The History of Wing Walking : How did wing walking become a thing?

Wing walking is one of the most popular (and craziest) flying experiences on offer at Into The Blue, so where did wing walking begin? Who thought it was a good idea to start climbing around on an aeroplane in mid-air? Here’s how it all came about.

A WW1 urban myth & barnstorming beginnings

Legend has it that some First World War pilots and crew literally walked on the wings of their planes to try to fix problems with their fragile aeroplanes whilst in flight. 

Whether this really happened or not, the idea of wing walking for fun and thrills as we know it today was started by ‘barnstormers’ in America in the 1920s.

The ‘barnstormers’ were US military pilots  who had recently completed their training for the Great War…but the war ended and these trained pilots were no longer needed.

These unexpectedly unemployed pilots had the idea of making money by performing aerial shows and offering passenger rides across America. They flew from farm to farm, which they used as their bases – hence the term ‘barnstormers’! 

As well as a plenty of willing pilots, there was also a huge surplus of aeroplanes no longer needed by the military going cheap. A typical training aircraft such as the Curtiss JN-4 ‘Jenny’ biplane cost $5000 new, but could be bought for as little as $200.

The era of the Flying Circus

Bored pilots snapped these cheap planes up and flew off to join a ‘Flying Circus’, offering members of the general public what was often their very first experience of aviation. 

And what better way for a Flying Circus to advertise its presence in town than with daredevil stunts? To show off their piloting skills, aerobatics were part of every show – loops, rolls and spins. 

But as pilots’ bravado and competitiveness grew, the stunts became ever more dangerous and daring. Some barnstormers had people literally ‘walking around the wings’ of their biplanes in flight, just holding onto wing wires without the harnesses or tethers which are required today. 

Of course, the crowds loved to watch these dangerous stunts that became increasingly risky. Wing walking developed to include handstands, trapeze, transfer between planes and even playing tennis in flight! 

All these crazy aerial activities coincided with the development of cinematography, so these daring aerial stunts and feats were often performed for the cameras and captured on film. 

Barnstorming off into the sunset…

By the mid-1920s, increased safety regulation following many accidents brought the barnstorming era to an end. 

The pilots that survived often went on to be pioneers in other areas of aviation such as mail delivery flights, or in the case of barnstormer Charles Lindbergh, worldwide fame as the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic ocean.

Wing walking comes back in the 70s

Wing walking was re-invented for the modern era back in the 1970s and 80s. It was, of course, very much with health and safety in mind. 

Nowadays professional wing walkers ride and perform whilst strapped to special metal frames, which themselves are attached securely to the wings of the aeroplane, so it’s just as thrilling, but without the danger! 

In a nod to the original barnstorming days, modern wing walking techniques were still developed using classic training biplanes such as the British de Havilland Tiger Moth. 

And indeed, wing walking experiences offered today typically use American Stearman training biplanes. 

Time for your wing walk!

Now you know how wingwalking came about, it’s your turn to get booked in for a flight strapped to the top wing of a classic biplane!  Check out the Into The Blue wing walking website.

Set feature pic: WilliamWarby@Unsplash