (Free French), 332 (Norwegian) and back to 485 (New Zealand) Squadron at the cessation of hostilities.

‘ML407’ didn’t retire but found a quieter life at an RAF Maintenance Unit where it remained until being selected by Vickers-Armstrongs at Eastleigh, Southampton for conversion in 1950 to the two-seat configuration for the Irish Air Corps as an advanced fighter trainer.

‘ML407’ is maintained to the highest possible standard and is not just an exceptional example of the type, but is an iconic example of an iconic aircraft! You’ll notice it is sporting the rear-seat ‘Grace Canopy’ which is the more streamlined version of the rear bubble design. This was designed by Richard’s father Nick Grace who restored the aircraft himself between 1979 and 1985.

The aircraft is available to experience yourself both inside and outside! ‘ML407’ can be spotted at many airshows around the UK and as part of the already mentioned four-ship display team ‘The Ultimate Fighters Display Team’ (the fourth aircraft by the way is the mighty P47 Thunderbolt… look out for an upcoming article about that amazing aircraft soon!) And if you fancy seeing, feeling, smelling and ‘breathing’ it from the inside, then you can do that too! You can take a flight at the controls yourself in an airborne experience flight via warbirdflights.co.uk

For more information on….. Buying / Selling / Advice on Vintage and Warbird aircraft: www.TASCVINTAGE.com

Vintage and Warbird aircraft maintenance: www.AirLeasing.co.uk Flying in a Warbird: www.warbirdflights.co.uk The Ultimate Warbird Fighters Display Team: www.warbirdflights.co.uk/ultimatefighter

PHOTO © DARREN HARBAR

PHOTO © DARREN HARBAR

PHOTO © XAVIER MEAL

AERIAL EUROPE

WORK MULTI MISSIONS • INTEGRATION • TECHNOLOGIES • SERVICES +44 208 255 4000 www.AvBuyer.com MAY 2022

The Marketers of Aerial Work Aviation

In the world of marketing and advertisement, the goal is to grab the attention and persuade the general public to respond in a certain way. So, what better than an aircraft flying above all the annoying ‘eye-level’ billboards, circulars, and leaflets invading your personal space. In this month’s Aerial Work articles, Patrick Ryan, like an banner-towing pilot flying slowly along a Florida beachfront, will ‘grab your attention’ and persuade you that Aerial Advertising plays a significant part in marketing and aviation.

Have you ever been relaxing on a beachfront and been mesmerised by an airplane slowly towing a banner overhead? It was probably captivating as you tried to guess the message they were pulling through the sky. With this, the advertiser has captured your attention for much longer than they would with a billboard, promotional material in your mailbox, or an ad in the local newspaper.

Studies have shown that more than 70 percent of people who have seen an aerial advertisement will remember when, where, and what was presented. This statistic is far better than the average form of advertising. Furthermore, the benefits of aerial advertising keep multiplying, making aerial advertising a form of marketing that is becoming far more popular and in-demand than the other forms of advertising.

The specific reason for this is that Aerial Advertisement has an eco-friendly operating footprint and is less expensive than traditional advertising methods. The answer is evident when comparing the CO2 emission output of printing, distributing, and recycling mass amounts of advertising material, to a single aircraft towing a banner.

Additionally, the cost savings between traditional groundbased printing and delivery of advertising versus aerial advertising are immense and profitable. What is Aerial Advertising?

At its core, advertising is a marketing message that utilises a non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service, or idea. Sponsors of advertising are typically companies wishing to promote their services or products. However, many charities and non-profit groups use Aerial Advertisement services to promote a cause or request donations.

When it comes to Aerial Advertisement, this specialised Aerial Work sector applies advertising techniques using an aircraft. In addition, Aerial Advertising uses both static and dynamic advertisement methods. The type of aircraft used varies from manned aircraft and other means such as drones. Aerial Advertising is mainly used in highly populated areas or mass gatherings, e.g., city centres, stadiums, beaches, or open-air music festivals. Advertisers can quickly draw mass-scale attention to their products or services by leveraging the sky in these locations.

Is This a New Promotional Method?

Not at all. The Aerial Advertising sector can trace its history back to the 1920s. With a post-World War I surplus of aircraft and pilots, the aviation community quickly adapted its capabilities to the needs and pioneering spirit of the modern day marketing and advertisement world. Some of the early pioneers of aerial advertising include: • John C. Savage — Early in the 1920s, John Savage, a former RAF pilot, is credited for developing the first skywriting ad method and helping expand skywriting services in England and across the United States. • Arnold Sidney Butler — Before World War II, Arnold

Butler, a business entrepreneur, utilised a fleet of Piper

J-3 Cubs, implemented the towing banner concept, and was recognised for many inventions and aircraft modifications used to pick up and release banners. Since the 1930s and over the years, major corporations like Pepsi-Cola Corporation, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and many more made aerial advertising an essential part of their marketing strategy. Early on, many corporations and small businesses realised how compelling Aerial Advertising could capture the attention of a large number of people in a short period. Is Aerial Advertising Just Banner Towing?

