By Danielle Hughes (A.K.A. Bird), Breitling Wingwalker appearing at the Airshow, East Fortune, on Saturday 23 July 2011
I had always dreamed of becoming a wing lady aviatrix from the age of six after my parents took me to a local airshow for the first time. It was there I experienced the sheer spectacle of the glamorous wingwalkers in action on top of their colourful vintage biplane aircraft. This greatly inspired me and I now had a burning ambition to wing walk that I was determined to achieve.
The Breitling Wingwalkers performing an aerobatics display
I have always been an active person and really like a challenge in life, especially if there is a competitive element to it. At the age of 14, I became the national Tae Kwon Do Black belt second dan British Champion! I like to keep my fitness up in my spare time by jogging, going to the gym and vaulting (gymnastics on moving horses!).
I love every aspect of leading the wingwalking display routine, particularly the thrill of climbing around the aircraft in flight. These position changes happen at various points during the display and require a lot of physical strength to achieve. We often work against 160 mph winds at the same time as the aeroplane is moving through the air!
My favourite manouevre is known as the ‘Cockpit Lady’ pass, named after the Breitling watch: we leave the safety of our static harness and climb down to the cockpit during flight. While standing in front of the pilot’s windscreen we perform a balletic pose as we soar through the sky! I also love to take to the controls myself and have gained my flying licence too!
I have displayed at the Airshow at National Museum of Flight, East Fortune a number of times and think it is a fantastic show and always a great crowd!
June 21, 2011 at 9:19 am
[...] a fine display which should have something for everyone, with fast jets, helicopters, biplanes, wingwalkers and vintage fighter aircraft. The Breitling Wingwalkers performing an aerobatics [...]
June 23, 2011 at 8:18 am
I know the Breitling watch is the favoured watch of most of us aviators. But do you actually wear one during your display????
Danielle, I heard that you personally had done over 500 displays. Have you had the same watch all that time and have you worn it every day?
If you have then I want one!!!!
June 28, 2011 at 10:12 am
Danielle says: “Yes I have worn my Breitling Cockpit Lady watch for every single display and every single training flight. The precision timing is a real comfort when you are in a holding pattern for a display especially when the weather is really bad. It still looks really great and I wear it out in the evenings as well! Check out the Breitling website! I particularly like the one John Travolta wears. Alternatively our pilots wear the emergency watch with an orange face that matches our aircraft!”
July 8, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Hi There
My name is Tracey Penman and I was wondering how you go about becoming a Wing Walker. My friend Fiona and myself have done a parachute jump for The Lymphoma Association and Friends of the Sick Kids Hospital at Edinburgh and are soon to do a zip slide off the Falkirk Wheel for the NSPCC Scotland. A week later Fiona is doing an Absail off the walls at Bamburgh Castle for Riding for the Disabled. Her daughter Joelle has Cerebral Palsy and loves to go riding. We have always fancied doing Wing Walking and would love to do it for charity. Please can you advise us on how to go about it. It would be amazing to be able to do it at The National Museum of Flight at East Fortune as it is just near to where we live, its easier to drum up support if our sponsors could come and watch. I have watched your video and think you look so graceful.
Thankyou
Tracey
November 22, 2012 at 7:17 am
dear Danielle:I am the Chinese boy(at ZhuHai airshow),May you recognize me?Actually,those three days,I am always there ,
April 22, 2013 at 12:18 pm
[...] The Breitling Wingwalkers are part of the flying display at the Airshow, National Museum of Flight, East Fortune on Saturday 27 July 2013 at Scotland’s National Airshow. Aircraft old and new take to the skies for an afternoon of breathtaking aerial displays. The Breitling Wingwalkers last appeared over the skies of East Fortune in 2011, when Danielle Hughes (A.K.A. Bird) wrote a guest post for the Feast Bowl, see what she had to say here. [...]