(13) The first presentation of skywriting was at a public event in England in
1922. (14) During the event captain Cyril Turner wrote “Daily Mail,” the name of a
newspaper, in the sky. (15) Shortly afterward Turner traveled to the United States.
(16) He sketched a message to New York that read: “Hello U.S.A.” (17) Each letter
was a mile high. (18) The age of skywriting had officially begun.
(19) Soon many companies realized a distinct benefit of skywriting; it was a
fantastic way to advertise products to large groups of people at one time.
(20) Skywriting pilots targeted the crowds at fairgrounds, racetracks, and beaches
ads could stretch out across 15 miles and be seen up to 30 miles away. (21) From
the 1930s through the early 1950s, the Pepsi-Cola corporation hired talented pilots
to write their company name across the sky. (22) In 1940 alone, the company paid
to have more than 2,000 messages written across the sky. (23) The company’s
advertisements spanned the skies in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, and
South America. (24) At that time other companies, including Chrysler and Ford, also
used skywriting for its ads.
(25) Though skywriting seemed to be the future of advertising, it lost
popularity within a few decades. (26) It could not compete against the advances
that had been made in television. (27) Skywriting relied too much on wind
conditions in order to be successful. (28) Skywriting was also expensive.
(29) Companies eventually found that television broadcasts were a more reliably way
to advertise. (30) By the early 1950s, skywriters were scarce. (31) However, during
the 1970s, Pepsi-Cola decided to use skywriting to advertise again. (32) They hired
Suzanne Asbury-Oliver to pilot their company plane, and she flew for the company
for approximately 23 years.
(33) Today there are very few skywriting pilots still working.
(34) Asbury-Oliver continues to skywrite along with her husband, Steve Oliver.
(35) Together they form a flying circus act. (36) They are hired to advertise for
companies, promote special events, and even writes marriage proposals across the
skies. (37) They create about 500 messages a year. (38) Thanks to social media
sights, images of their skywriting messages can be shared online and seen by people
from any location.
Third party trademarks Pepsi-Cola®, Chrysler® and Ford® were used in these testing materials.
Writing - EDITING
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