skywriting

1. The process of writing in the sky by releasing a visible vapor from an airplane.
2. The letters or words so formed.

out-of-home advertising medium where a brief message is written in the sky by an airplane using a chemical substance to emit small puffs of smoke that form the letters of the message. Since the puffs of smoke dissipate very quickly into the atmosphere, the message is usually limited to a one- or two-word reminder of a product, brand name, or service. Skywriting is employed in areas where large crowds congregate, such as beaches, open sports stadiums, amusement areas, or large metropolitan areas. It is used essentially as a supplementary medium in an extensive advertising campaign.

There is also a companion medium known as skytyping, which uses a fleet of seven radio-equipped planes that fly in formation and electronically "type" out a 13-letter message in block form. The sky-typed message is 15 miles long and a mile deep and, on a clear day, can be seen in a 40-mile radius for approximately 10 to 30 minutes, depending on atmospheric conditions.

"Bling Bling": Dot matrix skywriting over the hamlet of Bridgehampton, New York. August 2006.

Skywriting is the process of using a small aircraft, able to expel special smoke during flight, to fly in certain patterns to create writing readable by someone on the ground. The message can be a frivolous or generally meaningless greeting or phrase, an advertisement aimed at everyone in the vicinity, a general public display of celebration or goodwill, or a personal message such as a marriage proposal or birthday wish.

The typical smoke generator consists of a pressurized container holding a low viscosity oil such as Chevron/Texaco "Canopus 13" (formerly "Corvus Oil"). The oil is injected into the hot exhaust manifold causing it to vaporize into a huge amount of dense white smoke.

Skywriting is never a permanent process. Wind and dispersal of the smoke cause the writing to blur, usually within a few minutes. However special "skytyping" techniques have been developed to write in the sky in a dot-matrix fashion, and are legible for longer despite the inevitable blurring effect caused by wind.

Despite its transient nature, skywriting has an obvious visual impact and can be considered an eyesore.

In a 1926 letter to The New York Times one Albert T. Reid wrote:

A newspaper paragraph says skywriting was perfected in England in 1919 and used in the United States the next year. Art Smith, who succeeded Beachey in flying exhibitions at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915, after the latter had been killed, did skywriting, always ending his breathtaking stunts by writing "Good night." This was not a trial exhibition but a part of every flight, and was always witnessed by thousands.^[1]

Skywriting over Oshkosh, WI during EAA's Airventure 2008

The first use of skywriting for advertising purposes was in 1922.^[2]

The Wicked Witch of the West skywrites "SURRENDER DOROTHY" in The Wizard of Oz.

See also

• Skytypers Air Show Team

External links

• Skywriting video.
• How does skywriting and skytyping work?

References

1. ^ "Skywriting in 1915," The New York Times, October 9th, 1926, p. 16
2. ^ Harriet Veitch (2006-12-02). "How big are skywriting letters?". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/big-questions/how-big-are-skywriting-letters/2006/11/30/1164777710309.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-17. 

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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - skrive med røgskrift
v. intr. - røgskrift, luftreklame

Français (French)
v. tr. - tracer une publicité dans le ciel
v. intr. - tracer une publicité dans le ciel

Deutsch (German)
v. - in Himmelsschrift schreiben

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - γράφω με καπνό στον ουρανό

Italiano (Italian)
scrivere nel cielo, fare acrobazie aeree

Português (Portuguese)
v. - escrever com fumaça no céu

Русский (Russian)
прочерчивать самолетом в небе буквенные знаки

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - escribir con humo lanzado por un avión
v. intr. - escribir con humo lanzado por un avión

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - skriva med den rök ett flygplan gör uppe i luften

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
用飞机喷出的烟在空中写, 用飞机喷出的烟在空中写字

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 用飛機噴出的煙在空中寫
v. intr. - 用飛機噴出的煙在空中寫字

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 공중 문자를 그리다, 널리 알리다
v. intr. - 공중 문자로 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 空中文字で描く

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮כתב בשמים ע"י עשן מנוע‬
v. intr. - ‮כתב בשמים ע"י עשן מנוע‬

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