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3 LAYER NYLON
Unlike traditional white blimp nylon, we use a material that is specially milled for our blimps. In addition, it comes dyed in all basic colors except black. This material is very durable and take heavy handling and everyday use for up to 2 years. Its greatest asset is its ability to hold helium for 6 to 8 days before requiring a top off of 25%, 3 days longer than traditional nylon. This will save you a lot of money on helium if you use it for extended periods of time.
PVC VS POLYURETHANE
PVC is second only to nylon. It will hold helium 3 days before topping off 25% and has an outdoor life span of 8 months. It is perfect for occasional and light promotional use and will save you on cost also. Always avoid polyurethane. many blimps sold are 3.5 to 6 mil polyurethane. This material is inferior. A Hefty outdoor heavy duty trash bag is made of 3 mil polyurethane. Some sites refer to it as NASA developed or space age. There is nothing high tech about this material other than it makes a good trash bag. Companies that use that material will avoid using the color black as it warps. In other words, do not purchase a blimp made of polyurethane. Call if you have further questions. PVC will be fine for occasional use (a few days a month or a couple days a week). If you plan to use your blimp on very regular basis, we recommend nylon as it is a little more rigid and holds helium longer.
EXPANSION BLADDER
Blimps expand and contract from air temperature. Our pvc blimps will expand naturally. Our nylon blimp material expands a little (unlike traditional nylon) and we build an expansion bladder into the bottom that gathers up loose fabric in cold weather and releases fabric in warm weather.
ARTWORK
Before production, our artist will render a mock up for you approval. Next, your art is output to a computer driven plotter that cuts the giant patterns that are used by our craftsman to apply your art to both sides.
WORKMANSHIP
All seams are heat sealed, not sonic welded. This provides an even pressure on all seams. Our blimps are computer engineered, time proven and over built with up to 10 attachment points that converge to a well placed O ring that ensures your blimp will always face the wind and direct air flow underneath it so you blimp never dives.
Our blimp is also the only blimp that comes ready to fly out of the box. No fin assembly. No struts to attach. We build and ship it in such a way that all you need to do is add helium and tie a good knot !
OPTIONS
HANGING BLIMP BANNERS
Get your selling point across with a flag banner. 5 x 7 feet double sided banners fly just below your blimp for added signage or the more effective 2 x 15 FT vertical style.
INTERNAL LIGHTING SYSTEM
Light up your blimp for night time advertising.
300 watt halogen bulb on a 10 “ wand plugs into a filler inlet. Comes with 125 foot long thin power cable to attach to your tether. Requires 110 volt outlet.
COMPLETE AND READY TO FLY
Includes 125 feet of 1/4 nylon tether, 5 foot filler hose with brass fitting, repair kit and instructions.
OBTAIN HELIUM
Helium can be obtained through any local welding supply or industrial gas company, including hospital supply companies also. Tanks are referred to as “300 HE” and they stand aprox 4 FT tall and actually contain 291 cubic feet of helium. A tank cost will usually always include the cost of delivery and free pick up and you should not be charged for any unused tanks. Tanks will run apx $100 each. Helium is harder to obtain than it used to be so if you are planning an event, make sure you have your helium lined up. If a supplier’s terms are not satisfactory, shop around. You should not have to pay a tank deposit. You can check with www.airgas.com also to see if they are taking any new accounts as they are a national helium supplier.
FILLING YOU BLIMP
Your blimp will come pre-assembled. You will simply take the supplied 5 foot long filler hose and brass fitting and attach them to the tank. Your tank does NOT require a regulator, you will simply turn the knob to release the helium into the blimp. Always be careful not to kneel on your blimp as you lay it out and prepare it to be filled. People often ask how will they know when it is full. It will actually be pretty obvious when it is full. Be sure to have it tied to something before you fill it or you run the risk of it flying away. Always fill in calm conditions and be sure to tie an extremely good knot. Many blimps have been lost the first day by someone not securing it with a really, really good knot. Just when you think you’ve tied a good knot, tie it again. Sometimes extreme temperature changes may cause your blimp to appear that it has lost some helium, but that is just normal. Cold air will contract the helium.
