The Lottery Office Outback Air Race 2022 (OAR) finished in Coffs Harbour last weekend having raised $750,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
It is a fundraising record for the event that was held for the 11th time.
Thirty-four teams and 86 people set out from Darwin on 29 August and landed at Coffs Harbour on Saturday, having flown 2000 nm.
Canberra team Wacky Warbos, consisting of husband and wife Ian and Connie Warburton flying Cherokee 140 VH-IAL, were officially declared the winners of the race, with Goondiwindi's Team Tait raising the most money with an impressive tally of $106,000.
Pilot and race committee member Julie Jardine said the fundraising cause was motivation for the teams.
“When we fly through the outback and visit remote towns and cities, you realise what a vital service the RFDS is," she said. "Everyone has a story to tell of family members being saved by the service and are only too happy to donate to the cause.
"As pilots, we get to see first hand what conditions are like for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and how important it is to keep the planes in the sky.”
Of course, there is also the incentive of a week of flying surrounded by spectacular scenery and telling aviation stories at the end of each day.
“The race is an excellent test of our skills, it is a time and accuracy trial and we are awarded points for each leg of the race, so it is good for us as well as loads of fun along the way," Jardine said.
"We make great friends, see great towns that we will visit again and meet lots of wonderful locals.”
The race began at Emkaytee south of Darwin and traveled through Cooinda, Adels Grove, Shute Harbour, Gladstone, Roma and Goondiwindi before landing in Coffs on Saturday.
Teams came from all over Australia with every state represented except NT. One team also competed from New Zealand.