A 13-foot advertising blimp costs $1,526, and that price already includes full-color artwork printed on both sides. Most of the questions people ask are not about the blimp. They are about helium, wind, and whether the FAA cares.
What the price covers
The 13-foot blimp is $1,526. Artwork on both sides is included in that number, not added to it. The panels are white polyurethane and the print process reproduces nearly any graphic or color you send, so a logo does not have to be simplified to fit.
You also choose one tether option with the blimp: a 120-foot tether line, or a 105-foot metallic pennant line. One or the other, not both. A helium fill hose is $45 if you do not already have one.
Shipping is separate. The blimp ships UPS Ground from the factory in North Carolina in a single 60 x 26 x 3 inch carton for $135, and takes two to five business days anywhere in the continental United States.
Blimp or sphere
There are two shapes, and they do different jobs. The blimp is directional. It has two large flat sides, so it carries a name and a logo that can be read from the road. The sphere is 5.5 feet, costs $350, and reads as attention rather than as a message.
If the goal is to be seen, a sphere is enough. If the goal is for a driver to know who you are, buy the blimp.
| Item | Price | Helium per fill | Ready in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 foot helium sphere | $350 | about 87 cf | 1-2 days if not in stock |
| 13 foot helium blimp, printed 2 sides | $1,526 | about 170 cf | 3-7 days after artwork approval |
Helium is the running cost
The blimp is a one-time purchase. Helium is the bill that repeats, and it is worth understanding before you buy.
A 200 cubic foot tank runs about $300 from a local welding-gas supplier, which works out to $1.50 per cubic foot. Filling the blimp from empty uses about 170 cf, so roughly $255. After that you are topping off, not refilling.
A balloon loses about one percent of its helium per day. In practice that means a top-off every three to seven days at around $2.50 a day. For a trade show this detail matters more than it sounds: one fill comfortably covers a normal three-day show.
How high it flies, and why 120 feet
The blimp flies at 120 feet above the ground. That number is deliberate. Below 150 feet the FAA is not involved, so flying at 120 leaves margin and keeps the whole question simple.
There is one exception. Within five miles of controlled airspace you call the local tower and ask. We have never been told no.
Indoors is a different rule. You need 15 feet of clear ceiling. Net lift is about three pounds, so a sandbag or a tie-off at the booth holds it.
Weather, wear, and what actually goes wrong
Wind causes losses. Normal use does not cause wear in any way you will notice, and there are customers still flying the same balloon after fourteen years.
The rule is simple and you should follow it: if the forecast calls for winds over 25 miles per hour, bring it inside. It deflates, folds, and stores flat in the same box it shipped in.
If it wears out, send it back and we replace it. That covers wear. It does not cover a balloon lost to weather, and we would rather say so up front than argue about it later.
Who we are
Arizona Balloon Company has manufactured polyurethane advertising balloons and blimps for forty years. Some customers have been with us for more than thirty of those years, which is the only proof that really counts. Nobody re-buys a marketing expense for three decades unless it works.
We carry one million dollars in liability insurance. In forty years we have had one claim, for two thousand dollars. If your first question is what happens if it comes down on a car, that record is the answer.
Johnny Mulder, who runs the company, holds an FAA commercial pilot certificate. It is why the airspace answers on this page are specific instead of vague.
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 advertisingblimps.com.