Banner Towplanes Over Miami Beach Will Soon Be Replaced by Drones

Sustainable Skylines has received FAA approval to fly the remotely piloted aircraft and will begin advertising in October or November.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at 02:20 PM ET

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A Velary drone tows a Sustainable Skylines banner off the coast of Miami. [Courtesy: Sustainable Skylines]

Key Takeaways:

Sustainable Skylines has received the first FAA approval for commercial drone banner-towing in the U.S., set to begin operations in Miami Beach by late 2023.
The company touts its drone service as a more sustainable, safer, and scalable alternative to traditional banner planes, offering significant fuel savings, reduced accident risk, and greater operational flexibility due to VTOL capabilities.
This drone-based aerial advertising could potentially impact traditional pilots who use banner-towing to accrue flight hours and income, although Sustainable Skylines suggests a role for experienced pilots in their drone operations and aims for national expansion.

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For pilots, they’re a convenient way to accrue flight time—for beachgoers, they’re a nuisance. But whatever you think of the banner-towing airplanes carrying fluttering advertisements over U.S. oceans, they’ve got competition.

Miami-based aerial advertising company Sustainable Skylines recently announced it has obtained FAA permission to launch a commercial banner-towing operation. But rather than airplanes, remotely piloted drones will tow the banners.