Wing Walking 101
The Plan: I’m going take off from Santa Paula Airport (about an hour and a half north of Los Angeles) as a passenger in a 1940’s Boeing Stearman Biplane. Once I reach altitude the pilot will tap me on my shoulder and I will unstrap my seatbelt and climb onto the top wing of the aircraft. There, I will wedge my feet into some metal footholds and fasten myself to a waist-high support pole. When successfully strapped in I will indicate to the pilot via a “thumbs up” that I am ready to go. The pilot will perform a number of stunt maneuvers, looping and twisting, turning upside down and plummeting towards the earth. A couple minutes later the pilot will waggle his wings to let me know that it’s time to return to the cockpit. After returning to the cockpit, the pilot will gain altitude and again tap me on my shoulder. This time I will walk out onto the lower wing of the biplane. With no strap to hold me in, I will hold onto a stick that runs between the support wires of the wings. I’ll use my hands and legs in a death grip on this stick while the pilot will execute a number of aerial maneuvers twisting and turning in all 3 axes of rotation. After a few minutes of this, the pilot will waggle the wings again and I’ll return to my seat. We’ll fly back to the airport. The whole flight should take less than a half hour from start to finish.
Why would you do this? Aside from the thrills, there is the novelty of it. Wing walking is a form of daredevilry that flourished in the 1920s, drawing huge crowds. It has since faded into grainy black and white film reels and photos. Being a wing walker in the 21st century puts you in a very small club. There is only one place in North America (Mason Wing Walking Academy) that trains folks to wing walk and Mike and Marylin Mason operate this more as a labor of love than a full-time business. More people summit Everest each year than walk on airplane wings. And yet… it’s relatively simple, inexpensive (compared to other extreme adventures) and … even… safe?
How is it done? After convincing my childhood friend Jeff to do this with me, we paid $885 each and showed up at dawn to Santa Paula Airport. Our morning was spent rehearsing the moves we’d need to make in flight to get into position and then back into our seat. The biplane has quite a few cables and struts to navigate so it’s important to have a muscle memory of these actions so that you can perform them under stress. After a brief sack lunch we did a few more dry runs on the ground and then it was time for each of us to go up into the air.
Was it scary? Fuck yes. Walking to the plane I was terrified. I wasn’t sure if I’d freeze when given the signal to go. My pre-flight fear was enough that I gave some consideration as to whether I might I soil myself. But I cleared my mind of these concerns on the ride up taking deep breaths. When the time came, I executed the moves I’d been taught on the ground, thinking about the process and not the insanity of what I was doing. Holding on while the plane spins and tumbles is strenuous. On the lower wing, the cables were biting into my skin as I tumbled and held on for my life. But in the moment, fear faded away as I concentrated on what needed to be done.
Is it safe? Nobody has died at the Mason Wing Walking Academy yet. My understanding is that nobody has ever vomited or pooped themselves or fallen off the plane either. If you did fall off, you are attached by a short cable and it’s probable that you’d be able to climb back into your seat with some pilot assistance. I wouldn’t, however, want to test that out.
Fun fact: The airplane we used was Randy Quaid’s cropduster in Independence Day. :)
Worth doing? For sure. The high I felt after doing this lasted for hours. Months later just looking at the photos or videos from that day brings a sense of that exhilaration back to me. This was an experience I will likely remember vividly for the rest of my life and will always put a smile on my face.
Worth doing twice? Probably not. Like a shot of Jägermeister, wing walking is fun, but not exactly enjoyable. I wouldn’t seek it out, but then again if someone challenges me… I just might.
