1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,439 Speaker 1: You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. Guess what mango was that gave. 3 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,240 Speaker 2: So you probably had this marked in your calendar already, 4 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 2: but last week was actually the one hundred and second 5 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 2: birthday of commercial skywriting in America. I did not have 6 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 2: that on my calendar for some odd reason. But I 7 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 2: really am surprised we can pin down an exact start 8 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 2: date for such an old medium, Like I know, there 9 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 2: are so many candidates for like the first newspaper ad 10 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 2: or the first billboard, and there's a lot of confusion there, 11 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 2: that's true, but it's a little different when the ad 12 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 2: appears out of thin air ten thousand feet above times square, 13 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 2: somebody's going to keep track of that. And that's exactly 14 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 2: what happened on November twenty eighth, nineteen twenty two, when 15 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 2: British pilot Captain Cyril Turner took to the skies above 16 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 2: New York City using a specially designed exhaust system spelled 17 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 2: out Hello USA, Carl Vanderbilt seventy two hundred. It was 18 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 2: the first time skywriting had been used to promote something 19 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 2: in the US, and even though it wasn't clear what 20 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 2: was being promoted, the ad still worked like a charm. 21 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,119 Speaker 2: Within a couple hours, roughly forty seven thousand people had 22 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 2: called that not in the mystery behind the message had 23 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 2: pequed people's interest, proving the effectiveness of skywriting and securing 24 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 2: its place as a new, eye catching way to promote 25 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 2: a product that. 26 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: Is such a bizarre slogan like Hello USA called Vanderbilts 27 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: and in two hundred like what is that even advertising? 28 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, well that's the thing. It was actually an ad 29 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 2: for skywriting itself. While Captain Turner was painstakingly writing the 30 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:52,639 Speaker 2: message overhead, his partner, Major John Jack Savage was watching 31 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 2: from the ground with a very special guest, George Hill, 32 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 2: the then president of the American Tobacco Company. So the 33 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 2: real purpose of the stunt was to persuade Hill to 34 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 2: advertise his cigarettes via skywriting, but Hill was skeptical since 35 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 2: the average message only lingered for about ten minutes in 36 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 2: a light wind, which didn't give people much time. 37 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 3: To see it. 38 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: I mean, it certainly gave enough people at the time 39 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 1: to like call that phone number, But I guess that's 40 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: where the phone number idea came in here. 41 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. It was the number of the hotel 42 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,799 Speaker 2: where George Hill was staying, Hotel Vanderbilt, and the resulting 43 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 2: flood of phone calls convinced Hill to take a chance 44 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 2: on skywriting. So the following year, the American Tobacco Company 45 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 2: used skywriting in a successful campaign for Lucky Strike cigarettes, 46 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 2: and in the decades that followed, skywriting became a popular 47 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 2: form of advertising. 48 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: I mean, it is pretty fitting that the first client 49 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: of smoke based advertising would be a cigarette company, right, 50 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: That's pretty perfect. But that is just the first of 51 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: nine high flying facts we've got about skywriting. We've got 52 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: so much more to cover, so let's strap in and 53 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: take off. Hey, their podcast listeners, welcome to part time Genius. 54 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: I'm Monga's tritiguler and on the other side of that 55 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 1: soundproof glass arranging cotton balls on his desk to spell 56 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: out PTG, which is a very sweet tribute. That is 57 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: our friend and producer, Dylan Fagan. It's probably not as 58 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: effective as real skywriting, but we will take what we 59 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: can get. Thank you so much. Dylan. Also, Will is 60 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: not here today. He's off on a business trip doing business. 61 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: But joining me today is our old research pal Gabe 62 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 1: and our friend and super producer Mary Philip Sandy Gabe, 63 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: you came up with idea for this Nine Things? Why skywriting? 