US Pilot waited 11 years to draw giant GTA 6 artwork in sky for 8 hours; his sky art goes viral. Who's the man behind it?

A pilot has found an unusual way to celebrate the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) by turning the sky into a giant canvas. American pilot Benjamin McDaniel, popularly known online as ‘The Pilot Picasso’, spent more than eight hours flying his Cessna aircraft over Arkansas to create a massive GTA 6-inspired drawing using his flight path. The artwork, which can be seen on flight-tracking platform Flightradar24, features the game's logo along with a helicopter, an alligator, palm trees and a sports car. His unusual tribute has caught the attention of gaming fans and aviation enthusiasts.

Who is the pilot behind the viral GTA 6 sky drawing?

Benjamin McDaniel is an American pilot known for creating drawings through carefully planned aircraft routes. He uses his online name, The Pilot Picasso, to share his aerial artwork. According to News9Live, McDaniel began creating flight-path drawings around 2023. His earlier projects include recreations of famous paintings and popular fictional characters. McDaniel has previously drawn Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Edvard Munch's The Scream using his aircraft. His GTA 6 project is among his latest and most ambitious creations.

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A post shared by Benjamin McDaniel (@thepilotpicasso)

How did Benjamin McDaniel create the GTA 6 artwork?

McDaniel used his Cessna Skyplane RG to follow a carefully planned route over Arkansas. He took off from Bentonville airstrip at 11:29 am and returned at around 7:37 pm. The entire flight lasted eight hours and eight minutes. The drawing was not physically painted in the sky. Instead, the aircraft's movements created the image on the digital map used by flight-tracking services. The artwork includes the GTA 6 logo, a helicopter, a woman, a sports car, palm trees and an alligator. The Florida-inspired details are a nod to the fictional setting of the upcoming game.

Pilot says he waited 11 years for this moment

Sharing a video of the artwork on social media, McDaniel wrote: "I spent 8 hours drawing GTA 6 in the sky, but realistically, I've been waiting 11 years for this moment." The reference is to the long wait for the next main instalment in the popular video game series. The project also caught the attention of Flightradar24, which shared the aircraft's route while the drawing was still taking shape. One social media user joked that the pilot deserved to be included in the game, while another said the artwork was exciting to watch with their children.

When will GTA 6 be released?

Rockstar Games has announced that Grand Theft Auto VI will be released on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game will take players back to Vice City, a fictional location inspired by Miami, and will feature two main characters, Jason and Lucia. The release has been highly anticipated by fans, making McDaniel's unusual tribute a timely celebration. His eight-hour flight has added a new meaning to the phrase going the extra mile for a favourite video game.