Twenty-three planes are set to take to the skies over Rotorua Airport this weekend  for the 2023 Central Region Flying Competition, and members of the public are invited to come and check out the action.

Hosted by the Rotorua Aero Club and supported by Rotorua Airport, the competition on Friday November 17 and Saturday November 18 includes a diverse range of events, including junior and senior landing, precision circuits, aerobatics, formation flying, life raft scenarios, bombing exercises, forced landing challenges, and more.

Rotorua Aero Club President, Wayne Puddle says the club is excited to be hosting the regional competition this year.

“We have 77 competitors in 23 planes taking part, from Rotorua, Tauranga, Hamilton, Taumaranui and Te Kuiti. It’ll be a huge couple of days at the airport, with lots of excitement for pilots, passengers and spectators,” says Wayne.

“The best time for spectators will be from 12 noon on Saturday, with the aerobatics display, life raft dropping and bombing exercises taking place. There’s even a Rotorua bombing trophy up for grabs.”

The life raft dropping involves dropping a 13kg canvas bag out of the plane and getting it to land as close to, but not on, the target as possible, while the bombing competition involves dropping a 500g bottle of sand onto a target.

“It’s a bit like darts,” says Wayne.

Wayne says the competition events are always great opportunities to inspire the next generation of aviators. 

“If you are watching the planes and think learning to fly is something you want to do, we welcome you to come down to the Aero Club and have a chat.”

Airport Chief Executive, Nicole Brewer says events like the flying competition are an important part of the Rotorua Airport ecosystem.

“The competition isn’t just important for those involved, but also to highlight potential career pathways, as well as showcase the fantastic facilities here at Rotorua Airport," says Nicole.

“You’ll get a good view from the Airport Terminal either in the ‘Terrace Airside’ cafe, from the link walkway or Business Hub, or outside by the gated entrance to the Airport.

“We encourage the wider Rotorua community to get involved, whether that’s spectating onsite with a coffee in hand, or following along with the event programme and watching from home."

Nicole says scheduled domestic flights will not be impacted by the competition.

“Rotorua Airport will remain fully open over these two days for the usual scheduled flights; however, we recommend allowing extra time as the area will be busier than usual.”

For the full programme and Airport map of events, go to the Rotorua Aero Club website.