A WINGWALKER who crashed into the sea while still strapped to a plane has said “I couldn’t wish for a better job”.
Kirsten Pobjoy, 23, and pilot Dave Barrell miraculously survived Saturday’s crash, off the Dorset coast, with minor injuries.
Self-confessed adrenaline junkie Kirsten, of Stroud, Gloucs, and Dave, of Cirencester, Gloucs, were part of a display at Bournemouth Air Festival when they crashed in Poole.
Rescuer Libby Chambers, 43, was on a nearby dingy and rushed over to pull Kirsten and Dave, who lives in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, from the water.
She said: “The pilot was amazing. He deserves a medal. I’m not sure how he managed to avoid the rocks and other boats. It would have been horrific otherwise.
I honestly couldn’t wish for a better job.Kirsten Pobjoy
“We got to the wreckage within seconds and the pilot had got himself and extricated the winglady from their cockpit.
“We lifted them onto the dinghy. She was screaming in shock but he was so calm and composed, although you could tell he was also shaken up.
Winglady Kirsten is one of only two full time daredevil performers in the world.
She said of her career: “I honestly couldn’t wish for a better job.
“I want to do it for as long as I can because I’m still just as excited as I was the first time, I took a flight. To me, being a wing walker doesn’t feel like a job, it’s a lifestyle.”
‘ADRENALINE JUNKIE’
She added: ““It’s such a privilege to be able to perform all over the world, too.
“I’ve travelled across Europe, been to China and to Mongolia with work. And being a wing walker doesn’t even feel like work to me – it’s just so much fun.”
“When I was growing up, I wanted to be an artist and liked graphics, but I suppose I just loved the spotlight more.
You’re strapped in when you’re wing walking, so it’s completely safe, but it’s still such an amazing feeling of excitement and adrenaline.Kirsten Pobjoy
“I loved performing and when I was younger, I’d appear in pantomimes. I wanted a career that fulfilled that need for thrills.
“I’m a huge adrenaline junkie, too. Once you’ve had your first adrenaline fix it can become quite addictive and you’re always looking for your next thrill
“You’re strapped in when you’re wing walking, so it’s completely safe, but it’s still such an amazing feeling of excitement and adrenaline.”
sunit
