Since the early 1920s, thrill seekers have been stepping out of perfectly good airplanes to stand on the wings for one of the closest equivalents to human flight that you can have. With both of us obsessed with flying, when we found out that we actually could experience Wing Walking at the Mason Wing Walking Academy for ourselves, of course, Dustin and I jumped at the opportunity. Mason Wing Walking Academy in Sequim, WA is the only place in the world where you could learn how to wing walk. They’ve been in operation and have had a perfect safety record for over a decade. To say wing walking is the experience of a lifetime is not underrated. It is something that you need to experience for yourself.
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Mason Wing Walking Academy Info
Website:
https://masonwingwalking.com
Address:
61 Greywolf Air Ct. Sequim, WA 98382
At the time we went, you’ll be practicing out of their hangar at the address above. The flight itself is out of Sequim Valley Airport.
Cost
Upper wing only: $799
Both wings: $985
For more up-to-date pricing, check out their website. The cost includes training, 2 sets of aerobatic sequences (loop, barrel rolls, hammerhead) on each wing, videos, and photos.
Parking
There is plenty of parking at both the hangar and the airport.
Restroom
There are restrooms at both the hangar and the airport.
Time:
Wing Walking is a whole day experience. You’ll start bright and early in the morning. The practice session is usually about 4-5 hours. The flight itself is around 25 minutes if you do both wings. If you’re only doing the top wing, it is about 15 minutes or so.
Ideal Time
Summer has the best weather for Wing Walking in Sequim, WA
Weather
Video
What You Need to Know
Do I Need Prior Experience for Wing Walking?
You don’t need any prior experience to do this! Mason Wing Walking Academy will train you on how to Wing Walk. Our Airbnb host, Capt Crystal of Dream Catcher Balloon, 60 something years old badass lady had done this! However, you’ll need to have a STRONG sense of adventure, decent upper strength as well as a certain degree of agility. This is an activity that will challenge your mental strength.
When is the Best Time to Go?
As with anything involving flying, you’ll need good weather. Summer has the best weather in Sequim, WA. If you prefer to do Wing Walking in the off-season (Dec, Jan, Feb), you’ll need to “cherry picking” a good weather day. Also, we recommend reserving a few extra days for Wing Walking, in case of bad weather. This way, you can train one day and fly the day after, when the weather clears up.
What Should I Wear for Wing Walking?
Comfortable, fitted clothing is best. You won’t want too much stuff flapping in the wind, and there is A LOT of wind once you’re up there. Jeans or shorts are also fine as long as you can move and stretch in them. Also, the weather conditions can change quite quickly, therefore, we recommend bringing light layers of clothing. If you bring jackets, avoid anything with a hood. For Wing Walking, footwear is very important. You’ll need to wear narrow shoes such as Converse or Vans. Wide-soled shoes such as hiking or running shoes do not work well in the foot holds.
Do You Get Air Sick?
Because there is plenty of fresh air and the fact that Mike is an awesome pilot, you won’t get air sick. The aerobatics are very gentle. However, you’ll reach 4G on some of the moves.
So How Do I Breath Up There?
You might think this a funny question, but we had people asking us that. So Marilyn told us, and we vowed for it, that you’ll have no problem inhaling. There is tons of air rushing to your face. However, it will be harder to exhale. So, Marilyn taught us to either lower our heads to one side and this will help block the wind, or the best way is to just scream or laugh and enjoy the ride.
Are There Any Restrictions?
There are a few. First, you’ll need to be over 18 to take the Wing Walk class. They also have a weight limit of 230lbs. You also need to be somewhat flexible, agile, and able to climb up and down the airplane for several hours before the actual flight.
About Mason Wing Walking Academy
Mason Wing Walking Academy is family-owned and operated by Mike and Marilyn Mason with the help of their wonderful children. The company has been in business for over 12 years. Both Mike and Marilyn have been Wing Walkers themselves since 1983. Marilyn, your instructor, has trained over 90% of the wing walkers in the world. Mike, your pilot of the day, has been wing walking and flying aerobatics in Stearman biplanes for over thirty years. Besides their impressive resume, the Mason family could not have been nicer. We felt like we were part of their family at the end of the day.
