It wasn’t long after the Wright brothers made their historic first flight that daredevils began doing death-defying stunts on, over, and below flying airplanes.
The first known instance of wing-walking was when someone tests a particular model for lateral stability by walking along its wings in-flight. It was done quick and fast, no entertainment factor involved.
Men and women in surplus World War I biplanes dazzled crowds with their risky stunts, like plane-to-plane transfers, handstands, dangling by teeth and more, each performer trying to one-up the others.
Here, take a look at some of these stunt photos from the 1920s...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidndHrUcyJ315DujpyZ4dTPmuncqk2Xl1mLgqoK9JBdzh4rAZMi4oyV-41I-jUJVunr8rs_9xJSfPkc4VLT68ByVDDPIMG4_aOYEwr5qZreil1BuCGIqyFAfr4bqm0zN-r_LJnizSwmo-/s640-rw/wingwalkers-1.jpg) |
Richard Schindler practices a stunt, 1919. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMNOOo0fTWYck65vYAphM1zgJl1SfW17v26tCMNo2hhITUfrnAevU-pXwfsZskMa5313yiHlGb_qoG5WMEN2Iu5GndQ65AF35dtV2k5xuF-qhQEQyQfO3i5J2fmUvRUY5V1QUQEUZTNaA/s640-rw/wingwalkers-2.jpg) |
A wing walker stands on one leg on the wing of a Curtiss 'Flying Jenny' biplane in the air above New Jersey, c.1920. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiax-YJr28VB4TsVl_PJ8cWHx0zs3Eg4-XDQOXXfL3g1BtoiVD_B7wo3rZ97icMlUggxzXqOlhlCnWjgmx1X3YlDwMNUE7ZTq5UURvwrwhUkScMAlb3zhtoQYrOPGKKcICqC9bFW7H4W-Wo/s640-rw/wingwalkers-14.jpg) |
Wing walkers show off above and below a biplane, c.1920. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lSxbaeBDj6xA_cumhUnu-n5rRh3hHU2p0cd5E7yE7Sd5MyFIR3_9cwVyxfNbTH1Dr6XrONgE2RQEgXNOHTgOPo42XaQ2-FU3OWxu_y4s2v4wBKwCVk7vB9Cr_nU-pPHd7yraaxGIoxaM/s640-rw/wingwalkers-3.jpg) |
Famous wing walker Lillian Boyer dangles from the wing of a biplane, 1922. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5Yvv0MJHjpIHmUmnRc_rmAYpDioJyI6WcjfD5PX91m3_PFYfLh69Y5fWPtQDA_o1W_up2TSNGs1mv3wFFkdntU6AVZ3VmgzUFrfRWJFJptY9xe_QdnVfzB4Jt-ltMW-mnnGadUkmYuCr/s640-rw/wingwalkers-4.jpg) |
1922 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhJnrqD8QHAxVZxVGnbvQHXb0Ckono7-qPyh6DeHcFCnQBSyGXv05GGSmIBvk1qtsgDmmFTXQbPN-R2z8qFddEbCYednUCs2Affz3WNg7pRuS9GfnTvRusdIt1n21CVni6sz-sJU5WIG2/s640-rw/wingwalkers-5.jpg) |
Ivan Unger and Gladys Roy play tennis on top of a biplane, 1925. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdGoDePITVK7m_LQCRJL8VWluRvcggzIDn54LPbdH_DqOvw_DeR0gnJmzy5SFd2q9fx02Xh5kTVy7WciEinfpmVTRT6d0RPGteir73gF5snex83tVHTEqqEccRszah31tB_CBZxXdsAXu/s640-rw/wingwalkers-11.jpg) |
Gladys Roy walks the wings of a Curtiss JN-4 'Jenny' biplane over Los Angeles while blindfolded. March 29, 1924. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67g9Qa5F_TNS0xiP3vnKNiDmprrRSBiEqJMM3o6P9yznL41ogpOenLj51LffZ-vjbn8wTc5PcDftZYivGBhIR-329f_P3FMMezB9lb0Ib3ew-SnRT_qzVeqNUphHala4WV34tI1AHW7Qp/s640-rw/wingwalkers-12.jpg) |
Gladys Engle balances atop a biplane. Feb. 1, 1926. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-SyuyhrHruhJhHT1DJfWHWxWh2dZiQgqWr7f3W1Ro5xyY0sZxRzdTuiPoTWTGt5tIJMbb_8sN_4DgoaThheBmj_VFq9Z5gbM9XxaJjtSwuu7QLVDnj7QMsOzuWbyE8ptFVwDoAHG10KR/s640-rw/wingwalkers-15.jpg) |
Richard Schindler practices a trick on a Klemp plane piloted by Richard Perlia, c.1927. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebH0cKwN_sM0vuz-ss3WFzxjOKYWLLTt2wIPi4cA63Vc0b8mVHdGfsmJv9niL6gF6bgLyrgBKo5hy6oMWkMH2z7-WW4kudj2A32Mq8H_AAIKGENdGBbo7c4SDzb6TLDvv_fS9CD_Esesj/s640-rw/wingwalkers-6.jpg) |
Billy Bomar and Uva Kimmey of the Howard Flying Circus wing-walk on a biplane over New York State. May 13, 1930. |
(Photos: Getty Images, via
Mashable)
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