One of the biggest draws of the weekend should be a Canadian wingwalker who will start on the ice at Raymond Beach on Saturday near noon-time as part of the Bushmaster Firarms Derby Fest Airshow. The Third Strike Wingwalker team will entertain the crowds below with daring mid-air routines.
Carol Pilon of Masham, Quebec is a private freelance wingwalker who uses a two-seat biplane as her private stage. She starts the journey inside the cockpit and then, with her co-pilot at the stick, she carefully moves to the top wing where she performs stunts.
How does she brave the cold? Last year, Pilon had five layers of clothing underneath a red Canadian flag uni-tard “with no exposed skin at all,” according to her pilot Kirk Wicker.
Last year, which was her first time at Derby Fest, crowds were dazzled by the skinny Canadian woman who fearlessly braved the cold temps. It was believed, at the time, that Pilon’s wingwalk set a Guinness record as the first winter wingwalk in history.
“The first time I saw a wingwalker, I fell immediately in love with it,” the petite Pilon said after her wingwalk last year. “I’m trying to make it into a full-time career. Right now it’s a part-time thing although this year I think we have seven events confirmed and possibly up to 13. But this was definitely the coldest.”
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