Pilot’s Test Flight Turns Into “I’m Bored” Sky Message Over the United Kingdom

On a Saturday morning, a Ravenair Piper Tomahawk performed a two-hour test flight that traced the words “I’m bored” at roughly 1,100 feet (335 m) above the Dee estuary. Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft departed Liverpool, flew over the Wirral peninsula and Cheshire, then entered north Wales, where the pilot looped the phrase for about 20 minutes before returning to the hangar.

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The test flight followed the replacement of the plane’s cylinder—a critical component where fuel is burned—requiring a post-maintenance check to certify airworthiness. Ravenair indicated the aircraft was cleared for service after the maneuver. The incident echoes a 2020 episode in Austria, where a pilot used a short flight near Vienna to display a public safety message, also captured by Flightradar24.

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Ravenair has not provided a direct comment to CNN. Operation manager Wayne Barrett explained that the cylinder replacement necessitated the test run and that the aircraft “proved to be fit for action.” He added that the pilot’s skywriting, while unconventional, did not result in disciplinary action and that the plane is now safely stored.

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Aviation experts note that test flights are intended to verify mechanical integrity, not to convey personal messages. The maneuver required precise control, raising questions about whether such displays could distract air traffic controllers or compromise safety protocols. No formal investigation has been announced, but regulators may review whether existing guidelines adequately address non-operational flight behavior.

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• “I think the pilot was literally a bit bored as it was just a test flight,” — Wayne Barrett, Operation Manager, Ravenair

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• “Mind you it was pretty skillful flying.” — Wayne Barrett, Operation Manager, Ravenair

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• “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,” — Wayne Barrett, Operation Manager, Ravenair

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• “The plane is now safely back in the hangar, and the pilot is on his day off.” — Wayne Barrett, Operation Manager, Ravenair

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