Loop the Loop Wingwalking Experience - Cirencester / Gloucestershire

'Second Time' Loop-the-Loop Wingwalking Experience

Available to those that have completed their 1st wingwalk at this site OR participants willing to do both the 1st and 2nd flights on the same day.

If you have not wingwalked with us before and you are keen to perform a Loop-the-Loop experience, we can make this happen.

Health & Safety Regulations do not allow the aerodrome to offer aerobatics to those who have not wingwalked at the site before. However, you can do both the 1st standard wingwalk flight and the 2nd loop-the-loop flight on the same day.   To take on both flights on the same day select the double flight option and benefit from paying only one booking fee.

Dates available between April - October 2024 - Weekdays only

Working alongside the Aerosuperbatics team we are able to offer this amazing challenge for you to experience the thrill of a wing walking ride from this private aerodrome in Cirencester, Gloucestershire for one of our partner charities.

Aerobatics standing on the wing of an aeroplane, one of THE most extreme things you will ever do in your life.

The pilots will all perform thrilling, high energy, manoeuvres such as high speed dips, dives, steep climbs and 90 degree banked turns, your body will experience both positive and negative G-force AND the full force of the wind, up to 140mph. You will be totally weightless during some parts of the flight, at other times you will weigh 3 times your body weight! Everyone should experience this at some point in their lives.

Ok, time for some straight talking, be under no illusion, this is not for the faint hearted!!
Aerobatic flight on the wing of our high powered Super Boeing Stearmans is only for the most extreme individuals on the planet!

After your safety briefing with the Professional Wingwalkers you will have a detailed brief with your pilot to discuss the manoeuvres that you would like to do, the sequence you would like to do them in and what to do if you want to stop. Each flight can be tailored to exactly what you want – one loop, or a loop and a stall turn, or the full aerobatic display of a Cuban eight, into a loop, into two stall turns, into a roll, into a hesitation roll – it can all get ‘a bit busy’ as you can see!

Let the people behind the world-famous Breitling Wingwalkers take you up for a flight that’s guaranteed to get the adrenaline going. You’ll stand on top of the spectacular Boeing Stearman bi-plane for the flying experience of a lifetime.

The Loop

The Stearman is a big biplane, it carries a lot of drag especially with a person standing on the wing. That’s one reason why we exclusively use 450hp Pratt and Whitney radial engines, anything else doesn’t cut the mustard, they’re just not powerful enough.

Firstly we will climb to a height of, ideally, over 2500 feet. The pilot will throttle up and put the aircraft into a near vertical dive, once he sees around 150mph he will pull on the stick to bring the nose of the aircraft up, at the bottom of the circle the aircraft is carrying a lot of speed and as he pulls the stick G force will come on, approaching 4G. The nose goes vertical, you see a lot of sky, maybe clouds too! The speed drops right off, back to 60mph, the plane is inverted, you’re inverted, you’re upside down at the top of the loop, yet you still have positive g! The world is upside down and you’re the right way up. Look up (down), the whole world is a vista laid out below you. However, moments later the plane eases over top and you’re into a dive, your face full of patchwork countryside, G is coming back on, the plane accelerates from 60 to 150 in seconds. Your brain tries to compute the information coming in from all your senses.

The Cuban Eight

Very similar and just as fabulous as a loop, but with a difference. The Cuban Eight starts just like a loop, full on dive, lots of speed, lovely pitch to the vertical and over the top, nice and slowly. As the nose drops towards the vertical down the pilot ‘checks’ the stick forwards, you go ‘light’ in your straps, you’re heading earthwards upside down, but only momentarily. Just as quickly as the pilot stops the nose pitching down, he applies full left aileron to roll the aircraft back upright. This results in the aircraft heading in the exact opposite direction to that which you started with, you are accelerating downhill at about 45 degrees, building speed quickly, in fact enough speed to be able to pull the nose back up into the first part of another loop. You float over the top once again and the process is repeated.

It’s called a Cuban Eight because when viewed from the side the aircraft is describing a figure 8 lying on its side.

