A MYSTERY pilot flew above islands on Scotland’s west coast to create an image of a Saltire on flight tracking services.

Within the space of about 50 minutes the Van’s RV-8 aircraft flew from Prestwick and across the Firth of Clyde, above Tarbert, Kames and Rothesay to draw the image of a Scottish flag in the air.

The pilot took off at 11.16am yesterday morning and the sounds from the aircraft overhead led local residents to the internet to figure out what was going on.

Ayr Advertiser:

One FlightRadar user noticed the flag being drawn and went to the discussion site Reddit to share their findings.

“That explains what I heard overhead,” noted one user, as others said they’d been “very confused” by what the aircraft was doing.

“That is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time,” said another Reddit user.

You can watch back the pilot's route here.

The move comes after a group of activists flew one of Scotland’s biggest flags from McCaig’s Tower in Oban at the weekend.

Ayr Advertiser:

It took several helpers and fishing rods to get the 18m x 16m Saltire onto the historic monument overlooking the resort town.

Judith Reid and Fiona Campbell will be taking their giant flag to Kirkcaldy beach on Saturday at 12pm for a social distanced display.