--- title: "Listen to the cockpit audio of the Navy’s infamous ‘sky penis’ flight" date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/sky-penis-cockpit-audio/" categories: - "History" - "Join the Military" - "Military Culture" - "Navy" --- # Listen to the cockpit audio of the Navy’s infamous ‘sky penis’ flight ![sky penis]() *Behold: The U.S. Navy's infamous "Sky Penis." (Twitter/JamesFarmer112)* After the laughter died down, many of us wondered what the hell the pilots who drew the Navy's penis in the sky – now known everywhere as the "sky penis" – were thinking. We may never know exactly what was going through their minds, but now, at least, we know what they were saying when they drew the now-famous celestial phallus. "You should totally try to draw a penis." --- It was a clear day over Washington state in 2017, when suddenly the skies were marred by what appeared to be a massive dong in the wild blue yonder. Thousands of feet above the earth, with unparalleled amounts of thrust, U.S. Navy aviators behind the sticks of an EA-18G Growler were giggling up a storm after noticing their contrails looked particularly white against the vivid blue backdrop of the sky. They didn't notice the contrails weren't dissipating quite as fast as they hoped they would. At least, that's what the official cockpit audio recording says. "My initial reaction was no, bad," the pilot wrote in a statement. "But for some reason still unknown to me, I eventually decided to do it." While the above recording isn't the official audio of the "Sky Penis" flight – the Navy didn't release the audio, just the transcripts – it's a pretty good replica done by the guys from the [Aviation Lo Down podcast](). It includes such gems as: - "You should totally try to draw a penis." - "Which way is the shaft going?" - "It's gonna be a wide shaft." - "I don't wanna make it just like 3 balls." While everyone involved seemed pleased with their excellent work (including the commander of the training mission in another Growler), they soon realized the contrails were still there, their magnum opus firmly painted on the sky for all the world to see – and see they did. Residents of Okanogan soon called into their local news station to complain about the large drawing in the sky. The Navy has not released the identities of those involved in creating the most memorable public achievement made by the Navy since "Top Gun," it has only ever mentioned that the two junior-ranking pilots were highly skilled and good leaders who, one might think, would know better. More importantly, no one knows what became of them. Here's to hoping the Sky Penis artists got tickets to the Army-Navy Game. ## Don’t Miss the Best of Mighty History We Are The Mighty is a celebration of military service, with a mission to entertain, inform, and inspire those who serve and those who support them. We are made by and for current service members, veterans, spouses, family members, and civilians who want to be part of this community. Keep up with the best in military culture and entertainment: [subscribe to the We Are The Mighty newsletter](). - [Ukraine’s new, drone-delivered weapon is basically a phallic claymore]() - That time NASA totally beat the Navy at epic graffiti - [5 times pilots got in trouble for having fun in the sky]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()