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!