People ask for the biggest blimp we make. Usually the right answer is a 13-foot blimp flown higher, because height buys you more visibility than size does.
Height beats size
A blimp twice as large seen from the same distance is twice as big in your eye. A blimp flown twice as high is visible from a completely different set of roads. Those are not the same benefit, and the second one is usually worth more.
We fly at 120 feet above the ground. From that altitude a 13-foot blimp clears the rooflines, the sign clutter and the trees that hide everything else on your street. Going wider at 30 feet of altitude does not solve that problem. Going higher does.
What 13 feet actually looks like
Thirteen feet is roughly the height of a delivery van stood on end, floating above your building. It is large enough that the two printed sides carry a company name legible from a passing car, which is the practical test that matters.
The alternative shape is a 5.5-foot sphere. A sphere gets noticed but it does not tell anyone who you are. If you need a driver to read a name, the blimp is the one that does that job.
Bigger costs more in helium, every week
This is the part that decides it for most people. Size is not just a purchase price, it is a running cost that repeats forever.
A 13-foot blimp takes about 170 cubic feet of helium to fill from empty. At roughly $1.50 per cubic foot from a local welding-gas supplier, that is about $255 a fill. A sphere takes about 87 cf, roughly $130.
Whatever you fly, you lose about one percent of the gas per day, so a larger envelope also means a larger top-off bill for as long as you own it. Bigger is not a one-time decision.
| Size | Price | Helium to fill | Cost to fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 foot sphere | $350 | about 87 cf | about $130 |
| 13 foot blimp, printed both sides | $1,526 | about 170 cf | about $255 |
The size that gets lost
Wind is what takes balloons, and a larger envelope catches more of it. The rule does not change with size: if winds over 25 miles per hour are in the forecast, bring it inside.
That one habit is why some of our customers are still flying the same balloon after fourteen years. It is also why our replacement warranty covers wear and does not cover weather. We would rather be straight about that than argue about it later.
Forty years of this
Arizona Balloon Company has manufactured polyurethane advertising balloons and blimps for forty years. Some customers have been with us for more than thirty of them.
We carry one million dollars in liability insurance and have had one claim in forty years, for two thousand dollars. Johnny Mulder, who runs the company, holds an FAA commercial pilot certificate, which is why the altitude answers here are specific.
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 usablimps.com.