Overview
- A Ravenair Piper Tomahawk left Liverpool for a two‑hour post‑maintenance test and, on Saturday, spent about 20 minutes tracing the words “I’m bored” over the Dee Estuary as recorded on Flightradar24.
- Ravenair says the flight was required to test a replaced engine cylinder and that the aircraft landed back on Merseyside and was returned to its hangar after the check proved successful.
- The pilot was an unnamed flying instructor in his 20s and Ravenair’s operations manager said he will not face disciplinary action.
- Public ADS‑B flight‑tracking data made the unusual route visible to users and the screenshots went viral, prompting broad media coverage but no reported safety issues or formal regulatory action so far.
- The episode highlights how accessible tracking platforms expose precise flight paths after the fact and could increase scrutiny of unauthorised manoeuvres even when journeys have a legitimate maintenance purpose.