Before television commercials and ads on social media, the sky was used to communicate messages to a lot of people at once. These messages were used to get the word out about products like soda, newspapers, gasoline and movies!

Even today, it's thrilling to see messages written in smoke or on a banner towed by an airplane. 

This month, we'll explore the different ways aircraft were used to communicate messages in the sky, both in the past and in present day.

On Demand Activities

Aerial Ads Past and Present     Spotlight Story: Suzanne Asbury-Oliver      Activity: Write Like a Skywriter      Explore Outside Activity      Story Time and Craft Activity

Aerial Ads Past and Present

  • Wood and fabric Wright EX Vin Fiz biplane hanging in museum
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    Ever since the airplane was invented, aircraft were used to get the word out about things people can buy. 

    The first crossing of the United States by airplane was achieved by Calbraith Perry Rodgers in 1911 in his Wright EX biplane, named the Vin Fiz.

  • A black and white image of a biplane flying low to the ground. People on the ground wave their caps.
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    Rodgers' cross country flight was sponsored by the Armour Company who was introducing a new grape-flavored soft drink called Vin Fiz.  

    A sponsor is a company that give a person money to support an activity in exchange for advertising. So Rodgers' plane was called the Vin Fiz!

  • A sepia tone photograph of a small airplane that reads "Kreamy Whip Marshmallows" on the side. A man stands next to it.
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    What else did airplanes promote?

    This image shows a Stinson HW-80 airplane promoting Kreamy Whip Marshmallows.

  • A black and white photograph of a woman standing next to an auto-giro that reads "Beech Nut" on the side.
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    Autogiros were also used to promote products.

    This image shows Amelia Earhart in front of an autogiro promoting Beech-Nut chewing gum!

  • Men affix banner to side of biplane fuselage which reads; Look Out Staten Island / The Aerial Mail Bandits in / The Great Air Robbery / Will Bomb You From The Sky / April 23. If You Hear A Curtis [sic] Aeroplane / Don't Look Up.
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    This airplane has a banner getting the word out about a new movie about bandits!

  • C-49 Car
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    Aircraft are still used to advertise different things. One of the most famous is the Goodyear blimp, operated by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

  • Robinson R44 Astro G-MURY
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    Aircraft can also have multiple sponsors on their aircraft, like this helicopter, the Robinson R44 Astro G-MURY.

  • A plane, flying, carries a banner with red letters on it.
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    Banner towing is another type of aerial advertising.

    An aircraft pulls a large banner behind it with a message or ad on it.

  • Distant right rear view of a Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro towing an aerial banner reading, "Adler Shoes for Men - sized 4 to 14 & 24."Due to the direction of flight, the banner reads in reverse.
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    Other aircraft like helicopters and autogiros can tow banners too! As long as the aircraft can fly low and slow.

  • A heart is drawn in the sky from the contrails of airplanes.
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    Skywriting is thought to have started in in the 1920s. 

    How does it work? Oil, like mineral oil, canola oil or paraffin oil, is pumped into the part of the plane where smoke exhaust gathers.

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  • Wood and fabric Wright EX Vin Fiz biplane hanging in museum
  • A black and white image of a biplane flying low to the ground. People on the ground wave their caps.
  • A sepia tone photograph of a small airplane that reads "Kreamy Whip Marshmallows" on the side. A man stands next to it.
  • A black and white photograph of a woman standing next to an auto-giro that reads "Beech Nut" on the side.
  • Men affix banner to side of biplane fuselage which reads; Look Out Staten Island / The Aerial Mail Bandits in / The Great Air Robbery / Will Bomb You From The Sky / April 23. If You Hear A Curtis [sic] Aeroplane / Don't Look Up.
  • C-49 Car
  • Robinson R44 Astro G-MURY
  • A plane, flying, carries a banner with red letters on it.
  • Distant right rear view of a Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro towing an aerial banner reading, "Adler Shoes for Men - sized 4 to 14 & 24."Due to the direction of flight, the banner reads in reverse.
  • A heart is drawn in the sky from the contrails of airplanes.

