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 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 2: Guess what mango was that gave. 4 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,240 Speaker 3: So you probably had this marked in your calendar already, 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 3: but last week was actually the one hundred and second 6 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 3: birthday of commercial skywriting in America. I did not have 7 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 3: that on my calendar for some odd reason. But I 8 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 3: really am surprised we can pin down an exact start 9 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 3: date for such an old medium, Like I know, there 10 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 3: are so many candidates for like the first newspaper ad 11 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 3: or the first billboard, and there's a lot of confusion there, 12 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 3: that's true, but it's a little different when the ad 13 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 3: appears out of thin air ten thousand feet above times square, 14 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 3: somebody's going to keep track of that. And that's exactly 15 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 3: what happened on November twenty eighth, nineteen twenty two, when 16 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 3: British pilot Captain Cyril Turner took to the skies above 17 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 3: New York City using a specially designed exhaust system spelled 18 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 3: out Hello USA, Carl Vanderbilt seventy two hundred. It was 19 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 3: the first time skywriting had been used to promote something 20 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 3: in the US, and even though it wasn't clear what 21 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 3: was being promoted, the ad still worked like a charm. 22 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,119 Speaker 3: Within a couple hours, roughly forty seven thousand people had 23 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 3: called that not in the mystery behind the message had 24 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 3: pequed people's interest, proving the effectiveness of skywriting and securing 25 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 3: its place as a new, eye catching way to promote 26 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:30,039 Speaker 3: a product. 27 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: That is such a bizarre slogan like Hello USA called 28 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: Vanderbilts and in two hundred like what is that even advertising? 29 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, well that's the thing. It was actually an ad 30 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 3: for skywriting itself. While Captain Turner was painstakingly writing the 31 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:52,639 Speaker 3: message overhead, his partner, Major John Jack Savage was watching 32 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 3: from the ground with a very special guest, George Hill, 33 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 3: the then president of the American Tobacco Company. So the 34 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 3: real purpose of the stunt was to persuade Hill to 35 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 3: advertise his cigarettes via skywriting, but Hill was skeptical since 36 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 3: the average message only lingered for about ten minutes in 37 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 3: a light wind, which didn't give people much time to 38 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 3: see it. 39 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: I mean, it certainly gave enough people at the time 40 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 1: to like call that phone number, But I guess that's 41 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: where the phone number idea came in here. 42 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. 43 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:24,959 Speaker 3: It was the number of the hotel where George Hill 44 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 3: was staying, Hotel Vanderbilt, and the resulting flood of phone 45 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 3: calls convinced Hill to take a chance on skywriting. So 46 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 3: the following year, the American Tobacco Company used skywriting in 47 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 3: a successful campaign for Lucky Strike cigarettes, and in the 48 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 3: decades that followed, skywriting became a popular form of advertising. 49 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: I mean, it is pretty fitting that the first client 50 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: of smoke based advertising would be a cigarette company, right, 51 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: That's pretty perfect. But that is just the first of 52 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: nine high flying facts we've got about skywriting. We've got 53 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: so much more to cover, so let's strap in and 54 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: take off. Hey, their podcast listeners, welcome to part time Genius. 55 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: I'm Monga's tritiguler and on the other side of that 56 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 1: soundproof glass arranging cotton balls on his desk to spell 57 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: out PTG, which is a very sweet tribute. That is 58 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: our friend and producer, Dylan Fagan. It's probably not as 59 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: effective as real skywriting, but we will take what we 60 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:39,839 Speaker 1: can get. 61 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 2: Thank you so much. Dylan. 62 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: Also, Will is not here today. He's off on a 63 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:48,119 Speaker 1: business trip doing business. But joining me today is our 64 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: old research pal Gabe and our friend and super producer 65 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: Mary Philip Sandy Gabe, you came up with idea for 66 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: this Nine Things? 67 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 2: Why skywriting? 