'Unignorable' flying billboards are slated to come to California

For years, the Bay Area’s skyline has mystified the public with its cryptic, and sometimes inane, billboards advertising anything from AI programs to naked software engineers. Now, these types of campaigns might reach new heights — literally.  

According to the aerial media company HELI-D, it’s bringing enormous, 400-square-foot LED billboards to the 2026 Super Bowl in Santa Clara by helicopter, and representatives aim to eventually bring these flying 3D ads to the rest of California. Per the company’s website and social media posts, the Federal Aviation Administration will allow them to soar within just 250 feet of the viewer, making brands “unignorable.” 

“Airspace is becoming the next battleground for audience attention,” especially as foot traffic ramps up for major events, a recent HELI-D press release explained. The company isn’t limiting its clients to just corporations, either. 

The U.S. midterm elections “are on the horizon, and the landscape of political advertising is evolving faster than ever,” Simon Powell, HELI-D’s co-founder, told SFGATE via email, adding that the sky is a new visual frontier for brands and candidates alike. While the company hasn’t entered the political arena just yet, they’ve been having ongoing discussions regarding their technology’s role in campaign efforts, Powell continued. “We see a clear opportunity for political institutions to benefit from what HELI-D can deliver.”

Regardless of what they advertise, the billboards’ “size and luminosity ensure the content remains unmistakable, whether viewed from the ground, a stadium, across a crowded waterfront, or wherever you find yourself when we fly in your city,” Powell said.  

An Instagram post from Oct. 27 shows the company flying an enormous lime-green Smirnoff ad over Miami, where an ad can stay in the air for about an hour and a half at a time, Powell explained. While he did not provide specific details about the company’s plans to come to California, Powell said the Golden State is the ideal next step for HELI-D. He also said they’re currently receiving interest from a wide variety of clients. “People are fascinated by the idea of turning the sky into a canvas,” he said. 

“The sky isn’t the limit; it’s the medium,” Powell wrote.