Along aerial survey or jumpers, flying banners is something I would like to do before I move on to the big birds. High Exposure Inc (also known as US Air Ads) is one of the big fishes in aerial advertising, and who today’s Deep Dive is about.

They should be all set in pilots this season with Memorial Day right around the corner, but I had an interesting conversation with one of their pilots earlier this spring to share with you. I hadn’t talked to a civilian guy making the switch to military before.

Big thanks to @captnhutch for taking the time to do this. He has this video on banner towing basics that will help you paint a better picture of what the job is like.

Let’s dive in! 🤿

From Discovery Flight to Naval Aviator: My Aviation Journey

I fell in love with aviation at 14 after a discovery flight in a Cessna 172 out of Woodbine Airport (KOBI). Growing up, I was always fascinated by military aircraft—watching airshows, playing aviation-themed video games, and listening to stories from my parents, both of whom served (my mom in the Navy, my dad in the Marines). That first flight sealed the deal: I knew I wanted to fly.

After the flight, the owner of the banner towing company at Woodbine offered me a job. It was a rare opportunity to get hands-on exposure to aircraft, so I jumped at it and started working ground crew—setting up banners and learning the ropes of general aviation.

I didn’t click with my first instructor at Woodbine, so I took a short break and transitioned to a flight club based at Atlantic City International (KACY), still working out of Woodbine. The club was a tight-knit, part 61 operation—not a money grab, but a community of aviation enthusiasts. They had a C172 and a C182, and I was lucky to find an incredible instructor there, a retired Navy P-3 aircrew chief. I highly recommend joining a flight club—pay as you go, never upfront.

I earned my private pilot license at 16. As a personal reward, I went on to get my tailwheel endorsement in a J3 Cub flying off a grass strip near McGuire AFB—something I wanted not only for fun but also because taildraggers are essential for banner towing.

At 17, I earned my instrument rating, and soon after, moved on to commercial training. Since the flight club didn’t have a retractable gear aircraft, I completed part of my commercial rating at Millville Airport. With just 10 hours there to learn the aircraft, I finished the rest with my KACY instructor. A week after turning 18, I had my commercial certificate.

Shortly after, I traveled to North Carolina for a private multi-engine course and earned my instrument commercial multi-engine rating. At the time, I was still in high school.

I also started working part-time as a simulator pilot at the FAA Tech Center, supporting NEXGEN research, while volunteering as a firefighter in two townships. I flew banners year-round while attending Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC), living at home, and saving money. I earned two associate degrees—one in Aviation Studies and another in Professional Pilot.

When ACCC launched their aviation program, they had no planes. Ironically, I flew over their first aircraft as it was being ferried from Texas to New Jersey. Today, the program has grown to include several aircraft and even helicopters.

After ACCC, I transferred to Stockton University, still commuting from home, and earned a BA in Environmental Studies. Over five years, I flew more than 2,300 hours up and down the East Coast—covering the Jersey Shore, Philadelphia (especially Eagles and Phillies pregame banners), New York, Maryland, Baltimore, and beyond.

As graduation approached, I still had the military in my sights. I took the Air Force and Navy entrance exams and failed both. I figured the dream was over and accepted a conditional job offer from GoJet Airlines. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but it was a path.

Then COVID-19 hit.

With everything on pause, I decided to double down. I hired a tutor, retook the Navy ASTB-E, and doubled my scores. I submitted a package and was selected as a Student Naval Aviator. I called GoJet and respectfully declined—my path had changed.

In September 2021, I started Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI, and graduated that December. I moved to Pensacola for Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation (NIFE), where I completed ground school exams, flew a Cessna, and chose Corpus Christi, TX, for my T-6 training. Starting in May 2023, it was the most intense and rewarding flying I’ve ever done. Experience didn’t matter—this was learning the Navy way, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Although I initially wanted jets, I struggled with the aerobatics and nausea. After speaking with instructors, the P-8 Poseidon stood out: a Boeing 737 platform, land-based, mission-driven, and crew-oriented. It felt right.

I selected P-8s in October 2023 and began multi-engine advanced training in the T-44 in February 2024. I earned my Naval Aviator Wings in June 2024, and by October, started learning the P-8 in Jacksonville, Florida. I completed the Fleet Replacement Squadron syllabus in April 2025 and selected a local squadron where I’ll be stationed for the next 3+ years with deployments ahead.

My aviation journey began at Woodbine, built on connections, community, and a relentless work ethic. I lived at home, worked nonstop, saved every dollar, and said yes to every opportunity. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that nobody cares where you went to college or what your degree is in. What matters is your attitude, your actions, and your persistence.

So here’s my advice: save your money, live smart, chase what excites you, help others, and trust that great things will come.

A typical day would go like:

Wake up, drive to the airport (although some live on-site, more on that later), and give you a description of the banners you’ll be flying, the times and routes.

You then go grab a hook attach it to the plane, and a life vest if needed. Because multiple banners may be laid out, each will be assigned a specific color so you know which one you’re supposed to pick up.

Once your banner is hooked, you’ll notify whoever is sending that banner up using your mobile app (so they can look up and see what they paid for) and off you go.

Then once you’re done, you’ll drop the banner at a designated dropzone, land, fuel up and now pick up a new banner for your second route that day. You may have multiple hooks attahed to the aircraft at any given time, so make sure you pull the right one for your 200 feet release!

Is it actually THAT dangerous?

You just need to be focused. You’re constantly slightly above stall speed at 500 over beaches and 1000 feet over land. Remember that the drag of the banner helps you NOT to stall. Headwinds can be crazy so you need to monitor your fuel (you don’t want to run out because of unaccounted winds) and ground will typically monitor weather.

High Exposure has on-site maintenance, and they will help you if you have any concerns. They’re very serious about maintenance, maybe even a little more than usual.

About the job…

Each pilot keeps his plane for the season. You’ll get 400-600 hours. Tailwheel endorsement isn’t required but tailwheel is just more efficient, so you’ll log more hours. You get paid per tow flight hour, which means if you spend 20 minutes failing to pick up your banner, you’re not getting paid for that. First-year tailwheel pilots make $23 and Cessna pilots (C152, C172) make $20. Pilots are required to learn how to set up banners just in case (here’s how you do that), and if you set it up and pack it yourself, that’s $30. If you tow off-season, it’s $10 extra per tow flight hour. The pay goes up for returning pilots.

How does training go?

You’ll fly with Vinnie, maybe 2-3 hours, mostly a bunch of landings, to see how you handle the airplane. If needed, you’ll be able to practice with a CFI in the back. The next day, you’ll have a small banner try. Then you’ll do everything solo.

Some actually quit after they experience their first banner pick up.

Ultimately, it’s all about personality.

Go out with the boys. You’ll most likely live in a trailer with the others, maybe 12 beds, a kitchen, bathroom, shower (definitely label your food). They’ll take your suggestions on how to make things better seriously.

Towards the end of the season, you’ll go on a fishing trip with everybody, have some beers and fun on the company credit card.

The bad part was definitely fatigue. Long days, 8 hours of flying, with the commute if you decide to live off-airport. It’s a one hour show-time, which could lead to 12-hour days.

oh, one more thing…

Since the very beginning, I’ve always said I’m in no rush to the big birds. That’s why I’m looking around at all the different jobs I can do before heading there.

Not that that’s totally changed.

But with the current hiring climate, it may be time to start looking into ways to even have a chance to get to the airlines eventually.

Something I haven’t looked into yet is Cadet Programs. It might be the only way in nowadays, and I know very little about the whole thing.

I’ll write an email about that sometime soon.

Just a quick update!

Talk soon,
— Ivan