After the Checkride: Build Tailwheel Time

Just about everyone has seen an advertising banner in tow, and it remains an attention-getting mainstay of the advertising industry. This is one of those aviation jobs that can be done part-time, as a weekend gig that will teach you a few tricks and build your tailwheel time on someone else’s dime.

For a “good stick,” it takes about a month or six weeks to get up to speed, according to Mark Simmons, who operates Simmons Aviation Services, with a fleet of aircraft and pilots who operate out of Westerly, Rhode Island. (Simmons also does business as Banner Tow USA, offering advertising banner placements around the country.)

Minimum qualifications include a commercial pilot certificate and some tailwheel time, and the pilots Simmons hires range from undergrads in university aviation programs to seasoned pilots in their 60s who are in it for a little fun, and to be paid a little for their stick-and-rudder time. Don’t think you’re going to get rich starting out at $15 an hour, but count on building valuable aviation experience.

“If you can fly a banner plane pulling a big banner on a hot day, these are really good stick and rudder skills that you’re going to develop,” Simmons said. In the Northeast, it’s strictly a weekend gig, although in warmer climates it can be a year-round, daily operation. Many operators offer training at the pilot’s expense that can cost $3,000 or more, followed by an opportunity to earn that back as a line pilot.