Team pilots David Barrell (standing left) and Martyn Carrington (standing right) with wingwalkers Stephanie Pansier and Sarah Tanner (right) at the Al Ain Air Championships. (Twitter/@aerosuperbatics)

By Satya Rath/Al Ain, UAE


The year was 1918. The biplane of a 26-year-old US army pilot, Ormer Locklear, developed a mechanical problem in the air. Locklear climbed out onto the lower wing of the plane to fix the problem and realised that it was more fun to be outside the cockpit than inside. Thus was born the sport of wingwalking.
Locklear quit his army job a year later, procured an aircraft and formed the ‘Locklear Flying Circus’ along with two military colleagues, Milton Elliott and Shirley Short. Their on-air stunts soon became a craze in the United States, and even caught the attention of Hollywood. Locklear later starred in The Great Air Robbery, besides performing on-air stunts in some other films of the time.
Over the years, the trend has caught up and wingwalking has developed by leaps and bounds, with many new and daring stunts being added to the repertoire. It’s today one of the main attractions at airshows across the world, and the ongoing Al Ain Air Championship is no exception.
On the second day of the three-day event yesterday, being held in the Heritage City of the UAE, the Breitling Wingwalkers were one of the show-stealers, adding a taste of retro glamour and colourful showmanship to the nearly 10,000-strong crowd.
The world’s only aerobatic formation display team to feature professional wingwalkers, the Breitlings have been entertaining airshow crowds for almost three decades now with their unique combination of skill, aerial artistry and effective teamwork. The fleet of the two iconic Boeing Stearman biplanes and the aerial ballerinas on their wings evoke the ?amboyant and colourful character of aviation’s golden era.
The pilots ?ow the Stearmans through a well-rehearsed, energetic routine of dazzling aerobatics with close formation ?ypasts as the wingwalker girls perform for the crowd on top of the wings.
The manoeuvres include loops, rolls, stall turns and even inverted ?ight. Enduring speeds of up to 150mph and forces of up to 4G, the girls execute gymnastic-like routines on the wings of the aircraft, even waving to the spell-bound spectators in between their routine.
“Energy management is critical in this environment and the pilots must balance the speed and position of the aircraft in the air through every manoeuvre. The carefully planned sequences are timed to the second and achieving the correct speed in the routine is essential to achieve a polished display for the crowds,” says pilot Martyn Carrington, who has been with Breitling Wingwalkers for more than a decade.
The other pilot in the team is David Barrell, who joined the team in 2007 and is today their lead formation pilot.
The UK-based team was formed in the late 1980s when pilot Vic Norman decided it was time to bring back the breathtaking spectacle to airshows. His company was the ?rst to be granted permission to allow performers to climb out of the cockpit since it was restricted in the UK in 1933. In 2010 the team became an aviation ambassador for Swiss chronograph brand Breitling, which is also one of the main sponsors of the Al Ain Air Championship.
Flying at comparatively low speeds of around 150mph in the cruise, the pilots require not only superior handling skills but also an understanding of the aeroplanes themselves, which date back to the late 1930s.
“The aircraft is capable of reaching higher speeds but then it becomes difficult to balance our acts. It feels great to perform in Al Ain, the view from the top looks so unique... the sand dunes look so beautifully serene from the top, which is in total contrast to the greenery of our home base in England,” says Sarah Tanner, who joined the team in 2006 and works as an event management professional when she’s not wingwalking.
The other wingwalker in the team is Stephanie Pansier, who worked as a flight attendant before an adrenaline rush saw her go wingwalking. She’s the newest and the only French member of the all-English team and is performing in her debut show in Al Ain.
“The new format that they have introduced for this championship is interesting as the fans’ votes now carry 35% weightage. I think it’s a great idea to have some feedback directly from the spectators. We hope to impress both the judges and the fans,” said Tanner.