Marine Pilots Investigated for Drawing Penis and Testicles With Plane

Two U.S. Marine Corps pilots have been grounded and are under investigation after a recent digitally mapped flight path over Southern California appeared to take the shape of a penis and testicles. The trail, made over the Salton Sea in California’s Colorado Desert, was reported in late October by the Twitter account Aircraft Spots. It showed a penis- and testicle-shaped flight path with the plane exiting the scene from the tip of the penis. The pilots onboard were flying out of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, once home to the U.S. Navy flight school known as Top Gun—the basis for the movie franchise. Major Josef Patterson, spokesman for the Miramar-based 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, said the fliers were “being investigated for flying a pattern resembling an obscene image” and “are currently not flying pending the results of an ongoing investigation.” Although they’ve been grounded, the pilots are still providing “vital squadron ground support functions,” said Patterson. Last year, the Navy admitted one of its aircraft drew penises in the sky over Washington state.