Pilot Traces GTA 6 Logo Across Arkansas Skies
Arkansas pilot Benjamin G. McDaniel III flew a 1978 Cessna over the state to create a fan tribute ahead of the game's November 19 release.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Air Travel
Benjamin G. McDaniel III, known as The Pilot Picasso, flew a Cessna 182 Skylane RG from Bentonville Municipal Airport to create a sky tribute to Grand Theft Auto 6 over Arkansas. The flight, which reportedly took over eight hours, was shown live on FlightRadar24's website.
Why it matters
The tribute is a fan-created aerial artwork tied to the anticipated launch of GTA 6 on November 19, 2026. McDaniel created it independently, with no confirmed involvement from Rockstar.
The flight was reportedly more than eight hours long and used a 1978 Cessna 182 Skylane RG departing from Bentonville Municipal Airport. The tribute was tracked live on FlightRadar24's official website, though the source does not confirm any official involvement from Rockstar.
The players
Benjamin G. McDaniel III
An Arkansas pilot known as The Pilot Picasso who creates aerial artwork by flying patterns across the sky.
FlightRadar24
A flight-tracking service that broadcast the live feed of the tribute flight on its official website.
The details
McDaniel traced the Grand Theft Auto 6 logo and cover imagery, including a woman holding a pistol, a sports car, an alligator, palm trees, and a helicopter, across the sky using his aircraft's flight path. He has previously recreated imagery from Spider-Man, The Odyssey, and Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa in the sky.
Timeline
November 5, 2026: McDaniel took off from Bentonville Municipal Airport and began the flight.
November 6, 2026: The sky tribute flight concluded across Arkansas skies.
November 19, 2026: GTA 6 is scheduled for release.
Travel Outlook
The flight extends the series of sky recreations McDaniel has previously flown, including Spider-Man, The Odyssey, and Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. It applies that pattern to a major video game launch, using a single aircraft's flight path as the medium.
For travelers, the flight shows that small general aviation aircraft can conduct long, publicly tracked flights over the state's skies. Anyone planning to watch aerial displays should check flight-tracking services for live coverage of unusual flight paths.
The takeaway
The flight demonstrates how a single pilot and a fixed-wing aircraft can produce large-scale pop culture artwork that is publicly tracked in real time. Readers interested in aviation can follow flight-tracking services to see similar unusual routes as they happen.
What happens next
GTA 6 is scheduled for release on November 19, 2026.
Further reading
For more on flights and aviation across the region, see Air Travel.
