How Do Skywriting Services Work?
Posted by International Business | Posted in Branding | Posted on 28-02-2010-05-2008
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The movie The Wizard of Oz, a smash hit when it came out in 1939, had a scene where the wicked witch wrote SURRENDER DOROTHY OR DIE in the sky with her broom. Ever since sky writing has fascinated people. (The witch’s message was actually just special effects, produced in a 6 foot by 6 foot glass tank.) But sky writing goes back further than that. It was first tried in1922 in England. Advertisers began using skywriting at the same time but Pepsi-Cola made it famous, using skywriting from 1931 to 1953.
How is the smoke made? Skywriting smoke is produced by injecting paraffin oil into the exhaust of the plane. As it heats in the exhaust, the oil produces an environmentally friendly white smoke that forms the letters as it lingers in the air. Of course, the pilot must select when to inject the oil so that part of a letter is formed.
How tall are the letters? A mile tall. How long is the message? Up to fifteen miles long. How long do the letters stay visible before drifting away? They last up to twenty minutes. What determines if the skywriting will be a success? First, the skill of the pilot. He must be really good at maneuvering the plane and knowing exactly where he is in terms of the message. Second, the size of the plane engine. It must be large enough to make the letters quickly, but it also must be hot enough to vaporize sufficient paraffin oil to make the smoke. That means the paraffin must reach 1500 degrees and to do this, some recommend 450 horsepower engines that are six times hotter than small planes.
Besides these factors, there is the weather. The wind cannot exceed three to five miles per hour. The sky must be nearly clear for the white letters to be visible against the blue sky. Since wind speed may vary at different heights, the planes will fly anywhere from 7000 and 17000 feet. At these heights, the message is visible for thirty miles on either side. Cooler air temperature makes more smoke, but the air temperature cannot exceed 95 degrees. The best months for these conditions are September and October.
How large is the message? It is usually four to six letters and it takes one to two minutes to form each letter. A shorter message is more likely to be visible at once. Why not make it longer? When a message is longer than this, it will take too long to form so that it is seen all at once. One remedy is to hire multiple pilots. The two or three pilots coordinate their maneuvers so that, as they work together, they will produce the message visible for the minutes before it drifts away.
Remember too that the pilot is writing from the top, horizontally, that is, parallel to the earth. Therefore he must write the letters backwards so that they appear correctly to the readers below. They must also be relatively the same size and in a straight line so that the message is readable. All this takes great skill.
Who would benefit from using skywriting? After all, it is so unique that people would have a hard time NOT reading the letters as them form in the sky. Some who have benefited from skywriting are advertisements for websites, political candidates, motion pictures, soft drinks, and others. It is also used for novel announcements. Fifty marriage proposals are written in the sky each year by one company.
What is the average cost of a skywriting message? Companies vary and so does availability. To fly in a skilled pilot would add significant cost to the endeavor. But for local skywriting, prices usually start around $1000 and discounts are offered for multiple messages. Call a company that specializes in aerial advertising and you can get started today.
