Nerves Of Steel

Just when you thought or covered most sports or theatrics you come across another that is unusual or so some might think.

Not that there is anything wrong with it, considering the fact that my Father was in the RCAF, it’s just unusual to see a young Woman defy gravity and go where no men would consider to venture and that’s on the wing of an aircraft.

Learning the art of wing-walking is something you just don’t do by placing an add in the local paper and it took her seven (7) years to find a mentor to teach her the ropes.

The annual Boundary Bay Air Show is held the middle of July each year and attracting events is up to the likes of Tim Bain who has his staff attend the annual “hiring” event held in Las Vegas each November.

I am told that if you don’t book early, it’s likely you won’t get the acts booked that are the one’s that everyone wants to see perform.

This day was spent with Kevin and Richard of Delta TV grabbing interviews for the upcoming special that will be aired on Delta TV, which will be impressive to watch for all viewers.

She calls Masham Quebec home and she first saw wing-walking on a commercial as it was being promoted for an Air Show in Ottawa and it was love at first sight.

She say’s her parents are fully supportive of what she does, they just tell her to be careful as any parent would.

She enjoys what she is doing, but as she states, “it’s not a profession that many understand or yet still want their Daughter in.”

Her professional career started in 2000 and has worked with no less than seventeen different pilots, but don’t ask her why she has had seventeen.

She has helped several get accredited on five different types of aircraft as well as worked on the most powerful aircraft known as a Jetwaco with 3000 available HP in addition to one with far less HP called a Quicksilver Ultra Light with 45 HP.

Being a stunt wing-walker means taking risks and it should be known that they go over all stunts well in advance of any performance so as not to have any issues during the show.

She has several firsts to her resume such as the following:

• First      Women and only Woman to walk on a jet propelled aircraft
• First      and only Canadian Wing-Walker
• She      is the first Woman (Canadian) Wing-Walker to own and operate a team in North America.
• She      has also performed Wing-Walking in the presentation of Amelia.

She owns two aircraft, is a FAA Certified Airframe Tech and received her first jump certificate in 1989 from the Canadian Sports Parachute Association.

As she say’s “the sky’s the limit and do what you like”.

I enjoyed our conversation with her and look forward to seeing her perform in person at the Annual Boundary Bay Airshow.

Her schedule is as listed below:

July 20 2014 North Frasier Society Air Show, Pitt Meadow, British Columbia

July 21 2014 Air Show, Discovery Channel filming

August 11 12 2014 reserved for undisclosed engagement

August 16 17 2014 Spectacle Aérien des Cantons de l’Est, Bromont, Quebec

August 22 23 2014 Waterloo, Iowa, Air Show

September 9 10 2014 California Capital Air Show, Sacramento, California

Filming for the Discovery Channel Air Show program will continue throughout 2014 at selected locations