68 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 3: Well, I think it's probably the most whimsical form of 69 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 3: advertising that we have, and I've heard a lot about 70 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 3: how it's kind of a dying art form and that 71 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 3: was really interesting to me. And I also don't think 72 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 3: I've ever seen it in person myself, so I'm really 73 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 3: hoping to get the chance before it kind of, you know, 74 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 3: goes by the wayside. Wait, you've never seen skywriting? No, 75 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 3: not really. I've been to air shows, so I've seen 76 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 3: like streaks of smoke behind jet planes or something like that. 77 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 3: But for the most part, I feel like I've only 78 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,039 Speaker 3: seen like the budget form of skywriting, which is like 79 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 3: those long banners that trail behind planes, like at the 80 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 3: beach or something telling me to go to a pizza place. 81 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 4: Yeah, I've never seen skywriting of you. 82 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely. Where are you going. 83 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 4: Where there's skywriting? 84 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: I don't know if I've seen it a few times 85 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: at the beach. What beach, I don't know, Provincetown they 86 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: had Okay, well. 87 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 2: It be a fancy beach. 88 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 4: Yeah, not the kind of beach I go to. 89 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: Well, I go to not fancy teaches too. I'm just 90 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: saying I've seen it at the beach. I know that 91 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: is where I've seen to play in skywriting. 92 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 3: We'll take your word for it. 93 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 4: Ye know. Every just everyone go to a fancy beach 94 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 4: and you might see some skywriting. 95 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 3: Cross your fingers. 96 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 2: But I don't know. 97 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 1: I've lived like more than forty years. I feel like 98 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: I supposed I have seen something like that. 99 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 2: He feels really attacked right now. 100 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 4: It's okay, we're not shouting. 101 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 2: You for skywriting jealous. 102 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 3: I'm happy for you. 103 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 2: Okay. 104 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: So Mary Gabe got it started with the intro. Why 105 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: don't we throw to you for the first five Okay. 106 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 4: As someone who has never seen skywriting, I had to 107 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:32,799 Speaker 4: do some research. But one thing I learned this week 108 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 4: is that part of the reason we've had so few 109 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 4: encounters with skywriting is because the medium really took a 110 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 4: nose dive after its heyday in the early twentieth century. 111 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 4: And that's partially because of the popularity of television and 112 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 4: then eventually the Internet, which are much easier mediums for 113 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 4: getting the word out, but concerns about public safety also 114 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 4: played a big role. After nine to eleven, the airspace 115 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 4: around major cities became much more tightly restricted, and the 116 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 4: kind of erratic movements that are involved with skywriting began 117 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 4: to make people nervous. So while skywriting remains a draw 118 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 4: at air shows and sports events and music festivals, it's 119 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 4: just become a lot less common in everyday life. 120 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 2: It's also, I imagine, like pretty expensive, right. 121 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 4: Yes, most skywriters charge a few thousand dollars for just 122 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:16,919 Speaker 4: ten letters, and if you want a longer message, or 123 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 4: you want it repeated multiple times, then it could set 124 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 4: you back more than ten thousand dollars easily. And that's 125 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 4: not even counting the transportation costs, because in most cases, 126 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 4: the pilot's plane has to be shipped to the location 127 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 4: where they actually want the skywriting to appear. 128 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 2: Ye, the plane. That's crazy. 129 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: It also sounds like a pretty big hidden cost, right. 130 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:40,160 Speaker 4: Yeah. I don't know how much it costs to ship 131 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 4: a plane, but I would imagine it's not cheap. 132 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, that is interesting. 