64 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 2: Well, I think it's probably the most whimsical form of 65 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 2: advertising that we have, and I've heard a lot about 66 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 2: how it's kind of a dying art form and that 67 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 2: was really interesting to me. And I also don't think 68 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 2: I've ever seen it in person myself, so I'm really 69 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 2: hoping to get the chance before it kind of, you know, 70 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 2: goes by the wayside. Wait, you've never seen skywriting? No, 71 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 2: not really. I've been to air shows, so I've seen 72 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 2: like streaks of smoke behind jet planes or something like that. 73 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 2: But for the most part, I feel like I've only 74 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,039 Speaker 2: seen like the budget form of skywriting, which is like 75 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 2: those long banners that trail behind planes, like at the 76 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 2: beach or something telling me to go to a pizza place. 77 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, I've never seen skywriting of you. 78 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:38,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely. 79 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 3: Where are you going where there's skywriting? 80 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: I don't know if I've seen it a few times 81 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: at the beach. What beach, I don't know, Provincetown they 82 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 1: had Okay, well it be a fancy beach. 83 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, not the kind of beach I go to. 84 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: Well, I go to not fancy teaches too. I'm just 85 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: saying I've seen it at the beach. I know that 86 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: is where I've seen to play in skywriting. 87 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 2: We'll take your word for it. 88 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: Ye know. 89 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 3: Every just everyone go to a fancy beach and you 90 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 3: might see some skywriting. 91 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 2: Cross your fingers. 92 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 1: But I don't know. I've lived like more than forty years. 93 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: I feel like you, sup must have seen something like that. 94 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: He feels really attacked. 95 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 3: Right now, It's okay, we're not shouting. 96 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: You for skywriting jealous. 97 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 2: I'm happy for you. 98 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: Okay. So Mary Gabe got it started with the intro. 99 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: Why don't we throw to you for the first five Okay. 100 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 3: As someone who has never seen skywriting, I had to 101 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:32,799 Speaker 3: do some research. But one thing I learned this week 102 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 3: is that part of the reason we've had so few 103 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 3: encounters with skywriting is because the medium really took a 104 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 3: nose dive after its heyday in the early twentieth century. 105 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 3: And that's partially because of the popularity of television and 106 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 3: then eventually the Internet, which are much easier mediums for 107 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 3: getting the word out, but concerns about public safety also 108 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 3: played a big role. After nine to eleven, the airspace 109 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 3: around major cities became much more tightly restricted, and the 110 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 3: kind of erratic movements that are involved with skywriting began 111 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 3: to make people nervous. So while skywriting remains a draw 112 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 3: at air shows and sports events and music festivals, it's 113 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 3: just become a lot less common in everyday life. 114 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: It's also, I imagine, like pretty expensive, right. 115 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 3: Yes. Most skywriters charge a few thousand dollars for just 116 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:16,919 Speaker 3: ten letters, and if you want a longer message, or 117 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 3: you want it repeated multiple times, then it could set 118 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 3: you back more than ten thousand dollars easily. And that's 119 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 3: not even counting the transportation costs, because in most cases, 120 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 3: the pilot's plane has to be shipped to the location 121 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 3: where they actually want the skywriting to appear. 122 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 1: Ye, the plane. That's crazy. It also sounds like a 123 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 1: pretty big hidden cost, right. Yeah. 124 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 3: I don't know how much it costs to ship a plane, 125 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 3: but I would imagine it's not cheap. 