NPAS says Hampshire helicopter’s phallic route was accidental

The National Police Air Service said a helicopter’s flight path over Hampshire that appeared to form a phallic shape was accidental and part of a search for a vehicle that had failed to stop for police. Flight-tracking data showed the helicopter making loops and turns above Blackbushe Airport and near Fleet. The route appeared to outline male genitalia when viewed on tracking websites. The pilot’s intent has not been independently established; NPAS said the crew was carrying out a policing operation in support of Thames Valley Police. Gordon Bird, 53, of Ancells Farm in Fleet, said the helicopter woke his two-year-old daughter at about 11 p.m. on Monday, November 2. He said it circled over the area for 15 to 20 minutes. After checking the flight path online, Bird said he saw the shape, which he estimated took about half an hour to draw. He said the overall flight appeared to last about an hour on tracking websites. NPAS said the crew was directed by officers on the ground to locations as they searched for the vehicle. The service said its helicopters do not follow fixed or predetermined routes because their operations respond to changing circumstances. It described the flight...