133 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 1: Well, one thing I learned this week is that skywriting 134 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: was actually invented for military use. The practice was developed 135 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: at the beginning of World War One, and this was 136 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 1: back when British pilots in the Royal Air Force discovered 137 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:58,920 Speaker 1: that they could create white smoke that hung in the 138 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: air by running paraffin oil through the plane's exhaust pipes. Right, 139 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 1: And at first they just used the smoke to play 140 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,359 Speaker 1: around during air drills, but pilots quickly realized that it 141 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: could actually be used to create smoke screens to obscure 142 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 1: the movements and confuse enemy pilots. It's a really fascinating use. 143 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: And it wasn't until after the war that those British 144 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: officers started working on a way to use skywriting in advertising. 145 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 4: This was England that gave us the idea of commercial skywriting. 146 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: That's right, And so in nineteen twenty one, Major Savage 147 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 1: developed a more sophisticated method for generating smoke and controlling 148 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 1: its release, and in May of the following year, Captain 149 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: Turner tested the device in England by skywriting the word castrol, 150 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: which you've probably heard of as a kind of engine 151 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: lubricant used in both cars, and playing sure castro yeah, 152 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: or if you've seen Cars movie, that's in it. Now 153 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 1: you're speaking my language, now, okay, yeah, skywriting Cars movie. 154 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: I've seen everything, but the pair's first attempt at aerial 155 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: advertising didn't draw much notice. They actually decided to try 156 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 1: one week later, and for that flight they found a 157 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: paying customer. So the men were contracted by the Daily Mail, 158 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: you know, the newspaper, to spell out the paper's name 159 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: over Epsom Downs during the Derby Steaks horse race. 160 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 4: So people did they pay attention then? 161 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 2: Yeah? 162 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: Of course, I mean, and it wasn't just Derby fans. 163 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: The message could actually be seen for miles in all directions, 164 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: including by people who did not know it had been 165 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: written by a plane, which is crazy, right, Like if 166 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:35,320 Speaker 1: you think about the phenomena, there were kids at a 167 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: nearby school who saw the message outside the classroom window 168 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: and they assumed it had been written in the clouds 169 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: by an angel. 170 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 2: I mean, that's so. 171 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: Incredible, like it's this message from heaven and that it's 172 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,600 Speaker 1: just an ad telling you to get a newspaper. 173 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 4: Yeah, especially the Daily Mail. I don't know that the 174 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 4: angels read the Daily Mail. 175 00:08:55,840 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: Which right, Heaven's paper is the tagline. 176 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,800 Speaker 3: But well, to be fair to those kids, there is 177 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 3: something vaguely supernatural about floating letters in the sky, and 178 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 3: while expert skyriders can make the job look easy, it's 179 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 3: actually an extremely demanding profession, like pilots have to map 180 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 3: out there every move before takeoff, every turn, roll dive, 181 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,199 Speaker 3: and every flip of that smoke switch, and then they 182 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 3: have to execute those maneuvers from memory while going one 183 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 3: hundred and fifty miles per hour at ten thousand feet 184 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 3: in the air. It's kind of like performing a choreographed 185 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:37,359 Speaker 3: dance while also painting a mairal is insane. 186 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,320 Speaker 4: I actually would have assumed that there's like, you know, 187 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 4: a digital technological assistance here right, like a flight path, 188 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:45,440 Speaker 4: you know, like when they're actually using the plane to 189 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 4: fly places. But it sounds like you're saying they just have. 190 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:49,679 Speaker 2: To know what to do. 191 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,319 Speaker 3: Yeah, they have to just be like dead on precise, 192 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 3: and there's not much room for error either, Like the 193 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 3: smallest slip up could ruin the look of the entire message. 194 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 3: For instance, if a pilot doesn't open or close the 195 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 3: flow of smoke it's just the right moment, then two 196 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 3: letters might bleed together, or one letter might end up 197 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,960 Speaker 3: taller or shorter than the rest. Plus all the letters 198 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 3: have to run along the same straight line to spell 199 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 3: out the word, and they have to be spaced apart evenly. 