Tuesday 24 April 2012

Writers in the sky



Whatever happened to skywriters - those skilled aviators for whom the sky was a blank canvas?  (Or banner-towing aircraft for that matter.  Where have they gone?).  We marvel at the likes of the Red Arrows and their wonderful smoke-filled displays but seeing actual words formed by looping and diving aircraft is always a special thrill.  Both they and aeroplanes trailing banners hark back to more cheery times, I always feel.

The above clip, produced for Chevrolet in 1935, features a dashing aviator explaining the intricacies of skywriting to a well-dressed (and rather game!) young lady before flying off to do a bit of advertising for the aforementioned car company.  It is part of a selection of similar films called the Prelinger Archives (including this amusing retelling of the Cinderella story, in which our heroine drives a 1937 Chevy!), which I was fortunate enough to discover via The Atlantic.  Enjoy!

4 comments:

  1. We get the banner pulling ones here every time the NASCAR races are in town! (Along with the Goodyear Airship).

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  2. The only way to fly....in an old Curtis with a rotary engine.
    I do not know if the planes shown are Curtis biplanes or not, but I did get to fly in biplanes about 20 years ago and it is a great way to fly. Old Piper Tripacers are nice too.

    I've seen a few sky writers, but very few. Mostly boring banners.

    Thanks for the interesting video.

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  3. Thanks for posting! It's awesome and this might be inspirational for the next swing dance party we're planning. : )

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  4. There is a banner-towing plane near my house in Tucson Arizona almost every day, and about two weeks ago there was actual skywriting! I have never seen any besides that, but I think it's great. If any man wants to win my hand in marriage, that is the way to propose (bonus points if he is the pilot!)

    That's a great video, by the way.

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