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[Pete Richards]

Can you do a handstand... at 1,000ft? The fearless female trio who are the world's only aerobatic wing-walking team
 

• Daredevil women dance, do handstands and hang upside down from outside of plane, strapped in only by a harness
• sarah Tanner, Danielle Hughes and Stella Guilding describe the experience as like being on the 'ultimate rollercoaster'

Defying death with a series of outlandish stunts on the wings of a plane thousands of feet in the air wouldn't be everyone's idea of fun - but it's all in a day's work for these girls.

Members of the world's only aerobatic wing walking team, Sarah Tanner, Danielle Hughes and Stella Guilding perform a series outrageous manoeuvres while strapped to the wings of a plane, as it loops and rolls through the sky at 150mph.

And there's no denying the pretty trio of Breitling Wingwalkers have a head for heights as they dance, wave, perform handstands and even hang upside down from the wings of a vintage biplane.



Brave...or plain mad? Sarah Tanner, Danielle Hughes and Stella Guilding perform a series a death-defying stunts as their Breitling aircraft hurtle through the air

[Pete Richards]

Fearless: One of the wingwalkers clings on as she appears to pose for the camera as her plane lurches into a roll. She is one of four members of the world's only aerobatic wing walking team

[Pete Richards]

Daredevils: The intrepid trio wave, dance...and even perform handstands thousands of feet up in the air as they power through the sky with only harnesses keeping them secure

The fearless females perform up to 100 wingwalks a year as their aviation adventures take them to events across the UK, Europe, China, UAE and most recently Australia.

Chief stuntwoman Sarah Tanner, 31, said she'd dreamed of being a wing lady since she watched them at a display with her family when she was a child.

She said: 'Wingwalking was something I'd seen at an airshow as a child and was really inspired to see women doing it.

'I've always loved dancing and wing walking is like dancing in the sky, but it wasn't until I was 24 that I first joined.

'I came across a group of wingwalkers at an event and decided to find out more.

'One thing led to another, I auditioned and got the job. I've been doing it for seven years now.'

Sarah, who lives in Cirencester with her pilot boyfriend Richard, 35, previously enjoyed a career in event management but said she was delighted to have bagged her dream job.

One of only a handful of professional wingwalkers in the world, Sarah not only performs some of the team's most daring stunts but is also responsible for training the team's new recruits.

She said: 'To be a wingwalker you can't be taller than 5"4 or weigh more than around eight-and-a-half stone and have to have a head for heights.

[Pete Richards]

United: Sarah Tanner (left) and Stella Guilding (right) are perfect for wingwalking, both being under 5ft 4ins and under eight-and-a-half stone

[Pete Richards]

Dream come true: Danielle Hughes told her dad she wanted to be a wingwalker when she was just six-years-old and says the realisation of her ambition is a dream come true

'The plane travels at around 150mph so you're battling a lot of pressure on the wings and need to build a lot of core strength at the gym.

'We perform a lot of manoeuvres as the plane loops and rolls in the sky. We climb out of the cockpit and onto the wings where we do handstands, lift our legs, hang upside down, wave at the crowd and basically just dance on the plane's wings.

'My favourite manoeuvre is climbing down in front of the pilots and waving, it's a great feeling to be standing at the front of the plane, waving to the crowd below.

'People are always amazed when I tell them what I do for a living. A lot of people think I'm joking at first but they're always really intrigued about my unusual job.

'With all flying there's an element of danger but we're professionals, we train hard and everything is so well rehearsed.

'We always wear a harness and the wire is quite short so if you do slip there's no danger of you being left hanging from the plane.

'When you're climbing around the plane you are hanging on for dear life, you really need to have a firm grip and I've been lucky enough not to have slipped before.'

[Pete Richards]

Graceful: The girls do a passable impression of ballerinas in some of their stunts, which require intense concentration and balance

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