200 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:19,680 Speaker 3: It is so much to keep track of But probably 201 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 3: the hardest part is that the message has to be 202 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 3: written backwards and upside down, like it's something I never 203 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 3: thought of before. But because the pilots are writing parallel 204 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 3: to the ground, they have to spell out the letters 205 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 3: in reverse so that the message appears correctly when viewed 206 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 3: from below. And some letters are particularly hard like skywriters 207 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 3: often say, oh is the hardest because you have to 208 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 3: maintain a constant angle of bank during the turn. But 209 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 3: the straight parts of a letter are a different kind 210 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 3: of challenge, and that's because you have to keep them 211 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 3: roughly the same height, and pilots have all kinds of 212 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 3: tricks for getting the timing just right. Some count Mississippis, 213 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,319 Speaker 3: and at least one of them, a pilot named Nathan Hammond, 214 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 3: sings the Scooby Doo scene song to help him stay 215 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 3: in the right rhythm. Whatever works right, whatever works. 216 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,520 Speaker 4: But speaking of music, one of the most famous instances 217 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 4: of skywriting was a holiday message that John Lennon and 218 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:17,199 Speaker 4: Yoko Ono commissioned over the city of Toronto in December 219 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 4: of nineteen sixty nine. They hired the legendary skywriter Wayne 220 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 4: Mansfield to spell out the message quote war is over 221 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 4: if you want it. Happy ex miss from John and Yoko. 222 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:32,840 Speaker 1: I love that there's a legendary sky writer, ye Mansfield. 223 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:34,840 Speaker 3: Oh you haven't heard Wayne Mansfield. 224 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:36,960 Speaker 2: Look, I've only seen skywriting. 225 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: I don't know who it could have been him, but 226 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 1: obviously that message is so much longer than ten letters. 227 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 4: It's actually forty four letters to be exact, which makes 228 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,840 Speaker 4: it one of the longest skywritten messages of all time. 229 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 4: It was so long, in fact, that Mansfield had to 230 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 4: make special preparations ahead of the flight. So for reference, 231 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 4: a pilot will typically take up about thirty gallons of 232 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 4: skywriting flu which is enough to write about a dozen letters, 233 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 4: but for John and Yoko's message, Mansfield had to haul 234 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 4: four times that amount. But all that extra effort earned 235 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 4: him some repeat business from the couple, because eleven years later, 236 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 4: Yoko hired Mansfield again, this time to deliver a birthday 237 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 4: greeting to her husband and their son Sean. The second 238 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 4: message was written over the skies of Manhattan, and although 239 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:22,559 Speaker 4: it was a little bit shorter than the last one, 240 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:25,080 Speaker 4: it just said happy Birthday, John and Sean Love Yoko. 241 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:28,440 Speaker 4: Mansfield still had to bring plenty of fluid. Yoko wanted 242 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 4: him to write it out nine times. 243 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 2: Nine times feels successful by nine. 244 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:36,680 Speaker 4: Both John and Sean were born on October ninth, so 245 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:39,199 Speaker 4: I don't know, maybe that's why. But the number also 246 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 4: held some special significance for Lenin throughout his life. The 247 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 4: numbers on the school bus that he wrote as a 248 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:47,839 Speaker 4: child added up to nine. The first house he lived 249 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 4: in was at nine Newcastle Road, and the Beatles' first 250 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:53,560 Speaker 4: appearance at the Cavern Club was on the ninth of 251 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,720 Speaker 4: February in nineteen sixty one. And as John Lennon himself 252 00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 4: once said, it's just a number that follows me around. 253 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 4: But numerological apparently I'm a number six or three or something. 254 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:04,440 Speaker 4: But it's all part of nine. 255 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:06,600 Speaker 2: That is just math there. That's math. 256 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 1: But you know, as long as we're talking pop culture, 257 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: I do want to share the inside scoop on what's 258 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 1: probably the most well known skywriting scene in movie history, 259 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 1: and that is, of course, the surrender Dorothy sequence from 260 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,520 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirty nine film The Wizard of Oz. Does 261 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:26,720 Speaker 1: the Wizard of Oz hold a special place in either 262 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: of your lives? 