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By Gopal Ram Tripathi

IN TIME WITH AGE people slow down, but Betty Bromage is not most people. At 97, this British woman strapped herself to the wing of a flying plane and set a new Guinness World Record, becoming the oldest woman ever to complete a wing walk. What makes this even more remarkable is that she did it just a year after suffering a stroke that still affects her speech. Her story shows that age and illness don't have to stand in the way of doing what you love.

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Bromage’s Daring Flight Above Cirencester, England

Betty Bromage, who lives in Cheltenham, England, took to the skies on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at RFC Rendcomb Airfield in Cirencester. She was exactly 97 years and 127 days old at the time, and this wing walk broke her own earlier record, which she had set at the age of 93 back in 2022. Wing walking involves being strapped onto the top of a moving biplane while it flies through the air, a stunt that would make most people's hearts race.

This wasn't Betty's first time doing something like this. In fact, it was her sixth wing walk since she turned 87 years old. Over the years, she has built quite a reputation for taking on daring physical challenges that others her age would never dream of attempting.

Speaking to the BBC about why she keeps doing these death-defying stunts, Betty explained that staying active keeps her from feeling bored and frustrated. She said she can no longer drive and her eyesight isn't what it used to be, so she chooses to focus on the things she is still able to do. That mindset has clearly carried her through many years of pushing her own limits.

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Bromage Knows That Age is Just A Number, And Health Couldn’t Stop Her From Achieving This Memorable Feat

What makes this latest achievement stand out is the health battle Betty had to overcome just months before. In August last year, she suffered a stroke that left a lasting mark on her speech, though she has said the rest of her body remained unaffected. She was treated at Cheltenham General Hospital, where the staff cared for her during her recovery.

Rather than simply thanking the hospital with words, Betty decided to give back in the way she knows best: by taking on another daring challenge. Her latest wing walk was done specifically to raise funds for the stroke unit at Cheltenham General Hospital, the very unit that helped her recover. It's a full-circle moment, turning her own health scare into an opportunity to support others who might face the same struggle.

Betty has said that raising money for good causes has always mattered to her. She once worked as a nurse herself, and she has shared that she was inspired early in her career by some words she came across on a hospital wall. That spirit of giving back has stayed with her through decades of fundraising stunts, from wing walks to zip lines to abseiling down tall buildings.

She did admit that the hardest part of the whole experience isn't the flight itself. Because of her height, simply climbing up onto the wing of the plane is the biggest challenge. Once she's up there, she says, there's no problem at all. She even joked that the fairground rides are far scarier to her than flying through the sky strapped to a plane.

Betty Bromage's latest wing walk is more than just a quirky world record. It's a powerful reminder that determination doesn't fade with age, and that setbacks like a stroke don't have to mark the end of an adventurous life. At 97, she has already started thinking about her next challenge, hinting that she wants to do something special when she turns 100. If her track record is anything to go by, there's little doubt she'll find a way to make it happen.

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