126 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,599 Speaker 1: Yeah, that is interesting. Well, one thing I learned this 127 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:49,039 Speaker 1: week is that skywriting was actually invented for military use. 128 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: The practice was developed at the beginning of World War One, 129 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,359 Speaker 1: and this was back when British pilots in the Royal 130 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: Air force discovered that they could create white smoke that 131 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: hung in the air by running paraffin oil through the 132 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 1: plane's exhaust pipes. Right, And at first they just used 133 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:08,160 Speaker 1: the smoke to play around during air drills, but pilots 134 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: quickly realized that it could actually be used to create 135 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: smoke screens to obscure the movements and confuse enemy pilots. 136 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: It's a really fascinating use. And it wasn't until after 137 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: the war that those British officers started working on a 138 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: way to use skywriting in advertising. 139 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 3: This was England that gave us the idea of commercial skywriting, that's. 140 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: Right, And so in nineteen twenty one, Major Savage developed 141 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: a more sophisticated method for generating smoke and controlling its release, 142 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 1: and in May of the following year, Captain Turner tested 143 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: the device in England by skywriting the word castrol, which 144 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 1: you've probably heard of as a kind of engine lubricant 145 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: used in both cars, and playing sure castro yeah, or 146 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: if you've seen Cars movie, that's in it. Now you're 147 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: speaking my language, now, okay, yeah, skywriting Cars movie. I've 148 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: seen everything. But the pair's first attempt at aerial advertising 149 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: didn't draw much notice. They actually decided to try one 150 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: week later, and for that flight they found a paying customer. 151 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: So the men were contracted by the Daily Mail, you know, 152 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: the newspaper, to spell out the paper's name over Epsom 153 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: Downs during the Derby Steaks horse race. 154 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 3: So people did they pay attention then? 155 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: Yeah? Of course, I mean, and it wasn't just Derby fans. 156 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: The message could actually be seen for miles in all directions, 157 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: including by people who did not know it had been 158 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: written by a plane, which is crazy, right, Like if 159 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:35,320 Speaker 1: you think about the phenomena, there were kids at a 160 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: nearby school who saw the message outside the classroom window 161 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: and they assumed it had been written in the clouds 162 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: by an angel. I mean, that's so incredible, like it's 163 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: this message from heaven and that it's just an ad 164 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:50,600 Speaker 1: telling you to get a newspaper. 165 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, especially the Daily Mail. I don't know that the 166 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 3: angels read the Daily Mail. 167 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: Right, Heaven's paper is the tagline. 168 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,800 Speaker 2: But well, to be fair to those kids, there is 169 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 2: something vaguely supernatural about floating letters in the sky, and 170 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 2: while expert skyriders can make the job look easy, it's 171 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 2: actually an extremely demanding profession. Like pilots have to map 172 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 2: out there every move before takeoff, every turn, roll dive, 173 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,199 Speaker 2: and every flip of that smoke switch, and then they 174 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 2: have to execute those maneuvers from memory while going one 175 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 2: hundred and fifty miles per hour at ten thousand feet 176 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 2: in the air. It's kind of like performing a choreographed 177 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:37,359 Speaker 2: dance while also painting a mieral is insane. 178 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,320 Speaker 3: I actually would have assumed that there's like, you know, 179 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 3: a digital technological assistance here right, like a flight path, 180 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:45,440 Speaker 3: you know, like when they're actually using the plane to 181 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 3: fly places. But it sounds like you're saying they just have. 182 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:49,679 Speaker 1: To know what to do. 183 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,319 Speaker 2: Yeah, they have to just be like dead on precise, 184 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 2: and there's not much room for error either, Like the 185 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 2: smallest slip up could ruin the look of the entire message. 186 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 2: For instance, if a pilot doesn't open or close the 187 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 2: flow of smoke it's just the right moment, then two 188 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 2: letters might bleed together, or one letter might end up 189 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,960 Speaker 2: taller or shorter than the rest. Plus all the letters 190 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 2: have to run along the same straight line to spell 191 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 2: out the word, and they have to be spaced apart evenly. 