'It's the reason for the season': Pilot goes viral for flying pattern depicting Nativity scene for Christmas


PUBLISHED ONDecember 25, 2025 10:26 AMBYSean LerFlight path art, or sky art, aren't new with contests having been held before as pilots create artistic designs in the sky by following intricate pre-planned flight paths.
But one pilot in Ohio, US, recently made it extra special on two occasions in the days leading up to Christmas.
On Dec 15, Tim Pearson climbed into his single-engine plane and flew a flight pattern tracing the shape of a Christmas Nativity scene showing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in a manger.
The five-hour flight reportedly covered about 500 miles (805km).

Pearson told local media that he thought it was fitting "to do something positive" for Christmas, expecting only close friends and family to see it.
Reflecting on what the Nativity scene meant to him, he said: "It's the reason for the season."
"If it brought a little joy to people during the holidays, then that's all I could ask for."
When asked about his sky art that has since gone viral, he added: "The internet can be pretty harsh sometimes. But the response was overwhelmingly positive. People seemed genuinely happy to see something uplifting."
On Dec 21, Pearson took to the skies again, this time tracing the shape of the Christmas Grinch over a three-hour flight.
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