An air sports extravaganza will take to the skies over Wanaka in the largest aviation sports event ever to take place in the Southern Hemisphere.

Air Sports Live, incorporating the New Zealand Air Games, features 10 sports ranging from paragliding to sky diving, helicopters to hot air ballooning, all set against the spectacular alpine backdrop of Wanaka, New Zealand.

Many of the sports have been reformatted for high adrenalin viewing. Spectators will see sky divers racing head-to-head at terminal velocity around free-falling pylons. Top pilots will open up a whole new perception of helicopters as they perform phenomenal stunts and precision flying in direct competition with each other; powered aircraft will perform dramatic aerobatics featuring massive G-forces and millimetre precision.

All the aerial action will be beamed back live to spectators on the airfield on a giant screen from cameras mounted in cockpits as well as the latest air-to-air filming technology and real-time graphics, allowing a fascinating insight into the previously closed world of the world-class sports pilot.