03 Dec 2015

Wing walking girls steal hearts in Dubai

Breitling Wingwalkers Marie Killerby and Sarah Tanner left more than one heart aflutter yesterday when they headed skywards to perform their synchronised wing-walking routine. Their high-flying show, reminiscent of those put on by 1920s barnstormers, was charming and breathtaking at the same time.

Strapped onto the top of a pair of biplanes, the two acrobats performed synchronised stunts including standing on one leg, and on their heads, before unclipping from their five-point harnesses and walking around the wing, tethered by only a small cable.

Killerby works year-round as a wing walker, taking part in around 60 shows a year. But daredevil Tanner, who has been walking on wings for nine years, leads a surprising double life.

For half the year she is the unassuming girl-in-accounts sitting in front of a computer in the show team's office. "It's hard work, I'm absolutely knackered," said the petite athlete at the end of their 20-minute show.

Andy Pag

Photo: Katsuhiko TOKUNAGA/DACT, INC.

 

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