192 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:19,680 Speaker 2: It is so much to keep track of, but Probably 193 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 2: the hardest part is that the message has to be 194 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 2: written backwards and upside down, like it's something I've never 195 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 2: thought of before. But because the pilots are writing parallel 196 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 2: to the ground, they have to spell out the letters 197 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 2: in reverse so that the message appears correctly when viewed 198 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 2: from below. And some letters are particularly hard like skywriters 199 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 2: often say, oh is the hardest because you have to 200 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 2: maintain a constant angle of bank during the turn. But 201 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 2: the straight parts of a letter are a different kind 202 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 2: of challenge, and that's because you have to keep them 203 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 2: roughly the same height, and pilots have all kinds of 204 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 2: tricks for getting the timing just right. Some count Mississippis, 205 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,319 Speaker 2: and at least one of them, a pilot named Nathan Hammond, 206 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 2: sings the Scooby Doo scene song to help him stay 207 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 2: in the right rhythm. Whatever works right, whatever works. 208 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,520 Speaker 3: But speaking of music, one of the most famous instances 209 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 3: of skywriting was a holiday message that John Lennon and 210 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:17,199 Speaker 3: Yoko Ono commissioned over the city of Toronto in December 211 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 3: of nineteen sixty nine. They hired the legendary skywriter Wayne 212 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 3: Mansfield to spell out the message quote war is over. 213 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 3: If you want it Happy ex miss from John and Yoko. 214 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:32,840 Speaker 1: I love that there's a legendary sky writer, ye Mansfield. 215 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:34,840 Speaker 2: Oh you haven't heard Wayne Mansfield. 216 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,560 Speaker 1: Look, I've only seen skywriting. I don't know who it 217 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,440 Speaker 1: could have been him, but obviously that message is so 218 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 1: much longer than ten letters. 219 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 3: It's actually forty four letters to be exact, which makes 220 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,840 Speaker 3: it one of the longest skywritten messages of all time. 221 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 3: It was so long, in fact, that Mansfield had to 222 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 3: make special preparations ahead of the flight. So for reference, 223 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 3: a pilot will typically take up about thirty gallons of 224 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 3: skywriting flu which is enough to write about a dozen letters, 225 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 3: but for John and Yoko's message, Mansfield had to haul 226 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 3: four times that amount. But all that extra effort earned 227 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 3: him some repeat business from the couple, because eleven years later, 228 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 3: Yoko hired Mansfield again, this time to deliver a birthday 229 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 3: greeting to her husband and their son Sean. The second 230 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 3: message was written over the skies of Manhattan, and although 231 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:22,559 Speaker 3: it was a little bit shorter than the last one, 232 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:25,080 Speaker 3: it just said happy Birthday, John and Sean Love Yoko. 233 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:28,440 Speaker 3: Mansfield still had to bring plenty of fluid. Yoko wanted 234 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 3: him to write it out nine times. 235 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: Nine times, feel successful by nine. 236 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:36,680 Speaker 3: Both John and Sean were born on October ninth, so 237 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:39,199 Speaker 3: I don't know, maybe that's why. But the number also 238 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 3: held some special significance for Lenin throughout his life. The 239 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 3: numbers on the school bus that he wrote as a 240 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:47,839 Speaker 3: child added up to nine. The first house he lived 241 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 3: in was at nine Newcastle Road, and the Beatles' first 242 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:53,560 Speaker 3: appearance at the Cavern Club was on the ninth of 243 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,720 Speaker 3: February in nineteen sixty one. And as John Lennon himself 244 00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 3: once said, it's just a number that follows me around. 245 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 3: But numerological apparently I'm a number six or three or something. 246 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:04,440 Speaker 3: But it's all part of nine. 247 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 1: That is just math there. That's math. But you know, 248 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 1: as long as we're talking pop culture, I do want 249 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:13,680 Speaker 1: to share the inside scoop on what's probably the most 250 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,040 Speaker 1: well known skywriting scene in movie history, and that is, 251 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:21,320 Speaker 1: of course, the surrender Dorothy sequence from the nineteen thirty 252 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 1: nine film The Wizard of Oz. Does the Wizard of 253 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: Oz hold a special place in either of your lives? 