White-water rafting? Child's play. Rock climbing? You've got to be kidding. When you're Elon Musk, settle for nothing less than "wing walking."
The SpaceX and Tesla Motors founder and his wife, actress Talulah Riley, both took leisurely strolls on top of a soaring bi-plane for a little weekend fun. Sorry to say it, but their weekend is inherently better than your weekend now. Check out the high-flying antics, as captured on Riley's Instagram feed.
And here is @elonmusk wing walking!!
A photo posted by Talulah Riley (@talulahrm) on Aug 8, 2015 at 9:08am PDT
Here I am, wing walking! #wingwalking A video posted by Talulah Riley (@talulahrm) on Aug 8, 2015 at 9:03am PDT
Wing walking has its roots in the air shows of the 1920s, a time when aviation was still young and the sight of a vehicle soaring through the air was an unusual novelty. While it was initially born as a death-defying stunt to wow crowds, the U.S. military's then-young flight program -- this was before the U.S. Air Force even existed -- adopted the practice for in-air refueling.
Much like skydiving, wing walking is a thrillseeker activity that anyone with some cojones can participate in. The family-owned West Coast Spin Doctors, based in Sequim, Wash., specializes in training would-be daredevils in the graceful art of not shitting your pants while walking on the outside of a flying plane.
If you'd like more of a close-up look at wing walking in action, here's NFL linebacker DeAndre Levy testing his mettle in a video captured earlier this year.