Pilot ‘draws’ world’s largest portrait of Queen Elizabeth over England

LONDON — Amal Larhlid flew more than 250 miles in her Piper PA-28 to create a flight path in the outline of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Larhlid flew over two hours over England on Thursday to complete the portrait, which will be used to raise money for Hospice UK.

Pilot @amal_larhlid took to the skies yesterday raise money for @hospiceuk in a unique way—creating the world’s largest portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. We talked with Amal about what it takes to plan a flight like this. https://t.co/79BHv2NvPg pic.twitter.com/ttnVIi7ig5
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 7, 2022

According to FlightRadar24, a global flight tracking service, the completed portrait is roughly 65 miles tall and 39 miles wide. The queen’s profile filled an area over 2,535 square miles northeast of London.

Larhlid told FlightRada24r that she uploaded a portrait of the Queen into her flight planning software to help plan the route. She flew several practice flights to prepare for the weather, and to familiarize herself with landmarks and restricted airspace.

“As an ambassador for Hospice UK, I wanted to raise money for an organization that does important work, and pay respect to a symbol of service and selflessness,” Larhlid told FlightRadar24.

She had already reached 20% of her goal of £5000 before returning from the trip.

“People from around the globe came together to mourn and remember Her Late Majesty the Queen. She was an inspiration to many generations, devoting herself to service for 70 years,” Larhlid wrote on her fundraising page. “I do believe in the power of remembrance and appreciation in times like these, and I’ll be flying the portrait of Her Late Majesty to pay my respect. She will always be in our hearts, and so will our loved ones who left us too.”