Google Earth GPS Track Sky Writing Challenge

[svanarts]

Okay, now that Doug has shown everyone how to import their GPS tracks into Google Earth here's a challenge. If you're at least 35 you may remember seeing skywriters as a kid. They may still be out there somewhere but I haven't seen any for years. Skywriting has always fascinated me and I'm not really sure why. So my challenge is this; write something, anything in the sky with your GPS track. Import it into Google Earth and share it with the rest of us. Now I know it won't work exactly like smoke because you can't turn your track off as easily but just do what you can. Draw a picture, make a design, anything.

The best of the best will earn respect and admiration for a day or two.

Anyone besides me up for this?

[aadamson]

interesting idea, the writing could be done in "cursive" and the groundtrack always on would work just fine

[dan]

Originally Posted by aadamson

interesting idea, the writing could be done in "cursive" and the groundtrack always on would work just fine

Or just go vertical at the corners and do a hammerhead. Could get nice crisp corners that way.

[JonathanCook]

Where I live, Celebration, FL we have a resident that skywrites almost every day above Celebration or somewhere in orlando. It is the coolest thing looking up and seeing the words in the sky.

The best thing is that my children think that this is normal behavior for pilots and airplanes. My daughter just assumes that we will be able to do this when my 7 is finished.

[DeltaRomeo]

...can be found at http://www.vansairforce.net/articles...g/GPSTrack.htm

Wonderful idea, Scott!

b,
dr

[Scott Will]

Does sound like fun!!

I'll play devils advocate though... how could you tell if it was really flown? With all the new fancy GIS software, I could just make up a track in a few seconds.

[svanarts]

Well I reckon we could just be trusting souls and accept that each "skywriter" is being completely honest. It will be interesting to see the creativity employed. And as neat as the idea is I can't claim credit for it. There is a website in England (I can't remember the address) where they have been doing this a couple of years. I thought I'd introduce the "sport" here.

[Kevin Horton]

Originally Posted by Scott Will

I'll play devils advocate though... how could you tell if it was really flown? With all the new fancy GIS software, I could just make up a track in a few seconds.

Well, we could ask participants to also use a video camera to record the flight. But, in practice, I expect the tracks from real tracks would look fairly ugly, unless someone had a GPS-fed computer system driving the autopilot.

[aadamson]

Ok, next need is for some software to take a text input and generate a GPS waypoint file .... Bet the skywritters already have it... Then plug that flight in and let the AP fly it ....

[svanarts]

Awwww now that's cheating! The whole point is to showcase pilot ability. I won't be able to fly until next Saturday. I'm going to give it a go next Sat.