263 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 3: I've never heard of it. 264 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 4: I had a Scottish Terrier because of that movie. Really 265 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,319 Speaker 4: her name was Toto's Tama Shanter. In fact, Oh wow, yeah, 266 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 4: perfectly called her Danny. 267 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's very very So you are definitely familiar with 268 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 1: this scene, and it is a scene that takes a 269 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:48,680 Speaker 1: place a little over halfway through the movie, shortly after 270 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:53,880 Speaker 1: Dorothy and her entourage arrive at the Emerald City. They're 271 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:55,679 Speaker 1: on their way to meet the Wizard when all of 272 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 1: a sudden, the Wicked Witch of the West appears in 273 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:02,720 Speaker 1: the sky. On her broomstick, skywrites the words surrender Dorothy. 274 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 3: Okay, so I was kidding. I have seen The Wizard 275 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 3: of Oz and that part you're talking about. It always 276 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,320 Speaker 3: baffled me as a kid, Like I knew she wasn't 277 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:13,240 Speaker 3: really flying, but I could not figure out how they 278 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 3: made it look so convinced. 279 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 4: Well, this would have been like way before digital effects 280 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 4: were a thing, Right, So I'm guessing if I had 281 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 4: to guess, I would say they took footage of a 282 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:23,120 Speaker 4: real skywriter and then they just superposed like a little 283 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 4: broomstick over the plane part. 284 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, I mean that's what I thought too. But 285 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,840 Speaker 1: according to the special effects artists who actually handle the sequence, 286 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: and this is a genius named Jack McMaster. There's actually 287 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: no skywriting in the movie. In fact, the sky that 288 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: we see is just the bottom of a glass tank 289 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:43,520 Speaker 1: filled with tinted water. And as for the witch's broomstick, well, 290 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: let me tell you how McMaster explained it. Quote, the 291 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: bottom of the tank was covered with an inch and 292 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 1: a half of water mixed with cala oil, and that 293 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: was supposed to be the sky. The camera was beneath 294 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 1: the tank shooting up. The miniature which who did the skywriting, 295 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: was three three eighths of an inch high, and the 296 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: broom she was writing was a hypodermic needle filled with 297 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: a combination of canned milk and black dye. I wrote 298 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 1: the message upside down and backwards in the fluid in 299 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: the tank, using the needle in place of a pen. 300 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 1: I practiced for two months before I did it. Isn't 301 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:18,800 Speaker 1: that incredible? 302 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:22,840 Speaker 4: That is so elaborate. I've seen that movie dozens of times. 303 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 4: I never would have guessed that's how they did it. 304 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:26,840 Speaker 4: But I do like that even though it wasn't real skywriting, 305 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:28,960 Speaker 4: he still had to master the art of writing upside 306 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 4: down and backwards. 307 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess that dificultly carried over. But Apparently the 308 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: message he wrote was even a little longer. In the 309 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:39,480 Speaker 1: original cut of the movie, it actually read surrendered Dorothy 310 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: or die, and it was signed with the Witch's initials WWW, 311 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 1: which is the faz thing. 312 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 3: She's like not claying around. So why they shorten it? 313 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:52,800 Speaker 1: Well, according to The New York Post, it was because 314 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: the Wicked Witch was deemed too scary by test audiences, 315 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 1: so the producers went back and they toned her down 316 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 1: a little bit, including by cutting out the death threat. 317 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 3: It's probably a good call, is She's still plenty scary 318 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 3: if you ask me. But it is interesting that they 319 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 3: went with black smoke for the scene. You know, it's 320 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 3: suitably witchy and stands out against the blue backdrop. But 321 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 3: you'd be hard pressed to find anything but white smoke 322 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 3: in real skyriding. 323 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, why is that? 324 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 4: Actually I've seen colored smoke, like you know, at air shows, 325 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:23,720 Speaker 4: and the technology. 