Advertising Tool Becomes Hazard Near Yuma

A Marine Corps F-5 fighter jet had to take immediate and evasive action to avoid wayward advertising balloons which had broken free from a nearby car dealership, military officials said.

The pilot of one of a four ship formation taking off Friday morning took "aggressive deliberate action" to elude a collection of balloons at the Marine Corps Air Station-Yuma, said base spokeswoman Capt. Beatriz Yarrish.

The incident was the latest in a series of problems involving advertising balloons, Yarrish told The Associated Press, and prompted the Marines to ask the city to take immediate action.

Several car dealerships have lots adjacent to the base, and many use the balloons to draw attention to their lots. The Marines want the city to pass an ordinance setting a height limit at 50 feet, and creating an enforcement system. Nearby car dealers regularly fly balloons much higher than that.

Yuma mayor Larry Nelson said the city needs to take action because of the potential liability.

Federal Aviation Administration regulations ban any balloon more than six feet in diameter within five miles of an airport boundary. FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said balloons that size must be kept below 150 feet, and the owner must have a waiver within the five-mile limit, which the affected airport must approve.

The Marine base shares space with the Yuma International Airport. Airport Director Craig Williams said he has asked dealers to remove their balloons, but they continue to be a problem. Some fly long strings of smaller balloons that Williams said may not violate the letter of the law, but likely the spirit.

"When you string a million of them together and put them way up in the air, it's a problem," Williams said.

FMI: www.af.mil