🦉 The Fractured Flight Gallery - Complete Solution Guide

Sep 29
4 min read

Overview

Required: Encoding/Decoding (Binary, Base64, ROT13), HTML inspection, Pattern recognition

Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Read the Introduction

When you first open the page, read the intro text carefully:

It mentions viewing from "multiple viewpoints"
This is a hint that you need to explore beyond just the visual interface
The theme of cubism = multiple perspectives

Key Takeaway: You'll need to look at the page in different ways (visual + source code)

Step 2: Reveal All Three Perspective Cards

Click on each of the three colored perspective cards:

🎨 First Perspective (Ochre/Orange):
- Reveals: 01000011 01010100 01000110
- This is Binary encoding
🔷 Second Perspective (Blue):
- Reveals: ezByVmEx
- This is Base64 encoding
🟤 Third Perspective (Brown):
- Reveals: ZhYg1CyR_SynTug
- This is ROT13 encoding

Step 3: Decode Fragment 1 (Binary)

Given: 01000011 01010100 01000110

Method 1 - Online Tool:

Go to https://www.rapidtables.com/convert/number/binary-to-ascii.html
Paste the binary: 01000011 01010100 01000110
Result: CTF

Method 2 - Manual Decoding:

01000011 = 67 in decimal = 'C' in ASCII
01010100 = 84 in decimal = 'T' in ASCII
01000110 = 70 in decimal = 'F' in ASCII
Result: CTF

Method 3 - Python:

python

binary = "01000011 01010100 01000110"
result = ''.join(chr(int(b, 2)) for b in binary.split())
print(result)  # CTF

Answer for Fragment 1: CTF

Step 4: Decode Fragment 2 (Base64)

Given: ezByVmEx

Method 1 - Online Tool:

Go to https://www.base64decode.org/
Paste: ezByVmEx
Result: {0wl

Method 2 - Command Line:

bash

echo "ezByVmEx" | base64 -d
# Output: {0wl

Method 3 - Python:

python

import base64
encoded = "ezByVmEx"
decoded = base64.b64decode(encoded).decode('utf-8')
print(decoded)  # {0wl

Answer for Fragment 2: {0wl

Step 5: Decode Fragment 3 (ROT13)

Given: ZhYg1CyR_SynTug

What is ROT13?

ROT13 is a Caesar cipher that shifts letters by 13 positions
Numbers and special characters stay the same
A↔N, B↔O, C↔P, etc.

Method 1 - Online Tool:

Go to https://rot13.com/
Paste: ZhYg1CyR_SynTug
Result: MuLt1PlE_FlyGht

Method 2 - Python:

python

import codecs
encoded = "ZhYg1CyR_SynTug"
decoded = codecs.decode(encoded, 'rot_13')
print(decoded)  # MuLt1PlE_FlyGht

Method 3 - Manual (partial example):

Z → M (13 letters back)
h → u (13 letters back)
Y → L (13 letters back)
Numbers stay: 1 → 1
Continue for all letters...

Answer for Fragment 3: MuLt1PlE_FlyGht

Step 6: Find the Missing Number

The decoder asks for "years of practice." You need to find how many years Picasso practiced cubism.

Method 1 - View Page Source:

Right-click anywhere on the page → "View Page Source"
Look at the <head> section
Find the HTML comment:
Answer: 3

Method 2 - Inspect Element:

Press F12 or right-click → Inspect
Look through the HTML comments
Find the clue about "THREE years"

Method 3 - Read Footer:

The footer mentions "Gallery established 1909"
The intro mentions the years 1909-1912
1912 - 1909 = 3 years (Note: historically he practiced longer, but the CTF says 3)

Answer for the Number: 3

Step 7: Assemble the Flag

Now you have all four pieces:

Fragment 1: CTF
Fragment 2: {0wl
Fragment 3: MuLt1PlE_FlyGht
Number: 3

Enter into the form:

Fragment 1 field: CTF
Fragment 2 field: {0wl
Fragment 3 field: MuLt1PlE_FlyGht
Years field: 3

Click "🦉 Assemble the Flag"

Final Flag: CTF{0wl_MuLt1PlE_FlyGht_3}

Red Herrings (Distractions)

The challenge includes some false leads to increase difficulty:

Hex Fragments in CSS Comments:
- /* CLUE 2 (Hidden in ochre): Fragment-A: 5a47 */
- /* CLUE 3 (Hidden in blue): Fragment-B: 564a */
- 
- These combine to: 5a47564a3342
- Converting to ASCII gives: ZGVJ3B (not useful for the actual flag)
- This is intentionally misleading!
Console Message:
- Open browser console (F12 → Console tab)
- You'll see messages about "hex fragments"
- This leads to the red herring above
Footer Data Attribute:
- 
- This is actually the ROT13 answer (Fragment 3) but encoded differently
- Caesar shift by 3 doesn't give you anything new

Tools You Need

Essential:

Web Browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
Access to View Source (Right-click → View Page Source)

For Decoding (choose any):

Online converters (easiest):
- Binary to Text: https://www.rapidtables.com/convert/number/binary-to-ascii.html
- Base64 Decoder: https://www.base64decode.org/
- ROT13: https://rot13.com/
Python (if you prefer scripting)
Command-line tools (base64, etc.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Forgetting to click all three cards - You must reveal all perspectives
❌ Not viewing page source - The number clue is hidden in HTML comments
❌ Wrong order of fragments - Must be CTF, then {0wl, then MuLt1PlE_FlyGht
❌ Including extra spaces - Make sure no spaces in your decoded answers
❌ Falling for red herrings - The hex fragments don't matter for the final flag
❌ Wrong separator - The format uses underscore: {0wl_MuLt1PlE_FlyGht_3}

Time Estimate

Beginner CTF player: 15-25 minutesIntermediate CTF player: 8-12 minutesAdvanced CTF player: 3-5 minutes

What You Learn

This CTF teaches:

✅ Multiple encoding schemes (Binary, Base64, ROT13)
✅ HTML source inspection techniques
✅ Following thematic hints
✅ Ignoring red herrings
✅ Multi-step flag assembly
✅ CTF flag format conventions

Success Message

When you enter the correct flag, you'll see:

🎉 SUCCESS! Flag: CTF{0wl_MuLt1PlE_FlyGht_3} You've mastered the cubist perspective! The owl soars free.

Congratulations! 🦉

Product Title

16 px collapsible text is perfect for longer content like paragraphs and descriptions. It’s a great way to give people more information while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, including an external website or a different page. You can set your text box to expand and collapse when people click, so they can read more or less info.

$320