Gutsy lady!

[Dick MacKenzie]

Gladys Ingle of the '13 Black Cats' changes planes and fixes new landing gear on disabled plane in mid-air.


Watch video below.

Hard to believe that stunts such as these used to be accomplished frequently. Does anyone recall the air-to-air re-fuelling of one biplane to another using a long hose? Those people had to be either fearless or just “plane crazy”. This woman has more guts than a sausage factory. Take a look at this film. Fabulous footage, although grainy due to time and bad equipment in those days compared to today, but what nerve this gal had. Gladys Ingles was a member of a barnstorming troupe called the 13 Black Cats in the 1920's.

Ingles was a wing walker; in this film, she shows her fearlessness in classic barnstorming fashion to save an airplane that has lost one of its main landing gear wheels.

Ingles is shown with a replacement wheel being strapped to her back and then off she goes as "Up She Goes," a duet from the era, provides the soundtrack. In the film, Ingles transfers herself from the rescue plane to the one missing the main landing gear tire.She then expertly works herself down to the undercarriage only a few feet from a spinning propeller. It's certainly a feat many mechanics wouldn't even try on the ground with the engine running.

She died at age 82. Click on the link below.......

 

[Phil Reed]

OMG!!! That just made my stomach churn!!!!! 'Course I'm scared of heights!!!! Can't believe they made that film.

 

[oldskydog]

Women were the only ones crazy enough to do that.

 

[18htan]

Women were the only ones crazy enough to do that.

 

[Blk61409]

Dick, great video of the female wing walker putting on the wheel. I noticed you referenced refueling planes with a rubber hose. Funny you mention this. My father did exactly that in about 1929 or so. He told me he a a couple of guys were trying to win an endurance race and needed to stay in the air for a full day or so, forgot. Anyway, he cut a hole in the bottom of a Ford Trimotor and lowered a can of gas down to a plane below. He said the first time he tried it housed a rope and had,it wrapped around a support. Problem was the rope broke and the gas exploded in some farmers field outside of Ft Worth, Texas. He then got a firemans rubber hose that had flex and then it was a success. I am out of town, but when I return I will post a couple of photos of the mid air refueling and they win the race.
I think of him all the time because there are so many questions I wanted to ask him, like why was he a wing walker, what other planes did he fly, etc. Lots of great memories still the same. Thanks for listening, Pat

 

[18htan]

Oh pics will indeed be required.

Such a cool story. Thanks for sharing.