Advertising Balloon Info

Every fact worth knowing about advertising balloons, with numbers rather than adjectives.

Materials

Two materials dominate. **PVC** is cheaper to manufacture. It stiffens with age, keeps the creases from wherever it was folded, and goes brittle under ultraviolet light.

**Polyurethane** stays flexible, folds and re-inflates without scarring, and tolerates sun far better. It costs more. Everything we build uses it, which is why customers report still flying the same balloon after fourteen years.

If you are comparing two quotes that look the same, this is usually the difference.

Sizes and gas consumption

	Sphere	Blimp
Diameter or length	5.5 ft	13 ft
Price	$350	$1,526
Printed sides	none	both, included
Helium to fill	about 87 cf	about 170 cf
Cost to fill	about $130	about $255
Net lift	–	about 3 lb
Shipping	$27	$135

Flight height and the FAA

Below 150 feet above ground level the FAA is not involved. Standard practice is to fly at 120 feet, which leaves margin under that line.

The exception is controlled airspace. Within five miles of it you call the local tower and ask permission. In forty years of doing this we have never been refused.

City sign ordinances are a separate matter and vary. Check locally before a long-term install.

Helium loss and top-offs

Expect to lose about one percent of the gas per day. Nothing fails suddenly; the envelope softens and rides lower on its tether.

That means topping off every three to seven days, at roughly $2.50 a day for a blimp. Buy helium from a local welding-gas or industrial-gas supplier, about $300 for a 200 cubic foot tank.

For trade shows that loss rate works in your favour: a single fill comfortably covers a three-day show, given 15 feet of clear ceiling.

More at marketingblimps.com.