254 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 2: I've never heard of it. 255 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 3: I had a Scottish terrier because of that movie. Really, 256 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,319 Speaker 3: her name was Toto's Tama Shanter. In fact, Oh wow, yeah, 257 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 3: perfectly called her Danny. 258 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's very very So you are definitely familiar with 259 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 1: this scene, and it is a scene that takes a 260 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:48,680 Speaker 1: place a little over halfway through the movie, shortly after 261 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:53,880 Speaker 1: Dorothy and her entourage arrive at the Emerald City. They're 262 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:55,679 Speaker 1: on their way to meet the Wizard, when all of 263 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 1: a sudden, the Wicked Witch of the West appears in 264 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:02,720 Speaker 1: the sky. On her broomstick, skywrites the words surrender Dorothy. 265 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 2: Okay, so I was kidding. I have seen The Wizard 266 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 2: of Oz and that part you're talking about. It always 267 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,320 Speaker 2: baffled me as a kid, Like I knew she wasn't 268 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:13,240 Speaker 2: really flying, but I could not figure out how they 269 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 2: made it look so convinced. 270 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 3: Well, this would have been like way before digital effects 271 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 3: were a thing, Right, So I'm guessing if I had 272 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 3: to guess, I would say they took footage of a 273 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:23,120 Speaker 3: real skywriter and then they just superposed like a little 274 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 3: broomstick over the plane part. 275 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, I mean that's what I thought too. But 276 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,840 Speaker 1: according to the special effects artists who actually handle the sequence, 277 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: and this is a genius named Jack McMaster, there's actually 278 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: no skywriting in the movie. In fact, the sky that 279 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: we see is just the bottom of a glass tank 280 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:43,520 Speaker 1: filled with tinted water. And as for the witch's broomstick, well, 281 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: let me tell you how McMaster explained it. Quote. The 282 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: bottom of the tank was covered with an inch and 283 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 1: a half of water mixed with cala oil, and that 284 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: was supposed to be the sky. The camera was beneath 285 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 1: the tank shooting up. The miniature which who did the skywriting, 286 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: was three three eighths of an inch high, and the 287 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: broom she was writing was a hypodermic needle filled with 288 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: a combination of canned milk and black dye. I wrote 289 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 1: the message upside down and backwards in the fluid in 290 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: the tank, using the needle in place of a pen. 291 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,880 Speaker 1: I practiced for two months before I did it. 292 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 3: Is not incredible, that is so elaborate. I've seen that 293 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 3: movie dozens of times. I never would have guessed that's 294 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 3: how they did it. But I do like that even 295 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 3: though it wasn't real skywriting, he still had to master 296 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 3: the art of writing upside down and backwards. 297 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess that deficultly carried over. But apparently the 298 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 1: message he wrote was even a little longer. In the 299 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:39,480 Speaker 1: original cut of the movie. It actually read surrendered, Dorothy 300 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: or die, and it was signed with the Witch's initials WWW, 301 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 1: which is amazing. 302 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 2: She's like not playing around. So why they shorten it? 303 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:52,800 Speaker 1: Well, according to The New York Post, it was because 304 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: the Wicked Witch was deemed too scary by test audiences, 305 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 1: so the producers went back and they toned her down 306 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 1: a little bit, including by cutting out the death threat. 307 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 2: It's probably a good call, is She's still plenty scary 308 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 2: if you ask me. But it is interesting that they 309 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 2: went with black smoke for the scene. You know, it's 310 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 2: suitably witchy and stands out against the blue backdrop. But 311 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 2: you'd be hard pressed to find anything but white smoke 312 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 2: in real skyriding. 313 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, why is that? 314 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 3: Actually I've seen colored smoke, like you know, at air shows, 315 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 3: and the technology exists. 