AEROBATICS tests skill, agility and accuracy – all while soaring high above the ground in a tiny aircraft.

CLAIRE HACK talks to Emily Todd, of Essex Road, Leyton, one of the winners of this year's Mazda Standard and Intermediate national competition.

MADE famous by the Red Arrows, aerobatics has become an international sport and Emily Todd, 25, is one of the few women to take part in it.

Miss Todd is also a civil servant in engineering – another male-dominated world – but this has not deterred her.

She said: “In aerobatic competitions, you have to fly a sequence of figures and you're judged from the ground.

“You have to position the figures in a box of certain dimensions, starting with a perfect score and then points are deducted for every mistake.”

Those taking part are given 'known' sequences in advance of the competition as well as 'unknown' sequences to learn a few hours beforehand, which they must then fly without practising.

Miss Todd was the only woman to take part in the Standard and Intermediate Competition in Peterborough, seeing off 17 other competitors to win the Standard trophy.

She said: “It ran for three days with one 'known' and two 'unknowns' – the weather didn't allow a third.”

Her love of flying began from a young age and by 17, following a few trial lessons, she was well on her way to reaching for the clouds.

“When I was little, we visited a naval airbase in America and from then on, I knew I wanted to fly planes and do engineering,” Miss Todd said.

Also the winner of a Mazda-sponsored aerobatic scholarship, which offers financial support for the costly pastime, Miss Todd one hopes to reach 'unlimited' level.

She also join the British aerobatic team and compete at an international level.