WW2 veteran raises thousands for cancer charity as he becomes oldest wing walker at 98
A 98-year-old man achieved his lifelong dream of standing on top of a flying plane – and broke a world record while he was at it.
Harry Heasman (UK) took to the skies this weekend to become the oldest wing walker (male) in history.
The daredevil nonagenarian took on the thrilling challenge to raise money for the Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund in memory of his wife and son, who both lost their lives to the disease.
With WW2 veteran Harry strapped in on top, the plane climbed to over 1,000 ft and flew over the British countryside, allowing Harry the chance to take in some stunning views while becoming the oldest man ever to wing walk.
He said: “I feel 1,000 times different and 100 times better than I ever have. It was the most incredible experience of my life and if I could, I would do it all over again without a second thought.
“I have dreamed of doing this since I was a young child and to finally live that dream at 98 years old and to be a Guinness World Records title holder is beyond anything I could have ever imagined.”
Adjudicator Pravin Patel, who was there to oversee the attempt, said: “Harry is inspirational. To meet the physical demands of wing walking must be tough and to have the mental steel to actually go through with the attempt is truly amazing.”
Find more amazing stories about the oldest people to do stuff in our Human Body section.
The idea for Harry to take flight came about after his care home manager, Karolyn Sisto, asked him to write a bucket list. After seeing he wanted to wing walk to raise money for charity, she set about making his dream come true.
Harry worked with physio Reef Cowell, of Reeflex Mind and Motion, to get in shape for his big day, working hard for 11 months to increase his fitness and mobility.
Karolyn, of Eastham Care Home in Essex, said: “Harry has shown the world that a care home can be a place where people thrive. Today he didn’t just complete a wing walk, he changed what the world believes is possible at 98.”
Harry had hoped to raise £5,000 through his daring stunt but he’s already far surpassed that, bringing in £7,785 at the time of writing. You can donate here if you’d like to top up the total.
Lindsey Bidwell, of Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund, said: “Harry is proof that it is never too late to chase a dream. At 98 years old, what he has achieved is nothing short of extraordinary. Over the last few months, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know him and seeing the determination behind this challenge.
“To do this whilst raising money to help children with cancer, makes it even more special. Harry truly is a national treasure, and our team and the families he is raising money for will be forever grateful.”
Harry’s world record has seen him rightly thrust into the spotlight, with an appearance on UK daytime TV show This Morning.
Clips of him wing walking were shown as he sat on the sofa to chat with the presenters about his record-breaking feat.
He said: “It’s something you can’t describe really and I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time.”
All images: Robert Cole