The Stall Turn

Now we’re talking, it’s time for more extreme manoeuvres. The lead up to the Stall Turn also involves a full on dive, we need the speed to allow the aircraft to climb vertically upwards. The pilot will be looking for a speed of over 130mph, the faster the speed the higher the vertical climb (more speed also means more G force!). The entry profile and speed will be similar to that of a loop, however, once the nose is at 90 degrees to the surface of the earth going up, the pilot will ‘check’ the stick forwards, if you look sideways and you will see that the aircraft is going vertically up. However Newtons First Law of Motion comes into play, basically that means that the aircraft is fighting against gravity, it’s slowing down, even with the bellowing 450hp Pratt and Whitney engine pushing it uphill, the pilot is watching the speed unwind, at the right moment he applies full rudder, the nose of the aircraft swings off to the left, the aircraft is stationary, zero airspeed and it’s weightless, the pilot is weightless and YOU are weightless!

Time and motion stands still for a second or two, the nose slowly drops to vertical down, you have a face full of beautiful Cotswold countryside. Now things start happening very quickly, the aircraft builds speed, the force of gravity and 450hp are now working together, the vertical dive earthwards lasts for a few seconds, then the pilot eases the nose back up to level flight, even using the high speed to regain altitude. You’re left completely exhilarated and wondering what just happened!

The Roll

One of the more gentle aerobatic figures, when flown well you will experience normal levels of G with slightly higher speed than normal cruise. The pilot can incorporate rolls after each manoeuvre as the aircraft is usually carrying a little extra speed. To complete a roll, the pilot will pull the stick back, raising the nose to an angle of about 45 degrees to the horizon, a bit like a steep climb, he will ‘check’ the stick forward to stop the climb, he will briskly move the stick fully left to initiate a rolling motion in the longitudinal plane. From your viewpoint on the wing, you will feel the aircraft rotating left, initially similar to the entry to a steep left turn, however, the rate of roll continues and soon you will find yourself completely upside down. Your senses are telling you that the World is rotating clockwise, whilst you remain stationary, but you know that you are moving. The roll continues and within a few seconds you are upright once again. A gentle manoeuvre which you will want to experience again and again.

Hesitation Roll

Another variation on a theme. The Hesitation Roll is very similar to the normal roll described above but with a few subtle differences. First off we need a little more speed as we will be in the aerobatic phase of flight for a few moments longer than during a normal roll. The entry is the same, the pilot raises the nose, ‘checks’ forward on the stick and applies roll in the required direction, once he sees the aircraft attitude at 90 degrees in relation to the horizon (looking like a steep turn), he will then ‘check’ the stick to centre to momentarily stop the roll, almost as quickly he will reapply full stick to roll inverted, he will then centralise the stick, at the same time he will push the stick forward to keep the nose of the aircraft from dropping towards the ground, the plane will pause upside down, the pilot is upside down, YOU are upside down. At this point you should look up (down), eyes wide open for a vista you will never forget. The pilot reapplies roll to the 270 degree position and hesitates once more, just momentarily, before he rolls the aircraft once more to the upright position. Once again you are left breathless and feeling totally and completely free, not even bonded to the earth by the forces of gravity.

What happens on the day?

Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed by the team before being briefed ready for your flight.

Then it’ll be time to get strapped in ready for your flight. Before you know it, you’ll have taken to the skies for your unforgettable aerobatics wing walk. 

Validity

Please note you must have booked and taken your experience before the expiry date

How it works

On payment of the deposit we will contact your chosen charity to let them know you are supporting them.

Once you have raised the minimum donation the charity will cover the cost of the challenge, which is £400.00 for the single flight or £800.00 for the double flight option and keep the remaining donation to benefit their charity.

When you select the fundraising funding option you agree to raise the minimum of £1600 (Double flight) or £800 (Single flight) per person in sponsorship for your charity.  You agree to send sponsorship money to the charity as they raise it.  100% of the minimum sponsorship required must be sent to the charity no later than eight weeks prior to the challenge. We then invoice the charity for the £800 (Double flight) or £400 (Single flight) cost per person, this means that the charity receives a minimum of £800 (Double flight) or £400 (Single flight) per person in profit from each challenger.