âSustainable Skylines has announced that it has become the first drone banner towing operation in the U.S. to receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for commercial operations. The Section 44807 exemption approval, combined with a banner towing authorization currently under review, will allow Sustainable Skylines to launch full-size banner advertisements towed by a drone along Miami Beach.
Traditional banner advertising is both environmentally harmful and sometimes deadly for pilots, as crashes and other mishaps are a significant risk for aircraft towing banner advertisements. Using a drone to pull banners minimizes pollution and risks for pilots and people on the ground.
For the past decade, the commercial drone industry has been working towards regulatory approvals for a wide range of applications. For Sustainable Skylines, regulatory approval has been the most significant hurdle in transforming aerial advertising.
Relative to traditional aircraft banner towing, Sustainable Skylines’ drone operations are environmentally friendly, safe, and scalable; traditional aircraft banner towing does not easily scale due to constraints caused by small plane logistics and the proximity of events to airfields where banner towing originates. Unlike traditional aircraft banner towing, drones capable of vertical take-off and landing do not require the use of a nearby airport or runway. By eliminating the need for airport or runway access, drone banner towing operations can occur in a wide variety of locations where traditional banner towing operations are not possible.
Additionally, drone advertising brings measurable attention analytics to banner advertising, which is not possible with traditional aircraft towing. Sustainable Skylines’ drones fly the banners and can utilize anonymized data to measure the size of crowds within sight of their banners, giving agencies and brand advertisers confidence their messages reach their intended targets. Drones also have unique maneuvering capabilities, which brings a new dynamic to banner flights and generates increased interest from people on the ground.
“This is a significant milestone for Sustainable Skylines and the broader drone industry, explained Jacob Stonecipher, founder and CEO of Sustainable Skylines. “Our team has worked tirelessly toward this regulatory approval; we wouldn’t be here without the guidance of Lisa Ellman and her team at Hogan Lovells. We’re excited to work with our partners to safely launch and integrate banner advertising by drone into the local airspace and community.” With this regulatory approval, Sustainable Skylines can prepare for its launch in Miami Beach and to bring this new medium to brands and agencies.
“Banner advertising is another exciting example of the new opportunities that commercial drones bring to our economy, while enhancing the safety of the National Airspace System,” said Lisa Ellman, chair of the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) practice at global law firm Hogan Lovells, which facilitated Sustainable Skyline’s FAA approval. “Sustainable Skylines is reinventing an old industry with a new technology and delivering exponential value through the use of safe, clean drone technology that can scale, entertain and create new jobs, too.”
For more information on Sustainable Skylines banner towing operations or to talk with a brand representative, please visit https://www.sustainableskylines.com/
