An airplane banner is a long strip of material about seven feet tall and as long as a hundred feet. A message is written on the banner. It may invite people to a new restaurant, or tell of a local service or a special sale.

The airplane takes off and then passes over the field containing the banner. A tow hook catches the banner and pulls it into the air. The airplane banner is then flown over a large gather of people so they can read it as they watch a sporting event, sit on the beach, or wait in traffic. It often makes multiple passes over the crowd so that they can’t miss reading the message.