316 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 2: No, absolutely, but white smoke is the default because that's 317 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 2: the natural color produced when paraffine oil is vaporized. And 318 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 2: in the case of black smoke, I mean, if you 319 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 2: saw that pouring out of the back of a plane, 320 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 2: you'd probably assume something was wrong with the engine and 321 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 2: maybe take cover. But as for the multicolored smoke trails 322 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 2: that you often see at an air show. Those are 323 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,280 Speaker 2: possible because the planes are flying at much lower altitudes. 324 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 2: Skyriders tend to work much higher up, and it's hard 325 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 2: to produce a consistent, legible colored smoke at that height 326 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 2: because of atmospheric conditions. And that doesn't mean it can't 327 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 2: be done, But the main reason it's never caught on 328 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,200 Speaker 2: is that colored smoke requires some heavy duty dies to achieve, 329 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,680 Speaker 2: you know, the different hues, and they tend to stain 330 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,639 Speaker 2: everything they touch. That's not a huge deal when the 331 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 2: smoke is just trailing behind you in a straight line, 332 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:13,719 Speaker 2: but a skywriter has to swoop and dive and curl 333 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,159 Speaker 2: to spell out a message, so there's bound to be 334 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 2: some blowback. And for most skywriters, colored smoke just isn't 335 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,040 Speaker 2: worth the extra effort of, you know, scrubbing it off 336 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 2: the plane's exterior after every job. 337 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 1: That's interesting that it just causes such a mess that 338 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:31,199 Speaker 1: they don't want to deal with it. Well, I know 339 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:32,919 Speaker 1: we've got a couple more facts to go before we 340 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: crown a winner here, but first let's take a quick 341 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 1: ad break. Welcome back to Part Time Genius, where we're 342 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:56,439 Speaker 1: talking all things skywriting. So Mary, I think, as far 343 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: as the order goes, you are up next. 344 00:17:58,440 --> 00:17:58,680 Speaker 2: Yes. 345 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 3: So one thing I was curious about is why skywriting 346 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:04,400 Speaker 3: smoke is necessary in the first place. I mean, we've 347 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:07,679 Speaker 3: all seen the white streaks or contrails that jet planes produce, 348 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:10,679 Speaker 3: and those aren't the results of purposely adding something to 349 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 3: the exhaust like with skywriting. I mean, it's just the 350 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 3: results of jet fuel combustion at high altitudes. It just 351 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 3: happens when the fuel is burned, carbon dioxide and water 352 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 3: vapor are expelled from the jet's exhaust pipe, and when 353 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 3: that hits the cold air of the upper atmosphere, the 354 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 3: water vapor condenses and then it freezes along with the 355 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 3: other particles, and it creates that visible cloud that you 356 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 3: can see from the ground. 357 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: So why do skywriders actually bother with smoke? Then if 358 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 1: they could just use the contrails, well. 359 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:37,640 Speaker 3: Actually they can't. It turns out they cannot use the contrails, 360 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 3: so that's why it's not possible. Skywriters have to fly 361 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 3: at a much lower altitude for their messages to be 362 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,399 Speaker 3: visible from the ground, so the air is not consistently 363 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,199 Speaker 3: cold enough to produce those contrails, and not only that, 364 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 3: most skywriters are using smaller propeller driven planes. A jet 365 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 3: is not maneuverable enough to make those tight turns that 366 00:18:57,600 --> 00:18:59,640 Speaker 3: you need to do to form letters, and so without 367 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:03,200 Speaker 3: the water vapor from jet fuel combustion, contrails wouldn't form 368 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 3: even if the air was cold enough. But that said, 369 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 3: there is one way for skywriters to produce clouds, and 370 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,960 Speaker 3: that is to draw them using smoke. 371 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:13,679 Speaker 2: That's a real thing, Like people say, skyriders thousands of 372 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:15,240 Speaker 2: dollars to just draw a fake cloud. 