The occasion was the Lakes Regional Rally, a flying competition run by Flying NZ and hosted by the Central Otago Flying Club.
The event attracted 19 competitors from four aero clubs - South Canterbury, South Otago, Central Otago and Southland - who kept the air space above Alexandra buzzing for most of Saturday, as well as on Friday evening.
Five similar rallies are held every year, two in the South Island and three in the north, building up to the national championships, which will be staged at Ashburton at the end of February.
The activities at the Central Otago event included precision flying, aerobatics, navigation and low flying. A stiff northerly on Saturday made conditions challenging for competitors.
Flying NZ is the umbrella organisation for most aero clubs in this country. Its vice-president, Paul Drake, of Christchurch, said the Alexandra venue was ideal for the event.
The contest kept the bar high for pilots and encouraged students and more experienced pilots to test their skills against others, he said. It also hopefully attracted new people to the sport.
Seven judges volunteered their time to mark the pilots' efforts.
