Wing walkers
Don't look down.
Alex Q. Arbuckle
1919-1982
It was not long after the Wright Brothers’ historic first flight that people began attempting death-defying stunts on airplanes.The first known instance of someone daring to walk on the wings of a plane in flight was actually a practical demonstration of the lateral stability of a particular model. U.S. Army Air Service Pilot Ormer Locklear had a habit of walking out onto the wings of his aircraft to make in-flight tuning and adjustments. He parlayed this talent into a lucrative career as a stunt pilot in the Locklear Flying Circus.From there, Locklear moved onto Hollywood, starring in the Cecil B. DeMille-produced The Great Air Robbery. In 1920, he died in a crash during production of his second film.Of course, the prospect of death is part of the dark appeal for audiences and performers. Flying circuses and “barnstorming” shows became very popular in the 1920s and ‘30s. Male and female daredevils in surplus World War I biplanes dazzled crowds with risky stunts, such as plane-to-plane transfers, handstands, dangling by teeth and more, each performer trying to one-up the others.Some shows, such as the Gates Flying Circus, took spectators along for rides for a small price.The risk and excitement factor was dampened somewhat when government regulations were instituted, requiring performers to wear parachutes and restricting low altitude stunts. The golden age of wing-walking and barnstorming ended before the start of World War II, but pilots still perform stunts on restored vintage biplanes today.
