On a wing and a prayer for RAF
A CARDIFF thrill-seeker has defied gravity to raise funds for an armed forces charity.
Jane Bamber, 46, who lives in Llandaff, was strapped to the wing of an aircraft and flown above the English countryside to raise almost £1,000 for the Royal Air Forces (RAF) Association.
The charity helps RAF personnel and their families with practical, emotional and financial support.
Jane was exposed to an exciting series of flypasts, zoom climbs, dives and banking turns, all while balancing on the wing of a 1940s Boeing Stearman biplane.
But Jane said she loved the thrill of it – just not the temperature up in the sky.
The HR manager said: “It was something I bizarrely always fancied doing. When I was younger I was in the Training Corps and I had my name in when I was 16 for wing walking and someone else got it, so it’s always been a niggling thing in the back of my mind.
“My husband spotted the opportunity on Facebook, we were on holiday but I registered and paid a deposit.”
Back in October she got the chance to finally take part in the challenge.
“It was cold,” she said. “I layered up though. I wasn’t too nervous. I think adrenalin kicked in. I was trying to make the most of the experience. It’s a bizarre thing to be doing.”
She added: “The runway was grass so it was very bumpy. That was the most uncomfortable bit.”
The wing walk was organised in support of the RAF Association’s Wings Appeal which offers support, help and friendship to serving and veteran RAF personnel and their families.
Jane is no stranger to daring challenges, but wanted to prove to her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter she could do it.
She said: “I have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, abseiled down a waterfall and completed a tandem skydive. I like to do things to challenge myself.
“It’s good when you do it for charity. It makes it more satisfying. But it’s a good experience for my daughter.
“The only thing I was worried about this time was throwing up all over the plane!”
Helen Tempest, challenge events manager at the RAF Association, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Jane and everyone brave enough to take part.
“Wing walking can be a once in a lifetime experience.
“To be in the air with views of the ground below is very special.” ■ To donate to Jane’s fundraising page, visit mydonate.bt.com/ fundraisers/janebamber1