The Sky’S The Limit When Fairgoers Are Looking Up, So Is Couple’S Flying Ad Business

Sheri Pearson spent much of a sunny, hot Saturday afternoon lining up 7-foot-high red letters on a field at Coeur d’Alene Airport.

The letters didn’t mean much sitting in the dry grass with bees buzzing around, but when Pearson’s husband, Cliff, arrived, their impact rose to new heights.

One thousand feet, to be exact.

Cliff approached in a small, white single-engine plane, an old crop-duster. He dragged a three-pronged hook below him on a rope. When the hook caught a tow rope propped up by two poles in the field, the message “Greg’s Northwest Stove Shop 535-2200” rose, flapping and billowing, into the air.

The pilot zoomed off to the Spokane Interstate Fair, where he circled over the crowd for an hour, spreading the stove shop’s message to thousands.

The flying banners have been used to propose marriage, cheer for football teams and advertise for radio stations.

This is how the Hayden couple has spent most weekends and holidays since beginning their aerial advertising business in April during Junior Bloomsday.

The Pearsons named the business Up Your Ads, a memorable name, regardless of whether it offends or amuses. Cliff chose the name as a tribute to a pilot friend who died, but had planned to start a business with that name.

Cliff, 40, is a third-generation pilot. He learned to fly from his father, a crop-duster and former flight instructor. His grandfather flew supplies to people in the backcountry near Salmon, Idaho, where the Pearson family has its roots.

“He was the one who taught my dad,” Cliff said. “My dad taught me, and I hope to teach my sons.”

The Pearsons have two sons, Kyle, 5, and Garrett, 2.

Sheri, 35, is the ground crew, marketing director and billing manager. She’s also a full-time bank manager and a part-time aerobics instructor. Many lunch hours are spent returning calls to potential aerial advertising clients.

“She’s president and CEO, and I’m the labor,” her husband says with a laugh.

The Pearsons’ first big break came when Spokane radio station The Peak, 105.7 FM, bought 30 advertisements. Other radio stations have followed suit.

This year, Cliff will tow ads over every home football game of the Washington State University Cougars.

The Pearsons moved to Hayden about 12 years ago. Cliff worked at Henley Aerodrome, giving glider rides - until it became Silverwood Theme Park in 1988. Then Cliff flew in Silverwood air shows until 1996, when pilot Bob Heale, a friend and co-worker, died during a show at Fairchild Air Force Base.

Silverwood’s air shows gradually ended after that, but Cliff continued to work at the park, doing airplane restoration, until 1997.

While working at the park, Cliff also towed banners advertising special events at Silverwood. Other companies began to call the park, hoping to advertise their businesses that way as well.

When the air shows ended, Cliff and Sheri decided to give aerial advertising a try. Their season will end with the November election, which will give politicians a chance to spread their messages from the sky. During the off-season, Cliff works restoring airplanes.

As the Pearsons near the end of their first season, they’ve logged almost 100 hours of towing.

They charge $198 per hour of towing, but they offer a special of $130 for less than an hour. The Pearsons spend $50 per hour for fuel and insurance alone. That doesn’t include the hours of labor necessary to set up the message in their garage, drive it to the airport, then protect it from the wind until Cliff lifts it into the air.

The couple also owns two Stearman biplanes and would like to expand the business to include flight lessons and rides.

They may hire another pilot or additional ground crew.

“With the resort atmosphere here and the population in Spokane, with both markets we could do well,” Sheri said.