Finnish Air Force cadet pilots were reprimanded after flight paths from a training exercise near Jyväskylä appeared to form crude shapes on the Flightradar tracking service, according to Finnish public broadcaster Yle.
The incident occurred on April 13 during reserve officer pilot training flights out of Tikkakoski. Flight data reviewed by the broadcaster showed several aircraft taking off at about 7:30 a.m., with at least four of the tracked routes resembling phallic shapes.
The Finnish Air Force confirmed the pilots involved were students in the reserve officer course and said disciplinary action was taken.
An Air Force spokesperson said the mission’s purpose was to practice turns within an assigned training area. Officials also said the aircraft remained within that designated area, carried out the assigned exercises, and did not pose a danger to other air traffic.
Military officials have launched an investigation into the incident. Officials did not publicly detail the cadets’ sanctions, but they said service members must follow rules of conduct and that the Air Force would respond appropriately to violations.
A similar incident involving mapping data drew attention in July 2025 when Tesla’s official Robotaxi account posted an image of the company’s expanded geofenced service area in Austin, Texas, that many observers noted resembled a phallic shape.
Elon Musk replied to the post with the comment “Bigger, longer and uncut,” accompanied by laughing emojis.
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger pic.twitter.com/t7grvsIJKg
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) July 14, 2025
