Out of this world experience

When it comes to reaching for the skies of Bahrain we all appreciate boarding a plane. I do, too, for that matter. But in it…not on it!

The Breitling Wingwalkers recently thrilled crowds at the Bahrain Air Show with their adventurous routines. Beautiful women are strapped to the top wings of a Boeing Stearman biplane to perform a sequence of acrobatic manoeuvres and handstands all the while travelling at speeds of up to 112km/h and up to 1,000ft in the air.

To some that sounds absolutely crazy. Then again…I’ve always been a little crazy, so when I had the opportunity to fly I didn’t hesitate.

Eager to share the news I called my lovely mum. She, in turn, said: “Are you trying to kill me? Yes, I do believe you are trying to kill me.” Obviously, being a good daughter who feared giving her mother a heart attack, I made a slight detour around the truth and told her that I was only taking pictures on the wing. Little did she realise that I would be soaring in the air.

My husband Sam Camille, an anxious flyer, had another reaction. He said: “You? You are going to fly? You are very brave because I would never do it.”

Truth be told, I wasn’t really nervous, especially after confirming that no loops or twirls would take place. I also knew I was in the hands of professionals, the chief pilot Vic Norman’s hands to be exact.

Also, Danielle ‘Bird’ Hughes, who has been wing-walking for more than seven years was happy to share her expertise.

I was asked to dress warmly as it gets pretty cold up there. I wore a tank top, a shirt and my London hoodie, as it was GREAT British Week, with thick trousers and wooly knee-high socks.

I had to tuck my trousers into my socks to make myself more aerodynamic and not affect the flight, stuff my hood into my hoodie to avoid strangulation, tie my hair tightly and wear goggles to protect my eyes.

I looked utterly ridiculous walking around the airshow. At one point, though, someone thought I worked there. I must have looked like I knew what I was doing even though I had no clue what I was in for.

Bird strapped me onto the plane and guided me through every step including how to signal Vic if I wanted to get down and how to react in an emergency.

The plane started and everything began to rattle and shake, including my teeth. I couldn’t contain the excitement as I waved to every ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ that I passed by.

As soon as we got the green light the plane sped up on the runway and I began to scream.

The plane began to climb and I continued screaming and then….it happened. The wind slapped me in the face and I couldn’t breathe. My nose was stuffed and I could only catch my breath by tilting my head to the side as my cheeks flapped in the wind.

I panicked. My heart rate increased and I thought well this is how I’m going to die. I knew what had to be done. I had to calm down!

I started to breathe in slowly and relax my arms. I wasn’t scared of the height as I knew I was secure. I feared suffocation.

As I looked down at little Bahrain I admired its beauty and began to settle. It was an out of this world experience that is difficult to describe.

Even though I was up there for five minutes, it felt like the longest five minutes of my life. As I began to descend after taking a round, I realised that my nose was running and the contents were slipping down the side of my face. Albeit gross, apparently it happens to a lot of participants so I don’t feel so bad.

 Vic landed the plane brilliantly. I didn’t feel it at all, unlike when I’m sitting in a plane and can feel every bump.

Before being greeted by a crowd of on-lookers I began to compose myself. I then realised that one of my contact lenses had flown right out of my eye and stuck into my goggles. It might have been difficult to find had it fallen to the ground from a great height.

I thanked Vic and Bird when I saw them. Hugged them is more like it. All I can say about this experience is that it took my breath away ... literally.