A witch on a broomstick was spotted flying over Encinitas, California, on Halloween night on Tuesday.

Inventor Otto Dieffenbach created a pair of remote-controlled planes that look like witches flying on broomsticks, just in time for Halloween.

The planes were constructed and tested by Mr Dieffenbach and his company, Flyguy Promotions, which produces "Identifiable Flying Objects" for marketing purposes.

Mr Dieffenbach came up with the idea to build flying witch models after being approached by a British TV organisation, taking the opportunity to improve on the first models he had built in 2012.

This is not the first time Mr Dieffenbach, a graduate of the Air Force Academy and Air Force Test Pilot School, has devised a flying machine celebrating pop culture icons.

In 2015, he sent Snoopy, Charlie Brown's pet beagle from the Peanuts comic strip, soaring through San Diego skies atop his signature red kennel. His other creations include a drone shaped like Dr Who's Tardis, a flying Christmas tree and an R2-D2 from Star Wars.