326 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 3: Exists, no, absolutely, but white smoke is the default because 327 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:30,680 Speaker 3: that's the natural color produced when paraffine oil is vaporized. 328 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 3: And in the case of black smoke, I mean, if 329 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 3: you saw that pouring out of the back of a plane, 330 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 3: you'd probably assume something was wrong with the engine and 331 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 3: maybe take cover. But as for the multicolored smoke trails 332 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 3: that you often see at an air show, those are 333 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,280 Speaker 3: possible because the planes are flying at much lower altitudes. 334 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 3: Skyriders tend to work much higher up, and it's hard 335 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 3: to produce a consistent, legible colored smoke at that height 336 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 3: because of atmospheric conditions. And that doesn't mean it can't 337 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 3: be done, but the main reason it's never caught on 338 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,200 Speaker 3: is that colored smoke requires some heavy duty dies to achieve, 339 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,640 Speaker 3: you know, the different hues, and they tend to stain 340 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,639 Speaker 3: everything they touch. That's not a huge deal when the 341 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 3: smoke is just trailing behind you in a straight line, 342 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:13,719 Speaker 3: but a skywriter has to swoop and dive and curl 343 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,159 Speaker 3: to spell out a message, so there's bound to be 344 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 3: some blowback. And for most skywriters, colored smoke just isn't 345 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,040 Speaker 3: worth the extra effort of, you know, scrubbing it off 346 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 3: the plane's exterior after every job. 347 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 1: That's interesting that it just causes such a mess that 348 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:28,080 Speaker 1: they don't want to. 349 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 2: Deal with it. 350 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:32,399 Speaker 1: Well, I know, we've got a couple more facts to 351 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:35,280 Speaker 1: go before we crown a winner here, but first let's 352 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:51,960 Speaker 1: take a quick ad break. Welcome back to part time 353 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 1: genius where we're talking all things skywriting. So Mary, I think, 354 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: as far as the order goes, you are up next. 355 00:17:58,440 --> 00:17:58,680 Speaker 3: Yes. 356 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 4: So one thing I was curious about is why skywriting 357 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:04,400 Speaker 4: smoke is necessary in the first place. I mean, we've 358 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:07,679 Speaker 4: all seen the white streaks or contrails that jet planes produce, 359 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:10,679 Speaker 4: and those aren't the results of purposely adding something to 360 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 4: the exhaust like with skywriting. I mean, it's just the 361 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 4: results of jet fuel combustion at high altitudes. It just 362 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 4: happens when the fuel is burned, carbon dioxide and water 363 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 4: vapor are expelled from the jet's exhaust pipe, and when 364 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 4: that hits the cold air of the upper atmosphere, the 365 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 4: water vapor condenses and then it freezes along with the 366 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 4: other particles, and it creates that visible cloud that you 367 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 4: can see from the ground. 368 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: So why do skywriders actually bother with smoke? Then if 369 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 1: they could just use the contrails, well. 370 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:37,640 Speaker 4: Actually they can't. It turns out they cannot use the contrails, 371 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 4: so that's why it's not possible. Skywriters have to fly 372 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 4: at a much lower altitude for their messages to be 373 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,399 Speaker 4: visible from the ground, so the air is not consistently 374 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,199 Speaker 4: cold enough to produce those contrails. And not only that, 375 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 4: most skywriters are using smaller propeller driven planes. A jet 376 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 4: is not maneuverable enough to make those tight turns that 377 00:18:57,600 --> 00:18:59,640 Speaker 4: you need to do to form letters, and so without 378 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:03,200 Speaker 4: the water vapor from jet fuel combustion, contrails wouldn't form 379 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 4: even if the air was cold enough. But that said, 380 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 4: there is one way for skywriters to produce clouds, and 381 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,960 Speaker 4: that is to draw them using smoke. 382 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:13,679 Speaker 3: That's a real thing, Like people say, skyriders thousands of 383 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:15,240 Speaker 3: dollars to just draw a fake cloud. 