Boeing 787: Coolest marketing stunt ever

Some Boeing test pilot — or marketing executive — deserves a serious high five right about now.

Check out this photo that shows the flight path of the company's 787 test jet last Thursday, a flight that reportedly lasted more than 19 hours and spanned from Seattle to the eastern reaches of Iowa.

Your eyes do not deceive you.

The flight path, first identified by the Defense Tech website, spells out 787 and Boeing's corporate logo.

Here's how Defense Tech explains the nuts and bolts of the nifty maneuver, which had aviation websites buzzing:

"The systems functionality and reliability flight of 787 ZA236 – that spanned half the continental U.S. – is one of the final test flights to certify the pairing of the 787 airframe with those massive GE GEnx-1B engines. If you look closely, you can also see the numbers 787 traced out in the flight path to the left of the company’s logo."

Of course, no one on the ground would have noticed this high-altitude exercise in corporate branding.

But from an imagination standpoint, that's an inspired move.

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