A pilot used a routine test flight to spell out the message 'I'm bored' in the sky over the UK, with the aerial stunt detected by flight tracking website Flightradar24.
Flight Path and Message
The Ravenair aircraft departed from Liverpool at 11:30am on Saturday, flying over the Wirral peninsula, Cheshire, and north Wales. Flight tracking data showed the Piper Tomahawk spent about 20 minutes carefully tracing the words before returning to Merseyside at around 1:30pm after a two-hour flight.
Ravenair confirmed the aircraft was on a routine test flight following replacement of one of its engine cylinders. Operations manager Wayne Barrett told the BBC: 'I think the pilot was literally a bit bored as it was just a test flight. Mind you it was pretty skillful flying.'
Pilot's Motive
Barrett explained that the aircraft was taken aloft to verify it was safe to re-enter service after maintenance. 'I think the part was a cylinder that needed replacing. So when this happens we take the plane up for a test run to make sure everything is OK, which it was,' he said.
While the pilot joked about boredom, Barrett noted the message required significant concentration. 'He was a bit bored but he probably had to concentrate a lot in the end to spell out the words so he was probably anything but,' he added.
No Disciplinary Action
Barrett confirmed the flying instructor, in his 20s, was 'not in trouble' despite the lighthearted escapade. 'He's not in trouble but we have had a lot of attention from it. The plane is now safely back in the hangar and the pilot is on his day off,' he said.