373 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:18,320 Speaker 3: I wouldn't say it's a regular occurrence, but it has 374 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 3: happened on at least one occasion, and this was back 375 00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:22,240 Speaker 3: in two thousand and one. It was part of a 376 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 3: public exhibit by Brazilian artist Vik Munis. He's a photographer 377 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:28,879 Speaker 3: first and foremost, and a lot of his work deals 378 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:32,239 Speaker 3: with the relationship between illusion and perception. But for his 379 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 3: first large scale project, he decided to explore that theme 380 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 3: through a different medium, skywriting. But to be clear, he 381 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 3: was not the one actually doing the flying. He just 382 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:43,160 Speaker 3: designed a series of cloud shapes and then he hired 383 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:45,680 Speaker 3: a pilot to draw them in smoke all over the 384 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,640 Speaker 3: Manhattan skyline, and they did this about four times over 385 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 3: the course of one week in February. And although the 386 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 3: cloud outlines only lasted a short time before being blown away, 387 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 3: there were still all these reports of people on the 388 00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:00,439 Speaker 3: streets and in office buildings just being completely trans fixed, 389 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:02,439 Speaker 3: you know, standing there waiting to see what the plane 390 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:02,879 Speaker 3: was drawing. 391 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 2: So there was like no message or anything being advertised. 392 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:08,359 Speaker 1: It was art. 393 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 3: It was art. It was just clouds. It was it 394 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 3: was more of a like an ephemeral exhibit, right, like 395 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,080 Speaker 3: a sand sculpture. It's there and then it isn't. But 396 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 3: full disclosure, the cloud stunt was meant to coincide with 397 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 3: a show of his photography at the Whitney Museum, So 398 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:22,639 Speaker 3: I guess in a way you could say it was 399 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,919 Speaker 3: an advertisement or self promotion promotion, but no one on 400 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:28,719 Speaker 3: the ground would have known that or made that connection 401 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 3: in the moment, So for most people it was just 402 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:32,920 Speaker 3: this like fun, weird thing that happened randomly in the 403 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 3: middle of org day. 404 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 1: I mean, it is interesting that like something that I 405 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: can command people's attention just because it's happening in the sky, right, 406 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:43,480 Speaker 1: Like think about how many sculptures and murals New Yorkers 407 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:46,960 Speaker 1: walk past on a daily basis, and we don't even 408 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,480 Speaker 1: glance at them, right, But if you draw a few 409 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:51,960 Speaker 1: clouds in the sky, it's the type of thing that 410 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 1: you can look away from. 411 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, And I think I think that's what makes sky 412 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,200 Speaker 3: writing such a powerful tool, right, because it makes use 413 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:00,359 Speaker 3: of a space that is visible to everyone, but that 414 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 3: most people don't have a way of interacting with. And 415 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 3: while a lot of us have tried to draw a 416 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 3: meaning from the sky in one way or another, like 417 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:09,879 Speaker 3: using the stars navigate or making a podcast about astrology, 418 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 3: or analyzing clouds to predict the weather, you don't usually 419 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 3: look up and just find a clear cut message or 420 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,200 Speaker 3: a work of art. So people tend to take notice 421 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 3: when it happens. 422 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:23,200 Speaker 1: Well, we are definitely giving skywriting our full attention today, 423 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:25,920 Speaker 1: and we're not the only ones to reassess the concept. 424 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,040 Speaker 1: In recent years, thanks to smartphones and social media, it 425 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 1: is easier than ever to capture and share a skywriting message, 426 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,679 Speaker 1: which makes the medium's temporary nature much less of a 427 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:38,640 Speaker 1: drawback than it used to be. It is worth noting, though, 428 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: that so far we've only talked about traditional skywriting, which 429 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: isn't the technique used for most modern skywriting messages. 430 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 2: What wait, you're going to spring that on us in 431 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 2: the night set That there's this whole other form of skywriting. 432 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:53,200 Speaker 3: It's all been a lie. 433 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:57,119 Speaker 1: Most of what you'll see in the skies or on 434 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: Instagram are examples of a more recent, more autumn techniques 435 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 1: called sky typing. Now, both methods use paraffine oil. They 436 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: send it through the plane's exhaust to create a trail 437 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:10,600 Speaker 1: of white smoke, but only traditional skywriting requires the pilot 438 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,360 Speaker 1: to control the release of the oil and by extension, 439 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:17,240 Speaker 1: the smoke using controls in the cockpit. But for sky typing, 440 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:20,000 Speaker 1: it's more like what Mary imagined earlier, Right, Like, the 441 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,360 Speaker 1: release of the oil is controlled by an onboard computer. 