The large sizes are magnificent and they are not for most people. Here is the honest case for and against.
When large is right
- Long straight sight lines — Texas frontage roads, plains highways, anywhere you can be seen a mile out.
- Very large sites — Truck and RV dealers, equipment yards, distribution parks where a 13-footer looks lost.
- Interstate frontage — You need to be read at 70 miles an hour from several hundred yards.
- Landmark use — The balloon itself is the destination marker, not just an advertisement.
The helium reality
This is the number that should decide it. A 13-foot blimp takes 170 cubic feet to fill. An 18-foot takes 329. A 25-foot takes 787. A 30-foot takes **1,510** — over seven cylinders for a single fill, roughly $2,265 at typical local rates.
And you lose about one percent a day regardless of size, so the gap repeats every week for as long as you own it.
The purchase price is a one-off. The gas is forever, and the large sizes drink.
Wind matters more up here
A larger envelope presents far more area to the wind. The rule does not change, but the consequences of ignoring it do.
Over 25 miles per hour in the forecast, bring it in. At 25 or 30 feet you are handling a large object and it is a bigger job, so decide in advance who does it and how long it takes.
Weather loss is not covered by any manufacturer’s warranty. On a $6,772 blimp that is a serious number.
Before you buy large, check height
We fly at 120 feet, under the 150-foot line where the FAA becomes involved.
A great many people who ask for a bigger balloon actually want it seen from further away, and altitude does that more cheaply than volume. If you are flying at 40 feet, fix that first and you may not need the larger size at all.
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 arizonaballoon.com.