Learn more about skywriting and banner towing in the activities below!
 

Spotlight Story: Suzanne Asbury-Oliver, professional skywriter

  • After going on an airplane ride with her father, Suzanne Asbury fell in love with flying and soon after started flight lessons when she was 14 years old. 
  • By age 15, she had done her first solo flight, and by 18 she had a powered-aircraft instrument rating, multi engine rating, commercial certificate, flight instructor, and instrument-flight instructor certificates. She was a true professional pilot!
  • In 1980, Pepsi-Cola hired Suzanne Asbury as a skywriter. She and her husband Steven Oliver became America's only husband and wife professional skywriting and aerobatic team. 
  • Over 40 years later, Suzanne Asbury-Oliver is still flying today, writing over 500 messages in the sky each year!
Suzanne Asbury-Oliver
Suzanne Asbury-Oliver
Red white and blue biplane with Pepsi-Cola logo on the back

From 1931 to 1953, Andy Stinis performed skywriting in this airplane for Pepsi-Cola. During those years, skywriting with smoke was a premier form of advertising, and Pepsi-Cola used it more than any other company. Pepsi-Cola acquired the airplane in 1973 and used it for air show and advertising duty until retiring it in 2000.

Think About It!

  • Suzanne and her father shared a love of flying. Is there something that you like to do with your grown-ups?
  • Suzanne was able to combine her love of flying into a job she does to earn a living. Is there something you like to do now that you'd like to continue as a job? For example, do you like taking care of your pet? If so, there are many types of jobs where you care for animals! 

Activity: Write Like a Skywriter

As mentioned earlier, skywriting is a form of art that takes great flying skills and concentration! A skywriter has to fly their plane like a pencil with the sky as their piece of paper.

In this activity, you'll go through the steps of planning and mapping out a skywritten message in the sky, the way skywriters do!

Materials Needed: 

Step 1: Figure out your message.

Suzanne Asbury-Oliver worked for Pepsi and wrote messages to promote their drink. 

Sometimes people hire skywriters to promote their products, like Pepsi, or to send messages of love and hope.

One artist even hired a skywriter to draw clouds in the sky over New York City, just to give people a reason to take a break in their day and look up!

What message do you want to write?

A young girl holds a pen poised over a piece of gridded paper.

Step 2: Draw out your message onto a piece of paper

Did you know that skywriters have to write their messages backwards so people on the ground can read their writing? This is your chance to practice this!

  • Get out a few pieces of paper. You'll need some for practicing because you'll make mistakes. It's OK! This might be your first time writing backwards! It takes practice to get it right. 
  • First, if you have a long message, you can start by writing it out like you usually would - not backwards. You can then use this as a guide for when you do write backwards.
A piece of paper with a grid. On the right is a line that says 1500 ft.
  • To write backwards, start on the right side of the page (opposite of what you're used to!) and write the first letter of your message.
  • Continue with the second letter of your message but don't forget to write it backwards!
A hand draws an H on a piece of paper.
Child writes "Hello" backwards on a piece of paper in large block letters.

Step 3: Look at your message "from the ground"

  • Once you're done writing your message, turn your paper over. 
  • It might be hard to see your message while it's on your writing surface.
  • Go to your light source and hold your paper up so the light shines behind it.
  • Imagine that you are a person on the ground reading a message in the sky!
A piece of paper with an illustrated cityscape at the bottom, and large letters spelling "Hello" in the sky.
A child holds a piece of paper with "Hello" written on it up to the light.

Step 4: Share your message!

  • Show your creation to someone in your family. 
  • Teach a family member or friend how to "write like a skywriter!"

Explore Outside: Contrails vs. Skywriter Smoke

Have you ever looked up in the sky and seen white streaks left behind by airplanes? Those white trails, called contrails, are different from the smoke skywriters use to write and draw in the sky. Use this chart to learn the differences.