Absolutely not! There are many types of aerial advertising delivery methods. The types of Aerial Advertising are divided into static and dynamic displays. Static advertising consists of logos imprinted on aircraft, light signs, and banners. Dynamic advertising consists of skywriting, animated lighted signage, or even loudspeaker broadcasting. The primary, or most popular, types of Aerial Advertising methods are: • Mobile Billboard — Mobile billboard is stamping, magnetically attaching, or painting a logo or other advertising information onto the fuselage of an aircraft.

In the case of balloons, the shape of the balloon can be constructed to resemble anything from a whisky bottle to a luxury car. • Skywriting or Skytyping — Skywriting and Skytyping uses one or more small fixed-wing aircraft, expels special smoke from the exhaust manifold during flight, and flies in specific patterns that create readable letters and images from the ground. • Banner Towing — Banner towing is where a sign is towed or dragged behind a small fixed-wing aircraft or slung underneath a helicopter. There are three types of banners used in banner towing, they are: o Standard letters — Standard letter banners use standard letters consisting of either 5-foot-high or 7-foot-high letters linked together by connections designed for interchangeability. Standard letters have been the prevalent form of banner towing for the past few decades. A typical light aircraft can tow 25 7-foot letters or 35 5-foot letters. o Aerial billboards — Aerial billboards consist of a large area of nylon cloth and are painted or dyed with a sun inhibitor for protection. This type of banner allows for vivid pictures and can be towed either behind an aircraft or below a helicopter. Fixed-wing aircraft-towed billboards tend to be rectangular. Helicopter billboards veer to be square in shape to prevent the top corner from drooping. In general, aerial billboards are as large as 50 feet tall and 100 feet long, allowing for 1500 square feet of visibility. o Logo banners — Aerial logo banners are often ads without or with limited words. For example, a billboard containing only the company’s logo is pulled over a large gathering of people as a reminder of their service or product, i.e., for brand awareness. However, some logo banners might have a smaller Standard Letter banner attached at the end to provide additional information. This technique is most often used for advertising a brand but can also be used for a marriage proposal or party invitation. What Kind of Aircraft do Aerial Advertisers Use?

When it comes to Aerial Advertising, in general, high-flying fast jets don’t provide the low & slow dwell-time for viewers to comprehend and understand the advertised message. The exception is aerobatic teams like The Flying Redbulls and the Breitling Jet Team that perform with their sponsor’s logo-painted aircraft, i.e., ‘Mobile Billboard’ advertising. The standard aircraft types used in Aerial Advertising are manned fixed-wing, rotor-wing, and lighter-than-air platforms. Following manned aircraft is a mix of unique controlled or uncontrolled unmanned platforms. The specific description of these types of Aerial Advertising aircraft are:

Fixed-Wing Aircraft The most common fixed-wing aircraft used for mobile billboards and aerial advertising are light single-engine GA aircraft, especially in the short takeoff and landing (STOL) category. The standard fixed-wing banner-towing operation involves an operator attaching a grappling hook and a towline to the aircraft’s empennage before the flight. Once in flight, the operator flies back and conducts an aerial pickup of the banner, billboard, or streamer. While in flight, the wind resistance causes the banner to flow out behind the aircraft, allowing it to be clearly seen by those nearby. Regarding Skywriting & Skytyping, the aircraft used are usually single-engine aerobatic or classic warbird aircraft. The skywriting process usually uses one airplane, releasing a steady stream of smoke to produce a single image or letter. Skywriting messages are typically made at 3,000 feet and are limited to a few letters because of the winds. Skytyping consists of several aircraft quickly flying in line formation, releasing puffs of smoke under computer control, e.g., comparable to characters produced by a dotmatrix printer. These messages are generally written at 10,000 feet and can be up to 1,250 feet high and over five miles long. Some of the popular types of aircraft used today for banner towing and skywriting are: • Piper Aircraft — J-3 Cub • Cessna Corporation — C150, C172 • North American — T-6 Texan

Rotor-Wing Aircraft In the world of Aerial Advertising, helicopters are primarily used as mobile billboards and for banner towing. Therefore, the typical type of platform used is the lightlift helicopter. Outside of painting logos, etc., on the outside of a helicopter (mobile billboarding), helicopters can tow or slash large flags, typically made by joining many rows of printed fabric to create one image. The typical size of these banners is 20,000 sq ft, making them visible for greater distances, due to their scale, than typical fixedwing aircraft banners. Like many other Aerial Work sectors that use helicopters for specialised lifting, these helicopters are frequently employed to tow banners and more: • Robinson — R22, R44 • Bell — Bell 407s • Airbus Helicopters — H125 Lighter-than-Air (LTA) Platforms The types of LTAs used in Aerial Advertisement are both manned and unmanned airships, free balloons, and kite balloons. LTAs are primarily used as mobile billboards and, in some cases, for unique dynamic advertising, e.g., beaming branded WiFi signals, aerial filming, and more. LTAs are effective advertisement platforms due to their slow speed, long loiter time, and inexpensive fuel costs. Additionally, LTAs are used outdoors and indoors, i.e., in enclosed event arenas, stadiums, etc. ❯