This is the moment a gran celebrated her 82nd birthday with a wing-walk – and her WIG blew off mid air.
Beverly Jenkins clambered up on top of the Boeing Steadman bi-plane for the exhilarating flight.
The gran-of-two had a blast but in the middle of Beverly’s flight the wig she was wearing unexpectedly flew off and vanished n a field below.
Beverly, of Warminster, Wilts., described the flight at Rendcomb Airfield near Cirencester, Glos., as “brilliant”.
She turns 82 on September 7 and said of the flight on August 11 ”I could have stayed up there all day”.
Beverly said: “It was funny, because they did ask me before I set off if I wanted to wear a cap.
“But I told them that I had had the wig for around 18 months now, and it was very well-fitted, and I couldn’t imagine it would blow off.
“Then, as we got to the highest altitude of the flight, I saw the wig floating off to my left, and then straight down.
“I thought it had gone directly down into the pilot’s cabin, so I thought I could get it back once we were on the ground.
“But it’s gone. Luckily, I have another one exactly the same, so it’s not really a problem.”
Despite the loss of her wig, Beverly, who completed the wing-walk to raise money for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, described the experience as “absolutely amazing”.
She said: “It was brilliant, really exciting. I could have stayed up there all day.
“I wasn’t scared at all – it was wonderful.
“The worst part of it was actually climbing up onto the wing itself. If I was four or five inches taller, it would have been fine.
“But I couldn’t quite reach the handles to pull myself up. I really had to push myself.
“But once the plane took off, it just went ‘zoom’, straight up. It was a lovely experience. I remember thinking, ‘This is heaven’.”
Beverly, who has dedicated her life to charity – including 23 visits to Egypt to help impoverished families out there – hopes to raise £1,000 from the wing-walk, for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
The wing-walk follows Beverly going white-water rafting for charity last year – despite not knowing how to swim.
She said her thrillseeking has come from her no longer being able to fly to Egypt, due to poor health.
Beverly said: “Once I realised I wasn’t going to be able to go back to Egypt, I just needed to take on challenges, to keep me going.
“Not being able to travel isn’t going to stop me doing what I want to do.”
And she added: “I’d really like to go skydiving next.
“I was supposed to do a skydive several years ago with the Red Arrows, but it was cancelled at the last minute due to bad weather.
“I’ve already asked the people at Rendcomb Airfield to let me know if they can take me on a skydive.”
Wiltshire Air Ambulance fundraising manager Des Regan said: “Beverly was a real star.
“Due to Coronavirus we’ve had to cancel the majority of our events in 2020, which is so disappointing as it’s the charity’s 30th anniversary.
“But Beverly was so determined to plough ahead. She showed no fear and thoroughly enjoyed the day. I’m sure it’s an experience she will never forget.”
To sponsor Beverly, visit: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/Beverlyjenkinswingwalk.