384 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:18,320 Speaker 4: I wouldn't say it's a regular occurrence, but it has 385 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 4: happened on at least one occasion, and this was back 386 00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:22,240 Speaker 4: in two thousand and one. It was part of a 387 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 4: public exhibit by Brazilian artist Vik Munis. He's a photographer 388 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:28,879 Speaker 4: first and foremost, and a lot of his work deals 389 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:32,239 Speaker 4: with the relationship between illusion and perception. But for his 390 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 4: first large scale project, he decided to explore that theme 391 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 4: through a different medium, skywriting. But to be clear, he 392 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 4: was not the one actually doing the flying. He just 393 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:43,160 Speaker 4: designed a series of cloud shapes and then he hired 394 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:45,680 Speaker 4: a pilot to draw them in smoke. All over the 395 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,640 Speaker 4: Manhattan skyline, and they did this about four times over 396 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 4: the course of one week in February. And although the 397 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 4: cloud outlines only lasted a short time before being blown away, 398 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 4: there were still all these reports of people on the 399 00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:00,439 Speaker 4: streets and in office buildings just being completely trans fixed, 400 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:02,439 Speaker 4: you know, standing there waiting to see what the plane 401 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:02,879 Speaker 4: was drawing. 402 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 3: So there was like no message or anything being advertised. 403 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:08,359 Speaker 2: It was art. 404 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 4: It was art. It was just clouds. It was It 405 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 4: was more of a like an ephemeral exhibit, right, like 406 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,080 Speaker 4: a sand sculpture. It's there and then it isn't. But 407 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 4: full disclosure, the cloud stunt was meant to coincide with 408 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 4: a show of his photography at the Whitney Museum, So 409 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:22,639 Speaker 4: I guess in a way you could say it was 410 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:27,000 Speaker 4: an advertisement or self promotion, but no one on the 411 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 4: ground would have known that or made that connection in 412 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:30,720 Speaker 4: the moment, So for most people it was just this 413 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 4: like fun, weird thing that happened randomly in the middle 414 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 4: of org day. 415 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 1: I mean, it is interesting that like something that I 416 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 1: can command people's attention just because it's happening in the sky, right, Like, 417 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:43,680 Speaker 1: think about how many sculptures and murals New Yorkers walk 418 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:47,320 Speaker 1: past on a daily basis, and we don't even glance 419 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:49,920 Speaker 1: at them, right, But if you draw a few clouds 420 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:52,080 Speaker 1: in the sky, it's the type of thing that you 421 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 1: can look away from. 422 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, And I think I think that's what makes sky 423 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,200 Speaker 4: writing such a powerful tool, right, because it makes use 424 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:00,359 Speaker 4: of a space that is visible to everyone, but that 425 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 4: most people don't have a way of interacting with. 426 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:03,720 Speaker 2: And while a lot of. 427 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:05,480 Speaker 4: Us have tried to draw a meaning from the sky 428 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 4: in one way or another, like using the stars navigate 429 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 4: or making a podcast about astrology or analyzing clouds to 430 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 4: predict the weather, you don't usually look up and just 431 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 4: find a clear cut message or a work of art. 432 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 4: So people tend to take notice when it happens. 433 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:23,200 Speaker 1: Well, we are definitely giving skywriting our full attention today, 434 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:25,920 Speaker 1: and we're not the only ones to reassess the concept. 435 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,040 Speaker 1: In recent years, thanks to smartphones and social media, it 436 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 1: is easier than ever to capture and share a skywriting message, 437 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,679 Speaker 1: which makes the medium's temporary nature much less of a 438 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:38,640 Speaker 1: drawback than it used to be. It is worth noting, though, 439 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: that so far we've only talked about traditional skywriting, which 440 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: isn't the technique used for most modern skywriting messages. 441 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 3: What wait, you're going to spring that on us in 442 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 3: the night set That there's this whole other form of skywriting. 443 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:53,200 Speaker 4: It's all been a lie. 444 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:57,119 Speaker 1: Most of what you'll see in the skies or on 445 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: Instagram are examples of a more recent, more autumn techniques 446 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 1: called sky typing. Now, both methods use paraffine oil. They 447 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: send it through the plane's exhaust to create a trail 448 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:10,600 Speaker 1: of white smoke, but only traditional skywriting requires the pilot 449 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,360 Speaker 1: to control the release of the oil and by extension, 450 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: the smoke using controls in the cockpit. But for sky typing, 451 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:20,000 Speaker 1: it's more like what Mary imagined earlier. Right, Like, the 452 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,360 Speaker 1: release of the oil is controlled by an onboard computer. 