This unusual image of the Queen has been produced using GPS data from light aircraft flown over Somerset and Devon in a project code-named Art Force 1.
Six planes from the Light Aircraft Association Wessex Strut and 12 crew from Henstridge Airfield in Somerset followed a GPS plotted path given them by team leader Amy Whitewick.
Amy, who began illustrating images by air in 2020 during lockdown, said: “None of them had any idea what the final image would look like, as each team was given a small, unrecognisable chunk which, when flown, recorded on SkyDemon – aircraft GPS software – and sent back, would be digitally stitched together to form the final image.”
It took over ten hours of computer-based planning to plot the full image, being carefully constructed around surrounding airspace then cut into six manageable sections and assigned to team members and their aircraft.
Amy added: “It was a fun skill to try out when flying the local area. My fellow pilot friends at Henstridge showed a great interest in my GPS scribbles, and then I thought ‘it would be so much more fun to try one together as a united team with as many aircraft as possible’.”
Challenges included tricky weather, a re-flight undertaken due to ill health and a carbon monoxide scare in one aircraft’s cockpit, all of which the team took in their stride to complete the image.
“I must thank the team members for their extraordinary courage to push the boundaries of aviation forward, to try something new to them and air sports as a whole,” Amy said. “Their unwavering trust in following a somewhat crazy artist, and their unrivalled strength and tenacity of spirit is of considerable merit.”
The portrait is believed to be the most complex GPS image ever drawn by air, as well as one of the first ever GPS images in drawn by multiple aircraft.

Wings and Wheels
Flying enthusiasts of all ages can enjoy the vintage Wings and Wheels event at Henstridge Airfield.
The event, first held in 2000, offers visitors the chance to see the airfield, wander around the aircraft and ask the pilots questions.
Wings and Wheels is on Saturday, 27 August, with gates open from 10am.
Entry is £5 with under-16s free.
A summer garden party atmosphere is promised with great food and stalls. For more information visit wingsandwheelshenstridge.com