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.
Aerial Ads Past and Present Spotlight Story: Suzanne Asbury-Oliver Activity: Write Like a Skywriter Explore Outside Activity Story Time and Craft Activity
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.
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!
What else did airplanes promote?
This image shows a Stinson HW-80 airplane promoting Kreamy Whip Marshmallows.
Autogiros were also used to promote products.
This image shows Amelia Earhart in front of an autogiro promoting Beech-Nut chewing gum!
This airplane has a banner getting the word out about a new movie about bandits!
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.
Aircraft can also have multiple sponsors on their aircraft, like this helicopter, the Robinson R44 Astro G-MURY.
Banner towing is another type of aerial advertising.
An aircraft pulls a large banner behind it with a message or ad on it.
Other aircraft like helicopters and autogiros can tow banners too! As long as the aircraft can fly low and slow.
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.
Learn more about skywriting and banner towing in the activities below!
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.
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!
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?
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!
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.
Contrails | Skywriter Smoke |
---|---|
How high is the airplane from the ground? | |
30,000 feet | 10,000 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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