5-2  UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN DOWNLOADED  Check with FSIMS to verify current version before using  FIGURE 5-1. SUGGESTED BANNER TOW TRAINING SYLLABUS  The following is an example of a training syllabus for banner tow pilots. Some areas may not be  applicable in all situations, and additional areas may be added.  A. As a minimum, banner tow ground training should include: aircraft fuel system and  fuel management, aircraft speeds, banner tow equipment preflight inspection,  applicable regulations and waiver provisions, and risk management/Safety Risk  Management (SRM) related to banner towing operations.  A. Traffic Patterns.  The pilot is trained to maintain an accurate pattern altitude in the  traffic pattern while towing a banner.  B. Banner Pickup Maneuver: Swings.  1. The pilot should practice swings. This is accomplished without a hook installed  on the aircraft and is designed to produce an understanding of the visual cues  associated with a banner pickup maneuver.  2. The pilot should fly swings with a hook installed on the aircraft. During this time,  there is a ground support person, with a radio, positioned in the vicinity of the  poles providing precise information about the height of the hook during the  maneuver and whether the swing was early or late.  3. When the instructor considers that the pilot has the mental picture and  understanding of the swing, the pilot should complete actual pickups and drops of  a banner with the instructor monitoring the maneuver and providing additional  instruction as required.  4. The pilot in training should fly actual banner flights accompanied by a qualified  banner tow pilot. This banner flight time should teach the pilot:  a. Familiarization of banner routes, check points, or landmarks.  b. Fuel management.  c. Air traffic control (ATC) procedures and communications.  d. If flights are conducted with two people in the cockpit, limiting the banner  must be considered to compensate for the weight of the extra person. Aircraft  must be operated within its Weight and Balance (W&B) limitations.  II. Flight Training.  I. Ground Training. 