ContrailsSkywriter Smoke
How high is the airplane from the ground?
30,000 feet10,000 feet
What is it made of?
Water from the airplane's exhaust that turns to ice because it is high in the atmosphere.Oil (mineral, canola or paraffin) mixed with airplane exhaust that becomes a white smoke in the cold air.
How long does it stay in the air?

It depends.

If the air around the plane is dry, the contrails disappear faster.

If the air is wet around the plane, the contrails can last for hours.

It depends on the weather conditions.

If there are few clouds, no wind and low temperatures, it can last 20 to 30 minutes.


The next time you're outside, look up and see if you could spot contrails in the sky.
Since skywriting is only done by a few trained pilots, it's more likely that you'll see contrails than a skywritten message. But keep looking up, just in case!

Story Time and Craft Activity

Check out these books from your library to learn more about using the sky to share messages and get the word out about something, and then do the craft activity below.

Book Cover: Dinosoaring

Dinosauring

by Deb Lund, illustrated by Howard Fine
(best for ages 4 - 7)

A message in the sky from an air show inspires a group of high flying dinosaurs to try some aerobatics.
 

A book cover for "Little Plane Learns to Write by Stephen Savage." It shows a red plane over fields on the cover.

Little Plane Learns to Write

by Stephen Savage 
(best for ages 3 - 6)

This book highlights the hard work and practice that it takes to be a skywriter.
 

Book cover for a children's book about Bessie Coleman with an illustration of a biplane flying above a town.

Nobody Owns the Sky

By Reeve Lindbergh, illustrated by Pamela Paparone
(best for ages 6 - 9)

This story about Bessie Coleman shows an airplane towing a banner with a very important message - "Nobody Owns the Sky!"
 

Craft Activity: Create your own banner towing airplane!

Materials Needed: 

  • short cardboard tube, like a toilet paper tube
  • printer paper (6 pieces)
  • scissors
  • tape
  • crayons or markers
  • string or yarn, about 8 inches long

It's Craft Time with Air and Space! Join museum educator Ann Caspari as she demonstrates how to make a biplane using a paper towel tube. Then use your plane to fly loops and rolls like Bessie Coleman.

Craft Time! is made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

Step 1: Make a biplane

Watch this video of museum educator Ann as she shows you how to make the biplane that will tow your banner.
Pause the video any time so you can follow along with Ann to make your craft.

It's Craft Time with Air and Space! Join museum educator Ann Caspari as she demonstrates how to make a biplane using a paper towel tube. Then use your plane to fly loops and rolls like Bessie Coleman.

Craft Time! is made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

The end of a biplane made out out a role of paper.
An airplane made out of construction paper with a string tied to the end.

Step 2: Add a grapple hook and towline to your plane.

All aircraft used for banner towing need a place to connect the banner to the plane, and this part is the grapple hook and towline.

  • Fold a small piece of paper into a 2-inch long strip of paper that is about 1/4 inch wide.  Tape it to the back of your plane and then fold it down, like in the photo. This is your grapple hook.
  • Take your piece of string and fold it in half.
  • Tape the folded end to the grapple hook. This is your towline.

Step 3: Create your banner

  • Cut a long thin strip of paper to use as your banner. 
  • Write your message on your banner.
  • Tape the two loose end of your towline to the corners of your banner (see images for details).
A piece of paper that says "Eat" on it, tied to two strings.
A small biplane made out of construction paper with a banner tied to it reading "Eat your veggies."
A small plane tows a banner that says "Farewell Frank Godspeed!" against a blue sky.

Step 4: Fly your banner!

Banner tow pilots are very busy during the summer months when people are at the beach or at outdoor events.  

Pretend your plane is flying over one of these places. Where did your plane travel?

Want to explore more about the history and future of aerial advertising?

Watch this new episode of STEM in 30, a webcast designed for middle school students.

Soar Together at Air and Space is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman.

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