THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 16, 1994 TAG: 9407150082
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Maddry
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
HOOKED TO A pylon on the wing of a Stearman airplane, Cheryl Rae Littlefield stares through her goggles at a patchwork of earth below her as the aircraft plunges at nearly 200 miles per hour.
``I find it exhilarating,'' she said. ``It gives me a sense of total freedom.''
There are only 10 women air walkers in the country. It's a hair-raising occupation that goes back to the barnstorming days of aviation before World War II when air shows drew bigger crowds than circuses in many sections of the country.
So how does a woman get into an occupation like that?
``I don't know, I can't explain it myself,'' the 39-year-old daredevil said. ``When I was growing up, I was slightly afraid of Ferris wheels. It made me scared when someone would rock the seat. And I still don't like to climb tall ladders.''
This weekend, you can see Cheryl on the top wing of the Magic One biplane as her husband, Gene - a legendary air show veteran - sits in the pilot's seat.
They are one of four air show teams participating in the NationsBank Town Point Air Show being presented by Festevents today and Sunday above the Norfolk waterfront.
Cheryl's job title isn't misleading. She does walk on the wing, connected to the plane by a cord around her waist.
``The walking requires a lot strength in the arms and legs to keep from being blown off the wing,'' she said.
Her greatest fear isn't of crashing - ``I have absolute trust in my husband's flying ability'' - it's being hit by a bird.
``I think a direct hit in the head could kill me,'' she said. ``Fortunately, we don't see many birds around us because the noise from the plane engine seems to frighten them away.''
She and her husband live in Plainfield, Ill. They became a team in 1981. He is a 20-year veteran of stunt flying and a former president and director of the Professional Airshow Performers Association.
``Gene needed someone to walk the wing when the woman who had been doing it was unable to perform after an accident unrelated to flying,'' Cheryl recalled. ``I had seen his air shows in Joliet, Illinois, and knew he was a great pilot. So I told him I'd like to try out for the job.''
She spent six months on the wing practicing body movements and learning what to expect when aloft before taking her solo flight strapped to the pylon.
``I fell in love with it during the first aerobatic maneuver Gene did with the plane,'' she said. ``You have the feeling when you are up there that is like being a bird in the air . . . all alone. It's exciting to know you are experiencing something few have.''
The Littlefields have been doing night air shows since Gene trimmed their plane with halogen lights.
``At night shows, I worry about being hit by a bird because I wouldn't be able to see one coming,'' Cheryl confided.
For her, the scariest part of the Littlefields' aerial routine isn't the loops and spins she endures on the wing of the 450-horsepower Boeing A75N1 Stearman biplane.
``It's when we fly upside down,'' she said. ``Even though I'm hooked onto the pylon, my feet aren't touching the wing.''
Like most wing walkers she dreads performing in bad weather. ``We try not to perform when it rains,'' she said. ``But you get surprised by it sometimes. ``The front of your jumpsuit gets soaked, and the rain hitting your skin feels like its blasted by pins and needles.''
The majority of the Magic One's maneuvers are done when the plane is 100 to 1,000 feet above the ground. Magic is part of the act, Cheryl explained. ``I vanish from the wing at one point and then reappear later. I don't tell how I do it, but people have figured it out who watch closely.''
Daring aerobatics, sky divers and wing walkers will all be part of the air show.
Also performing will be:
Bill Leff of Bloomington, Ill., in his North American T-6 Texan, the star of his Starfire Night Sky Show. His polished aluminum war bird will spew sparks and smoke during the nightly routines.
The Iron Eagle Aerobatic Team starring Bill Gordon of New York and Billy Segella of Connecticut in their twin Christen Eagle aircraft. Their routine will include barrel rolls, loops, hammerheads and Cuban 8s.
Chapman rounds out the team of four by sending his RE/MAX Lazer Z-200 through a triple snap roll on takeoffs. His very light aircraft - only 940 pounds - will do rolls, hammerheads, snaps and a knife-edge spin, his specialty.
The air show performances will be at 5, 7:15, and 9 p.m. today. On Sunday, they will be at 12:30, 2:30, 4:15 and 6:30 p.m. Most shows last 45 minutes.
There will be aviation exhibitors, and musical entertainment will be provided during the shows by the Old James River Jazz Band, the Townmen and Coolin' Out. by CNB