TOPPING OFF YOUR BLIMP
Helium is the second smallest molecule in the universe. For example, it you filled your blimp with air, it would remain filled for many months, but helium escapes through anything. If you use a PVC blimp, you will need to add an additional 25 to 30% every 3 days. If nylon, you will require topping off every 6 to 7 days. You will be able to tell it is time to top off when the nose of your blimp pushes or dents inward. Pull the blimp down to top off. This may require 2 people if the wind is blowing. Keep the blimp high enough to not hit the ground or have two other people holding each end. This should usually be done in the early part of the day when the winds are much more calm. Unscrew the cap and blast in more helium, retighten and release your blimp back into the air slowing. Do not just release it or you could damage your blimp.
WIND CONDITIONS AND FLYING ALTITUDE
Your blimp should always be flown above 90 to 100 feet. Your tether is 125 feet long. The wind closer to the ground is subject to turbulence. Much like a kite does not fly steady until it reaches a certain height, the same is true with blimps. At 100 feet, the wind is steady. Anything below that height could cause your blimp to be pushed down to the ground or into a building due to a down draft of wind. The wind will usually be 5 mph faster at a 100 foot altitude, so determine your wind speed on the ground and add 5. Blimps should not be exposed to gusts exceeding 20 mph regardless of what other websites or companies may tell you. If the wind at ground level is high enough to bend tree branches or stretch out a flag, then your wind speed is near or above 15 mph. Add 5 mph to that and you are at 20 mph. Wind gusts are usually 5 to 10 mph faster than steady wind speed, so at or above 15 mph on the ground you are already is the red zone and risk having your blimp tear or blow away. Unfortunately that happens more often that we like to see. The rule of thumb is, always fly in calm or light wind conditions and you will have your blimp to fly another day.
PERFORMANCE
A well made blimp with “weather vane”, that is, it will point towards the direction of the wind and remain directly overhead. It will not lean or heal over. It will not bounce excessively and although occasional diving can be caused by down drafts of wind, it should normally remain at the same height and level.
MAINTAINING YOUR BLIMP USAGE
A blimp should never be left unattended, such as left out overnight unless you are absolutely sure of the wind conditions. The most practical way to use a blimp is on a regular schedule (certain set days weather permitting). If you buy a blimp with the intention of flying and forgetting it, you will be disappointed. Blimp use requires regular weather watching. Be prepared to vacuum out the helium (a fast way to empty it) and carefully roll it up and store it away in a cool, dry location. Never put your blimp away wet or damp or you could get mildew stains that can not be removed without a total repaint. For very regular use, you may want to leave in the helium. In that case, you can build a blimp cradle out of 3” pvc pipes that will keep it off the ground. We can provide a diagram of one for you. You can tie the blimp down to the cradle or throw a painters tarp over it and secure the tarp to contain the blimp. As a rule though, that is not the most practical solution. We have had customers actually build a blimp hanger (a very large storage shed). If you can use a blimp on a regular basis and it is the only way to solve a visibility issue for your location, then you may consider such an option, because the regular use of a blimp will dramatically increase your sales revenue. Even using just on weekends will create a large increase in store traffic.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you have never used a blimp before, you may consider a 20 FT PVC with one or two color artwork on a maximum of two lines. It is an affordable first option. The larger the blimp, the better it will fly and the more wind it can handle. 17 FT blimps are great for limited or very occasional use, but the 20 FT is the best all around size for serious use. If after having used your blimp for a few months and finding that it is practical and very rewarding financially, you will have no problem continuing it use until such time that you have exhausted your repair patch kit and have determined that the investment in a nylon version is worthy. With correct use, a blimp with pay for itself extremely fast.
WARRANTY
Your blimp warranty will cover workmanship for six months and includes material coverage
for 60 days if Nylon.
Make sure you are able to use a helium flying sign in your city before purchasing If a city advises not allowed, investigate what that really means as it may not be enforced or there could be just a small fine which could be paid as a cost of doing business. Often just the occasional use is more than sufficient to get the regular passing commuter traffic to know you are there.
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