Wing Walkers: The daredevil performers that dance in the sky

Casey Steffens first discovered the tradition of wing walking while watching a late-night show interview with Rosamund Pike. The actor spoke about her “odd” hobbies – doing stunts on the wings of a flying plane was one of them. Based in upstate New York, the photographer was instantly intrigued. What stood out was Pike’s choice of attire: an old flight suit that added to the adventure and nostalgia of the experience.

Casey located the world’s only formation display wingwalking team in Cirencester, England. The Aerosuperbatics Display Team is made up of a small group of pilots and wing walkers who perform shows all over the UK, Europe, and further afield. “After looking them up and seeing what this was all about, it was kind of hard to imagine that you couldn’t make great images of these girls,” says Casey.

When she found out that the airfield offered public flights to experience what it is like to wing walk, Casey booked a ticket to England as soon as she could. “I arrived to meet them at 8:45am and was on a plane about 15 minutes after,” she remembers. There she met Emma and Kirsten, friends from primary school that have performed together since 2021. “It was amazing to be around them and when I left that first trip I felt like part of that family,” says Casey.

Looking at existing photos of the wing walkers, Casey realised that much of the content was captured mostly by men “with lenses the sizes of bazookas”. They captured the action of the sport, but there was so much more to it. “I wanted to really capture the essence of them as people and friends, who do this on a daily basis and not only as the performers in the sky,” she says. “These girls are athletes, and in a community largely made up of men, they are sometimes viewed a bit as show girls. I can safely say after being up on those planes at nearly 200mph, doing the performance they do would make any grown man cry.”

Six months after her first visit, she returned to Cirencester to take more photographs. Beyond the spectacle of airshows, Casey captures the behind-the-scenes moments of dedication and friendship. From training sessions and pre-flight checks, to uniforms lined up in anticipation of the big show, these images reveal all the different cogs – of teamwork, physical endurance and mechanics – that make up this unique sport.

“There’s so much more that happens than just what’s in the sky,” says Casey, on showing the quieter moments of preparation and bonding. “The idea of wanting to capture those moments came from knowing just how much they do and how much they do it as a team and, ultimately, a family.”