Most people pick a size from what they can afford. The better method is to start from how far away it has to work, then check whether you can live with the gas bill.
Step one: measure your real sight line
Drive your approach road in both directions and note the point where your building first becomes visible. Do it at the speed traffic actually travels.
That distance is your design brief. Everything else follows from it, and it is almost always shorter than people assume, because trees, signage and other buildings close the view long before the horizon does.
Step two: match the size to the distance
- Under 200 yards — A 4.5 or 5.5 foot sphere is plenty. $301 or $351 blank.
- 200 to 400 yards — A 7 or 8 foot sphere, or a 10 foot blimp if you need a name read.
- Quarter mile — A 13 or 15 foot blimp. This is where most buyers land.
- Half a mile — 18 to 21 feet. $1,813 to $2,561 blank.
- Highway distances — 25 or 30 feet, and be honest about the helium.
Step three: check the gas bill you are signing up for
This is the step people skip. Fill volume grows very fast with size.
A 5.5-foot sphere takes 113 cubic feet, about $170 at typical local rates. A 13-foot blimp takes 170 cubic feet, about $255. A 30-foot blimp takes **1,510** cubic feet, about $2,265 for a single fill.
You then lose about one percent a day whatever the size, so the difference repeats every week for as long as you own it. Decide on the total, not the sticker.
Height is the cheap lever
Before buying a bigger balloon, check you are flying the one you have high enough.
We fly at 120 feet, deliberately under the 150-foot line where the FAA becomes involved. Going from 40 feet to 120 feet costs nothing and often changes visibility more than doubling the size would.
Within five miles of controlled airspace, call the local tower first. In forty years we have never been refused.
Ask for a quote. Call 1-800-791-1445 or email sales@arizonaballoon.com and tell us the size and whether you want it printed.
More at adblimps.com.