If you’re looking for a true Wing Walking experience, Mason Wing Walking Academy in Sequim, WA is the ONLY place in the world that offers it. A true Wing Walking experience means you’ll actually be climbing in and out of the airplane while it is flying. There are a few places in Europe that allow Wing Riding. Wing Riding is when you’re strapped to the top of the plane on the ground and then the plane takes off and flies around. However, it is nothing compared to that thrill of climbing your way up and down midflight. Not only is it WAY more thrilling, but as crazy as it may seem, it is actually way safer as well. The majority of airplane accidents happen when you are either taking off or landing. Therefore, the safest place to be during those times is inside the cockpit.
The Adventure
Training Session
Finally, our wing walking day had arrived. Even though our start time wasn’t until 9 am, we were both up early like 2 kids on Christmas. We left early just to make sure we weren’t late/ As soon as we pulled up to the hangar, we were greeted by Jenna, Mike, and Marilyn’s daughter. Jenna would be training us on the art of wing walking. She should have a pretty good grasp on it since she has been doing it from the age of 10!!!!
As we stepped into the hangar, we were greeted by 2 gorgeous biplanes. One was red and the other one was silver and black. Since the red plane is being repaired, we will be practicing and flying on the silver and black plane. After filling out the typical waiver, Jenna showed us the table full of gloves and goggles that we were encouraged to use. She also showed us the seatbelts that we will be using on the plane and on the wing. The seatbelt is a bit tricky to use so we practiced clipping and unclipping it in a few times.
Top Wing Practice
After that, Jenna took us over to the plane and showed us how to climb up on the top wing. It is a tight squeeze climbing up to the upper wing, especially if you’re taller or have broader shoulders. Vy was practically built for wing walking. After 2 run-throughs, she was able to make her way up onto the top wing with ease. The tricky thing about wing walking is that everything on the biplane is very fragile. Therefore, your movements need to be precise and deliberate so you don’t break the plane. Since the wings are made out of fabric, it would not be good if you damage the wing mid-flight. With this in mind, we wanted to get as many practices runs in as possible so that it was basically muscle memory when it came time to do it for real.
If you are planning on wing walking yourself, it is a good idea to plan your trip with a couple of days as a grace period just in case the weather isn’t good for flying. In fact, a group that showed up during our lesson had that happen. Since they didn’t get to fly the day before, they would be getting their flights in while we were training. So, they wheeled out the gorgeous silver and black plane the Vy and I nicknamed the Silver Bullet and we started training on the red plane instead. The planes are almost identical so there wasn’t much of a learning curve.
Bottom Wing Practice
As we were practicing, our group was joined by our new buddy Michael. He was running late so Jenna got him caught up as Vy and I watched the silver bullet roar to life and take off to head over to the airport. After he was all caught up, we moved on to learning how to do the lower wing.
Even though it is not much of a tight squeeze getting out onto the lower wing, you’ll definitely need some very important techniques. Believe it or not, the lower wing of this plane is made out of canvas. One wrong step and you can tear the wing! Since the wing is what keeps you flying, you probably want to make sure it stays as intact as possible. Luckily, Mason Wing Walking Academy has placed little black tape squares on the parts of the wing that you can step on. So, all you have to do is make sure you step in the right place, with just the ball of your foot. After everyone ran through several more practice rounds, we all agreed that we were ready to become real wing walkers! We hopped into our cars and made our way to the airport.
The Wing Walking Experience
At the Airport
We arrived at the airport to see the Silver Bullet glistening in the sunlight. Before our flights, Marilyn had us run through both wings a couple more times to make sure we were all very comfortable. She watched each movement very closely and gave us pointers along the way. Not only would their advice keep us safe, but it would protect the plane as well. Finally, it was time! When they asked who wanted to go first and before I could even blink, Vy had already climbed up onto the plane. After Marilyn went over the final check-up, they were ready to go.
