A South Australian pilot on a long test flight dramatically demonstrated the tedium of the task by flying his aircraft in a series of twists and turns to write “I’M BORED” in the sky – and in another cheeky twist, adding a couple of penis shapes for good measure.
The pilot took off and landed at Parafield Airport, Salisbury, to the north of Adelaide. His message was invisible to observers on the ground but the “writing” shows up starkly on flight tracking websites, which record the position of the aircraft in a continuous line.
The pilot made two shapes variously described as “phallic symbols”, “penile outlines” or “dick shapes” many kilometres in length in the skies over South Australia.
The flight track is still visible on the FlightAware flight tracking site, and possibly on other sites.
It has been shared enthusiastically on Twitter, where the stunt drew a mixed response. One observer said the pilot’s flight skills were impressive and “I’d fly with him any day”.
Another took a sterner view: “Not a good look for the company drawing dicks in the sky. Not very professional.”
Screenshot from FlightAware flight tracking site shows the flight path
Flight Training Adelaide director Pine Pienaar was quoted as saying it was unlikely the pilot would be disciplined for his actions.
“Apparently he got bored,” Pienaar said.
The Adelaide Advertiser said the pilot, understood to be a recently qualified instructor at Flight Training Adelaide, left Parafield Airport in a single-propeller Diamond Star plane on Tuesday morning, taking a circuitous route north.
His task was to run in a new engine by flying at a particular power setting for two hours, to ensure the plane was ready for service as an instructional aircraft.
To while away the time, the pilot decided to get creative.
Written by Peter Needham
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