Out on a wing

Libby and twin sister Poppy have been members of the wingwalking team for two years but would have joined sooner it they'd had it their way.

At the tender age of 16, the twins spotted the wingwalkers for the first time at an airshow and were immediately hooked.

Being too young at the time, the twins were turned away but they bided their time for two more years and when they heard the wingwalkers were looking for new members they jumped at the chance.

Libby, who together with Poppy is now a full time member of the team, said they had to compete for their positions, winning their places in a national competition.

And the two have never looked back. Says Libby, "This is my ideal job, it is such a thrill."

The wingwalking team, sponsored by Utterly Butterly, is the world's only formation wingwalking team.

Standing out in their easily recognisable blue and yellow suits, the wingwalkers wave from the top wing of the aircraft and perform hair-raising displays of formation aerobatics.

Libby describes it as "the best roller coaster ride in the world.

"Standing on the wing of an aircraft as it dives into a loop at 150mph is amazing. I hope the show will drive the crowds as loopy as it makes me feel."

And the more daring the better for Libby who says her favourite part of the show by far is doing a completely inverted fly by and yes ... that means flying upside down.

But this team of wingwalkers are not the first to defy the elements with fearless mid-air manoeuvres.

The sport has its roots in the romantic era after the First World War when young pilots returned home exhilarated from their adventures in the sky, keen to earn a living in the clouds.

These airmen bought surplus war biplanes cheaply and travelled the country captivating civilians with the opportunity of flying, landing in fields and charging locals for a flight.

To capture the imagination of customers the pilots flew down the main street of each town at low level and persuaded girlfriends and engineers to climb out along the wing.

But being a professional wingwalker is not all fun and glamour as the twins have to spend hours perfecting their routines in a hangar before attempting them in the open skies.

"We practice everything until we can do it in our sleep and we would not do anything if it was not safe. There is always a risk in aviation but we have a 100 per cent safety record," Libby says.

In order to maintain that record, practice is vitally important because the wingwalkers climb around the aircraft in flight. This includes climbing from the cockpit onto the wing against wind pressures of 100mph, waving and performing handstands.

The routines also require the girls to be in peak physical condition which means more hours in the gym.

What time is left, is spent on publicity work for the team, school projects and holding display days.

It might not be the average day at the office, but for Libby it's a thrill, an adrenalin rush and she wouldn't swop it for the world.