453 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: The pilot enters the message they want to type, and 454 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,359 Speaker 1: the computer kind of plots a course, pumping out dots 455 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 1: of smoke to form each letter along the way. Now, 456 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: this is actually the type of skywriting I saw over 457 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: the summer. But another difference is that sky typing pilots 458 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 1: don't fly their planes in the shape of each letter. Instead, 459 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:45,359 Speaker 1: a series of pilots work in tandem, flying across the 460 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 1: same patch of sky in parallel lines. While releasing the 461 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: dots to form this message. That seems a little less fun. 462 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:54,439 Speaker 1: But I mean, I guess it's kind of like an 463 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 1: old dot matrix printer, right, Yeah, especially up close, right, 464 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: it's just a bunch of broken dots, But when you 465 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:04,240 Speaker 1: view it from far enough away, it looks. 466 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:04,959 Speaker 2: Like solid letters. 467 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:09,520 Speaker 1: And the process is faster, cheaper, It's easier than traditional skywriting, 468 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 1: but as old school skywriters will tell you, it is 469 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:14,119 Speaker 1: also less artful. 470 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 4: Yeah, it sounds like it. I mean, you know, I 471 00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 4: think Gabe was saying earlier, it's like skywriting is like 472 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 4: painting a mural, and this just sounds kind of more 473 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:22,679 Speaker 4: like paint by numbers, right, Like you just kind of 474 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:24,880 Speaker 4: follow the pattern. There's less skill involved. 475 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 2: Yeah. 476 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,280 Speaker 1: Well, you don't have to warn for traditional skywriting just yet, 477 00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:31,040 Speaker 1: because while it is much rareer these days, there are 478 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,040 Speaker 1: still a handful of pilots out there who fly the 479 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,679 Speaker 1: old fashioned way, and they are teaching their skills to 480 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,640 Speaker 1: the next generation. And since the old method doesn't require 481 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 1: all the equipment and manpower for skytyping, it's still the 482 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,920 Speaker 1: most accessible way for solo flyers who you know, want 483 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: to paint on the world's biggest canvas. 484 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 3: Well, I don't know how you pulled it off, but 485 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 3: now you've got me feeling sentimental about what are essentially 486 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:59,159 Speaker 3: big smoky billboards. So Mary, what do you say we 487 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,360 Speaker 3: give them the trophy this week? Yeah? 488 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 4: Yeah, I liked his Wizard of Oz fact too, and 489 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,119 Speaker 4: you know he's actually seen skywriting, so I think he's 490 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 4: earned it. 491 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, you just pick on me for the first part, 492 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: you give me a trophy and send me off in 493 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:13,640 Speaker 1: the end. 494 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:17,879 Speaker 2: But I'm gonna take this trophy and you guys can 495 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:22,640 Speaker 2: live with your decisions. We will. 496 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:26,280 Speaker 1: Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have for 497 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:30,680 Speaker 1: today's Part Time Genius from Mary, Gabe, Dylan, Will and myself. 498 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening. And while we have 499 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,360 Speaker 1: the show, don't have enough money for skywriting, we do 500 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:39,680 Speaker 1: have an Instagram account. Just drop us a line at 501 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:43,040 Speaker 1: part Time Genius and we'll be back with more soon. 502 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:58,240 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening. Part Time Genius is 503 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: a production of Kaleidoscope and I Heart Radio. This show 504 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:05,560 Speaker 1: is hosted by Will Pearson and me Mongais Chatikler and 505 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:08,439 Speaker 1: research by our goodpal Mary Philip Sandy. 506 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:10,119 Speaker 2: Today's episode was. 507 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:13,440 Speaker 1: Engineered and produced by the Wonderful Dylan Fagan, with support 508 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:17,200 Speaker 1: from Tyler Klang. The show is executive produced for iHeart 509 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,760 Speaker 1: by Katrina Norvel and Ali Perry, with social media support 510 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,479 Speaker 1: from Sasha Gay, trustee Dara Potts and buy Any Shorey. 511 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:29,639 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 512 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:40,399 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.