BIT plane

Who is BIT plane?

The BIT plane is a radio-controlled model airplane, designed by the Bureau of Inverse Technology and equipped with a micro-video camera and transmitter. Its name could be a possible reference to bit plane, meaning a set of digital discrete signals. In 1997 it was launched on a series of sorties over the Silicon Valley to capture an aerial rendering. Guided by the live control-view video feed from the plane, the pilot on the ground was able to steer the unit deep into the glittering heartlands of the Information Age.

Most of the corporate research parks in Silicon Valley are no-camera zones and require U.S. citizen status or special clearance for entry. The bit plane flew covertly through this rarified information-space, buzzing the largest concentration of venture capital in the world, to return with several hours of aerial footage.