Behind the Flight: A Tribute to Lito
Enderson, Pilot and Friend of Lito
Sometimes, a tribute can be written in the sky. On August 24, pilot and aviation creator Enderson took off in a Cessna 150 over Texas to draw “LITO” across the sky in honor of his longtime friend Lito, creator of Aviões e Músicas, one of Brazil’s largest aviation YouTube channels.
Lito was recently diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a rare and rapidly progressive neurological condition. His family is now facing a race against time as they search for treatment options and research efforts that could give Lito another chance.
Enderson wanted to support Mila’s campaign to raise awareness and reach research institutes abroad, while also paying tribute to his friend. “I wanted to contribute to Mila’s campaign and, at the same time, pay tribute to Lito,” Enderson said.
A Friendship Nearly 10 Years in the Making
Enderson and Lito have known each other for almost 10 years and became close friends along the way. Enderson has appeared on Aviões e Músicas in interviews and livestreams, helped produce content, and worked as a consultant for the channel.
“One of the last times we were together with Lito and Mila was here in Orlando. At the end of the day, we went to Port Canaveral to watch a Falcon Heavy launch. It was a really cool experience.
Cessna 150 (Registration N9476U) Used for the Flight
The idea for the tribute came on August 23, when Enderson was heading out for a flight. He sketched the route on paper and then planned it in ForeFlight, calculating that a drawing roughly 50 by 30 nautical miles could fit within the Cessna 150’s range. A Temporary Flight Restriction for wildfire operations forced him to move the entire route about 10 miles south, but the plan remained possible.
Flight Plan
Enderson took off alone and began drawing the letters backward. A friend, Tiago, followed the flight from the ground and helped him monitor the progress. “By the end of the ‘O,’ about half an hour had passed. By the end of the ‘T,’ around 1 hour and 20 minutes had passed. Since those were the longest letters, that’s when I became confident it was going to work.”
Flight Plan
After completing the “L,” Enderson still had around an hour and a half of fuel endurance and decided to return to his departure airport. On the way back, he reinforced the “O” at Tiago’s suggestion. By then, thousands of people were following the flight — something Enderson didn't realize while he was in the air. “I landed after 3 hours and 15 minutes of flight, averaging 4.7 gallons per hour.”
The location was carefully chosen as well. Despite the Dallas-Fort Worth Class B airspace to the northeast, the area between Cleburne and Eastland has relatively little traffic and few obstacles, particularly in the late afternoon, reducing the chances of an unexpected change to the route.
Cessna 150 View During the Flight
What began as a sketch on a piece of paper became a powerful message of friendship and support — written across the Texas sky.