442 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: The pilot enters the message they want to type, and 443 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,359 Speaker 1: the computer kind of plots a course, pumping out dots 444 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 1: of smoke to form each letter along the way. Now, 445 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: this is actually the type of skywriting I saw over 446 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: the summer. But another difference is that sky typing pilots 447 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 1: don't fly their planes in the shape of each letter. Instead, 448 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:45,359 Speaker 1: a series of pilots work in tandem, flying across the 449 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 1: same patch of sky in parallel lines while releasing the 450 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:50,720 Speaker 1: dots to form this message. 451 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 2: That seems a little less fun. But I mean, I 452 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 2: guess it's kind of like an old dot matrix printer. 453 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:59,800 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, especially up close, right, it's just a bunch 454 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: of broken dots, But when you view it from far 455 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:06,040 Speaker 1: enough away, it looks like solid letters. And the process 456 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:10,120 Speaker 1: is faster, cheaper, it's easier than traditional skywriting, but as 457 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:14,119 Speaker 1: old school skywriters will tell you, it is also less artful. 458 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, it sounds like it. I mean, you know, I 459 00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 3: think Gabe was saying earlier, it's like skywriting is like 460 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 3: painting a mural, and this just sounds kind of more 461 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:22,679 Speaker 3: like paint by numbers, right, Like you just kind of 462 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:24,880 Speaker 3: follow the pattern. There's less skill involved. 463 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, you don't have to warn for traditional skywriting 464 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: just yet, because while it is much rare these days, 465 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:33,440 Speaker 1: there are still a handful of pilots out there who 466 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:36,199 Speaker 1: fly the old fashioned way, and they are teaching their 467 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:38,840 Speaker 1: skills to the next generation. And since the old method 468 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:43,120 Speaker 1: doesn't require all the equipment and manpower for skytyping, it's 469 00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 1: still the most accessible way for solo flyers who you know, 470 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: want to paint on the world's biggest canvas. 471 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 2: Well, I don't know how you pulled it off, but 472 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 2: now you've got me feeling sentimental about what are essentially 473 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:59,159 Speaker 2: big smoky billboards. So Mary, what do you say we 474 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,360 Speaker 2: give them the trophy this week? Yeah? 475 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, I liked his Wizard of Oz fact too, and 476 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,119 Speaker 3: you know he's actually seen skywriting, so I think he's 477 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 3: earned it. 478 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, you just pick on me for the first part, 479 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: you give me a trophy and send me off in 480 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 1: the end. But I'm gonna take this trophy and you 481 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 1: guys can live with your decision. We will. Well, I'm 482 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: afraid that's all the time we have for today's Part 483 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:30,920 Speaker 1: Time Genius from Mary, Gabe, Dylan, Will and myself. Thank 484 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:33,400 Speaker 1: you so much for listening. And while we have the show, 485 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:36,800 Speaker 1: don't have enough money for skywriting, we do have an 486 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: Instagram account. Just drop us a line at part Time 487 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 1: Genius and we'll be back with more soon. Thank you 488 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:58,719 Speaker 1: so much for listening. Part Time Genius is a production 489 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:02,080 Speaker 1: of Kaleidoscope and I Heart Radio. This show is hosted 490 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:06,360 Speaker 1: by Will Pearson and Me Mongais Chatikler and research by 491 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: our goodpal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's episode was engineered and 492 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:14,479 Speaker 1: produced by the wonderful Dylan Fagan, with support from Tyler Klang. 493 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: The show is executive produced for iHeart by Katrina Norvel 494 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 1: and Ali Perry, with social media support from Sasha Gay, 495 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: trustee Dara Potts and buy any Shorey. For more podcasts 496 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:30,880 Speaker 1: from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 497 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:40,399 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.