Watch How Banner Planes Take Off

We see them all summer long, the banner planes soaring over every beach on the Jersey Shore. Did you ever wonder how they get those banners up?  I figured they couldn't just take off with them already extended behind them, because dragging them across the runway would damage the sign. I just assumed they were sort of bunched up in a small bundle, then released once the plane reached cruising altitude. In my mind it was like a parachute opening.

This video shows the REAL way they do it - by swooping in for a low pass, and catching the banner with a hook, then shooting straight up to make sure the hook is connected.