Betty Bromage, a 97-year-old grandmother from Cheltenham, is preparing to break her own Guinness World Record as the oldest female wing walker. She will undertake her sixth wing walk on August 4 at RFC Rendcomb Airfield in Cirencester, aiming to renew her title.
From Retirement to Record-Breaking
Bromage first tried wing walking at age 87, inspired by a Crunchie bar advert featuring a woman standing on a plane. After moving into a retirement home where chores were taken care of, she sought adventure. She completed her first wing walk in 2016, following the death of her husband Donald.
By the following year, she found standard wing walking "a bit boring" and asked the pilot to perform a figure of eight, which she described as "getting a bit near the ground."
A History of Daring Feats
Since 2016, Bromage has completed five wing walks, including one for her 90th birthday during the Covid pandemic. She has also tackled Europe's longest zip line in Snowdonia and abseiled down Cheltenham's 161-foot-tall Eagle Star building. In 2022, at age 93, she earned the Guinness World Record for oldest female wing walker after performing stunts like a loop-the-loop and barrel roll for charity Sue Ryder.
Overcoming Adversity
Despite a recent stroke, Bromage is determined to fly again. Her upcoming flight will raise funds for the stroke unit at Cheltenham General Hospital, which cared for her. She said: "The last thing on earth I want to do is lie in bed and have people run around after me."
The CEO of Pegasus Homes, which operates her care home, called Bromage "a truly inspirational individual and living proof that later life should be about new experiences, with age being no barrier to adventure."
