How the only skywriter in Europe creates messages that can be seen for miles but disappear in minutes

• Skywriting is a fast, but fleeting, art form — messages can be seen for miles, but disappear in as little as 10 minutes.
• Walter Dintinger believes he's the only skywriter in all of Europe, where the practice is not as popular as in the US.
• Dintinger charges between 4,000 and 5,000 euros for each message, and says he's a businessman with "an artist's soul."

Skywriting is a fast but fleeting art form. It involves pilots drawing mile-long letters that can be seen across large areas.

But their messages don't stick around for long. The smoke usually lasts for 10 or 20 minutes, or at most, an hour.

For French skywriter Walter Dintinger, who believes he's the only skywriter in all of Europe, the job is rewarding — even though he doesn't get to view his own art while it's happening.

"I can feel a special energy each time I do it," Dintinger told Business Insider Today. "It is very nice to read all those messages people send you once you land. And observe the impact that it has in the whole city.

Dintinger started his company, Oui'Up, in 2011 in Lyon in the east of France, but he learned his craft in Las Vegas.

He flies a specially outfitted Marchetti SF-260 to be able to make the precise maneuvers to form the shapes of letters. He uses an environmentally friendly and biodegradable smoke made from parrafin — "the same kind of smoke used in discos," he said — which expands creates an artificial cloud.

The cost of an aerial message varies from 4,000 to 5,000 euros, depending on complexity. And his clientele are numerous.

"I offer services for individuals, companies and institutions, everybody wishing to pass a message loud and clear," he said. "Individual customers tend to focus on love stories, declarations of love, and so on. Companies are looking more to make a buzz, gain visibility, communicate about a product release or an anniversary date."

The art of skywriting is thought to be invented by British pilots after World War I. And in the 1920s, it was used for major advertising campaigns for the likes of Pepsi and Lucky Strike cigarettes.

In Europe, the practice did not develop so much, though — the US has a stronger sense of advertising and marketing. But that could soon change. This spring, the UK government overturned a 60-year ban on the practice.

In May, the country held its first "skytyping" exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of V-E Day. Skytyping is when five planes fly in formation to act like a dot matrix printer with puffs of exhaust planned by a computer instead of a single pilot doing all the writing, which requires much more skill and planning.

For a solo pilot like Dintinger, a skywriting job starts with meticulous rehearsal on the ground, physically walking out the maneuvers ahead of time so the message is delivered exactly as planned.

"It helps me to remember every movement, every turn and line to write," he said. "Rehearsing is very important to not get lost in the skies. In fact, it's very easy to get lost. It's a little bit like doing tai chi."

Dintinger flies an average of 20 missions per year, and cherishes his time in the air.

"You need to have an artist's soul to be a pilot and also a businessman. But the most important thing is to love what you do," he said. "It's a difficult job. It has to be a passion. Skywriting really fits me. It's written in my DNA. It's everything I love.