Here’s what we know about North Myrtle Beach company behind banner plane crashes
Barnstormers Aerial Advertising, whose plane crashed in the Myrtle Beach surf on Monday, has seen a total of five of their planes downed since the mid-1990s.
David Robertson, president of Barnstormers, provided these details of the company’s operations in a May interview with the Sun News. Robertson said he has been with the company for 40 years, which was started by his brother in 1982 in the Myrtle Beach area.
During the summer, Barnstormers has five to six pilots flying seven hours a day for seven days a week, said Robertson. Pilots range from military veterans and hobbyists, to pilots completing training hours in order to fly for airlines.
Robertson said, “Most places you have to rent an airplane. You don’t have to rent an airplane with us. You just fly banners.”
FAA records show five planes registered to Barnstormers in Horry County. They were all manufactured in the 1940s and ‘50s.
The banners pulled by Barnstormers’ planes are typically 20 to 25 by 30 to 40 feet, said Robertson. Assembled in Florida, these billboards advertise a variety of companies – restaurants, attractions or national beer or insurance companies – and occasionally proposals or birthday messages.
The Sun News reached out to Barnstormers multiple times for comment and did not receive an answer.
