Picture a day at the beach: You’re soaking up the sun, waves crash along the shoreline, and seagulls eagerly await their next snack. But there’s another distinct sound that is familiar to many beachgoers: The familiar buzz of small planes carrying large banners that fly up and down the shore and have kept sunbathers looking up for over 30 years.
“The first time taking a banner out over the ocean is surreal,” said Connor Bassi, who grew up visiting the Jersey Shore and admiring the banner planes from ground level. Today, he is one of a dozen pilots flying for High Exposure Aerial Advertising, an experience he never thought he’d be doing. “We’re close enough to experience each little journey as we go along the beach; it’s pretty cool,” he said.
Inside one of the hangars at Woodbine Municipal Airport, the team at High Exposure is busy training new pilots ahead of a busy summer season. One of their most recent recruits is Solomon Acheampong, who graduated from the aviation program at Kent State University. “It’s so unique and so novel,” he said. “Every time I go up, I’m soaking up the fact that I’m doing this.”
To fly a banner plane, pilots also must learn how to pick up the banner mid-flight. From just a few hundred feet above the ground, each plane will glide down, pick up speed, and pull up quickly to pick up the ropes. The maneuver takes a few tries at first, but once the banner is in the air, it is an easy flight.
Kevin Patterson is also a graduate from Kent State and one of the pilots at High Exposure. Patterson described his experience of having a bird’s-eye view in a Cessna aircraft. “It feels like we’re at the beach (but) up in the air. It’s hot, we have the sun shining, and we get to see all the people. We wave our wings at each other sometimes.”
The company operates over a dozen airplanes that fly up and down the eastern seaboard. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, their fleet can be spotted along the coast from Sandy Hook all the way to Ocean City, Maryland, but you also may notice these banner planes flying high at a Phillies game, an outdoor concert, or a private event.
Operations Manager Vinnie Simeone says the skills that each pilot learns translate into real-world experience for their future career endeavors. “Whether it be the ride for their passengers (or) equipment that doesn’t need to be jostled around, guys that have flown banners, that are in the airlines and going to be your pilots, tend to have the kind of skill that makes the ride just that much better.”
pilots ahead of a busy summer season.
There are several colleges and universities that offer courses on the high-flying world of aeronautics. Locally, Atlantic Cape Community College has programs that provide students with hands-on training to become commercial pilots or work in various fields throughout aviation. Some of the young pilots we spoke to have their eyes set on working in the airline industry. “It takes several years of time building to gain experience and confidence and all the necessary skills to eventually fly for the airline,” Bassi said.
For enthusiasts who are considering entering the world of aviation, Bassi says to go for it. “It’s such a tight-knit community, everybody knows everybody,” he explained. “I would encourage a young person to come to an airport, knock on a door, shake a hand, and introduce yourself.”
As you sit on the beach this summer, with blue skies above, you may see the small, yellow planes of High Exposure taking to the air. Be sure to wave hello to the pilots above as they pass by your town this summer.
Steffen Klenk is a photographer and multimedia journalist who enjoys capturing the eclectic moments of shore life. You may contact Steffen at shorelocalsteffen@gmail.com.
