Didn't know wingwalking was still a thing

Wingwalking, the acrobatic discipline in which a performer stands, moves along, or is strapped to the upper wing of a biplane in flight, remains a sanctioned airshow act at select European and American aviation events, as evidenced by a performance captured at the La Ferté-Alais aeronautical meeting held annually at Cerny Aerodrome south of Paris. The event, formally known as the Meeting Aérien de La Ferté-Alais, is one of Europe's most prestigious vintage aviation gatherings and regularly features rare warbirds, historic aircraft, and precision aerobatic demonstrations. The performance featured Danielle Del Buono as the wingwalker with her husband Emiliano as pilot, a family pairing that reflects the close coordination and mutual trust the discipline demands between the person on the wing and the pilot managing the aircraft's flight envelope.

The surprise expressed by the observer that wingwalking remains a living practice is understandable given how aggressively aviation authorities have curtailed hazardous airshow activities over the decades, but the act has survived through stringent regulation rather than being eliminated outright. In the United States, the FAA addresses external-load human carriage and airshow aerobatics through a combination of FARs governing parachute requirements, airshow waivers, and experimental aircraft authorizations. European operators performing under EASA jurisdiction face similarly layered approval processes, typically requiring specific dispensations for airshow acts that place persons outside the aircraft structure. Modern wingwalkers are secured with harness rigs bolted to purpose-built attachment points on the upper wing, a far cry from the freeform stunts of 1920s barnstormers, and pilots must hold aerobatic ratings with demonstrated currency in the specific airframe being flown.

For professional pilots, particularly those who fly or attend airshow events in Part 91 or business aviation contexts, the continued existence of wingwalking serves as a useful reminder of the layered waiver and risk-mitigation infrastructure that underlies all airshow flying. Airshow performers, including those operating vintage biplanes with external performers, must coordinate with airshow directors, local aviation authorities, and insurers well in advance of any public event. The accident history of airshow aerobatics has driven increasingly conservative separation requirements, crowd line distances, and mandatory insurance minimums across both U.S. and European venues. Operators considering participation in airshow events or sponsoring performers should be aware that liability exposure and regulatory compliance requirements are substantially higher than in routine flight operations.

The broader context is one of diminishing but tenacious living history in aviation. Disciplines like wingwalking, formation aerobatics, and airshow pyrotechnics survive because dedicated practitioners and event organizers have worked with regulators to define safe operating envelopes rather than simply accepting prohibition. La Ferté-Alais in particular has long served as a venue that bridges the gap between museum preservation and living flight, regularly putting airworthy examples of Spitfires, Mustangs, and interwar biplanes back in front of the public in dynamic demonstrations. For pilots across all segments of aviation, events like this one represent both an educational resource and a connection to the craft's foundational culture, even as the regulatory and operational demands of modern aviation continue to narrow the space in which such performances can legally occur.