Helga Duffy has become the world’s oldest wing-walker at 99, claiming the Guinness World Records title just three months after 97-year-old Betty Bromage. Securely strapped to the top of a small aircraft, Duffy spent more than five minutes airborne at Rendcomb Airfield in Gloucestershire, England. The flight also raised over £1,600 for a regional air ambulance charity.
The idea emerged after Duffy’s niece, Jackie Rose, saw news coverage of Bromage’s achievement. Staff at Duffy’s assisted-living home encouraged her to attempt it. Although Duffy initially knew nothing about wing-walking, she became determined to try once she understood what it involved. Having spoken of this as her last opportunity to do something different, she faced concerns about boarding the aircraft because of arthritis and a painful right knee. Wearing special clothing and tightly secured for the flight, she nevertheless felt very safe. At a height of a thousand metres, she took three deep breaths and described the sensation as unlike anything she had previously experienced.
On landing, Duffy, who spent most of her working life as a nurse, received an official certificate from Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford. It is now displayed at her care home. Rose described the applause that greeted her aunt and expressed admiration, knowing how painful her knee had been. Bromage congratulated the new record-holder, joking that she looked forward to turning 100 and reclaiming the title. Duffy’s own message was to try things rather than assume they were impossible.
