A pilot has done his own unique bit to raise awareness and support for the people of Ukraine - by spelling out the phrase 'Slava Ukraini' (Glory to Ukraine!) using his plane.
Derek Pake, from Ayrshire, performed the stunt in the skies above Kintyre and the Firth of Clyde after taking off in his Vans RV8 American sports plane from Bute Airfield on The Isle of Bute yesterday (March 25).
Speaking to Glasgow Live about the stunt, Derek said: "I saw on the news that President Zelensky asked people globally to do what they can to support the Ukrainian people and show their solidarity, that kind of thing.
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"People can do it in different ways, through charity or sending goods and gifts – some of which I've done myself. But I thought I could do something with my aircraft and actually write a message in the sky.
"Hopefully the people of Ukraine will see and it will inspire others to do their bit too."
Derek, a pilot with four decades of experience and who normally flies out of Glasgow Prestwick, used some flight planning software to plan out how to map out the phrase, which he said took him "around 40 minutes" in total to do while in the air.
He added: "We have various apps onboard the plane. I just inputted the route on the system and manually flew round all the corners. It consisted of around 70 turns to map it all around."
'Slava Ukraini' is a Ukrainian national salute, and has been the official salute of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2018 – although it dates back to the Ukrainian War Of Independence from 1917 to 1921.
It goes without saying, well done to Derek for a fantastic, inspiring effort.