The plane roared to life. I felt very comfortable knowing that Vy was in the hands of professionals as they blazed down the runway and took to the sky. It is a short and scenic flight over to the location where they will be doing the acrobatics. Along the way, the plane will be climbing to about 4000 feet. From the airport, we could barely see the tiny spec of a plane off in the distance as we anxiously waited for it to begin the stunt portion of the flight.
Wing Walking the Top Wing
Once the plane reached 4000ft, Mike slowed it down to about 60 mph. Then, he signaled for us to start climbing up. As much as we were mentally prepared for the wind speed, it was a whole different animal when we were actually encountering it. At 60 mph, the wind speed was still intense so we needed to make sure to always have 3 points of contact. We also had to make sure our movements were deliberate.
After we got up to the top and buckled in, we gave Mike two thumbs up, letting him know that we were ready for the aerobatic sequences. Soon enough, we felt the plane speed up and the next thing we knew, we were upside down, engaging in the aerobatic flight. The aerobatic sequences include 2 sets of each: loop, hammerhead, and barrel roll, not in any particular order. During the aerobatics, the plane was blazing through the air at around 140 mph, so the wind was even stronger. It was such a surreal feeling, flying on top of the airplane. The few moments up there seem to last for eternity. Time seems to slow down as we soared through the sky.
The Climb Down
Once Mike finished with his set flight, he did a wing wag, signaling us that it was time to get back down to the cockpit. The climb down was also as tricky as the climb up. It wasn’t that bad when we were practicing, however, adding the wind, everything was more difficult. If you’re only doing the top wing, you’ll fly back to the airport after getting down to the cockpit. If you’re doing the bottom wing as well, you’ll be prepared to get out on the lower wing after getting back to the cockpit.
Walking on the Bottom Wing
Walking on the lower wing was a lot more intimidating for both of us. For some reason, the wind felt a lot stronger on the lower wing. You also have to walk on the edge of the wing. This means there’s nothing much between you and the ground, 4000ft below. We also had to step precisely on the little spots of black tape. The black tape marked the safe spot to walk on, without damaging the wing. It was harder to position our feet because the wind kept trying to blow them away. It was quite a feat fighting against the wind to get to where we needed to go.
Finally, we were able to get ourselves safe and secured on the javelin. So the crazy thing about the lower wing is that there isn’t any way for you to strap yourself in. However, the way you position yourself pretty much kept you secure on top of the javelin. Once we were ready, Mike again threw the airplane to full speed and proceeded with another sequence of aerobatic movements. It definitely felt more intense on the bottom wing knowing that you’re not strapped in. Also, you can look straight down at the ground below. For some reason, that makes it 10 times more intimidating.
Once we finished with the flight, Mike signaled us to go back in. The way back was as intense as the way out. Again, we needed to make sure our steps were precise, so as not to damage the wing. Once we got back into the cockpit, we both sighed with relief. For the fact that we made it back safely and for the crazy experience that we just went through. It was such an amazing, adrenaline rush, one-of-a-kind experience. Before we even touch the ground, both of us had already planned to go back again. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, Wing Walking is hands down a must-do! We couldn’t recommend it enough! Do it! You only live once!
These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
adventure gear
- Comfortable, fitted clothing that won’t flap around too much in the wind.
- Narrow-soled shoes such as Converse or Vans
- Sunscreens
- Thin layers and non-hooded jackets in case the weather changes.
- Water, lunch, and snacks. since you’ll be there most of the day.
other things to bring
Always good to bring some snacks with you. For healthy and easy snacks, check out some of our recipes.
camera gear
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4 Comments
Gill Atkins
Sorry to be a nuisance but do you know of any company in New Zealand that offers wing walking? I live there and it’s on my bucket list but no-one seems to do this in New Zealand. Any thoughts? Thanks. Gill.
Vy
Sorry, we don’t know of any company in New Zealand that would offer this. Maybe you can make a trip to USA one of these days?
Barbara
OMG! I had a fantasy of doing this for a living after an aerobatic ride in a Stearman! Tax return- occupation: Wingwalker. LOL
Fantastic video! Love it!
Vy
You HAVE to do this then!! It was such an amazing experience. You won’t regret it! 😊