Podcast: UK's oldest female wing-walker 'wouldn't mind doing a parachute jump'

At the age of 92, most people would be taking it easy, slowing down and putting their feet up but not for Norma Howard whose next challenge (if asked) would be to do a ‘parachute jump’.

At present, the UK’s oldest female wing-walker has swum the equivalent of the English Channel in her local swimming pool, sat on the handlebars of a motorbike whilst riding the wall of death and was a co-pilot for an air-ambulance in the USA.

’If someone dares you, you do it’

In our latest Let’s Talk About Care podcast homecare.co.uk caught up with Ms Howard at her home in Hampshire to talk to her about her achievements, her fears, her inspirations and any future plans.

In the homecare.co.uk podcast, Ms Howard revealed how 88-year-old Betty Bromage had broken the UK record for wing-walking. Her son was reading this out to Ms Howard when she asked how old she was. When her son told her, she said: “Is that all? It was entirely my fault, I talked myself into it.”

Describing what it felt like to wing walk, Ms Howard said: “It was lovely to see all the surrounding countryside. You were supposed to wave to people below, but you tend to get your arm blown away.”

When asked if she is in The Guinness Book of Records, she said: “I am the oldest woman, but it’s not officially recognised as it’s not gender-related, so I’m beaten by a 95-year-old man.”

Ms Howard's wing-walking has raised over £2,000 for Dementia UK. “I know a lot of friends and people who have got it. It’s such a horrible thing to happen, so seemed a good one to raise it for.”

Other challenges include riding around the wall of death on the handlebars of a 1925 Indian motorbike at the age of 83. The only time she didn’t feel safe was when they were stopping. She said: “I thought I would just go shooting off.”

When Ms Howard was 80, she swam the length of the channel in her local swimming pool. “We had three months to do this in, so it wasn’t difficult. I did perhaps about a mile a day. I’m not a fast swimmer, I’m not a good swimmer, I just do breaststroke and that’s about it. I was in there from about half-past six until quarter to nine in the morning.”

’Sometimes I could pilot and sometimes I was looking after the patient’

Even from a young age, Ms Howard had an adventurous side to her and believes there is too much health and safety for children today. “They are not allowed to do anything. Much too monitored and protected, they can’t even play conkers.

“When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a boy really as I liked to do boy things such as fighting, climb trees and riding horses.

“I had a friend who had her own pony and we used to stand on its back and pretend we were in the circus. I don’t go in for challenges. If someone dares you, you do it.”

In 1969, before the family moved to Texas, America for a sabbatical, Ms Howard learned to fly at Blackbushe. “I got my PPL just before we went to the States for a year. In the States, I got lots of free-flying with an air ambulance. Sometimes I could pilot and sometimes I was looking after the patient.”

Ms Howard’s husband, air vice-marshal Peter Howard, was one of the first people to test the Martin Baker ejection seat in 1962. Despite his fear of flying and heights, Mr Howard chose to take a brief parachute course to prepare for the rocket seat test.

Ms Howard said: “I was going to parachute with him at one time, but they kept changing the venue and at the end I never did.”

Today, Ms Howard goes to the gym every day and is a volunteer driver. “I used to do the rowing machine and the recliner bike, then I go into the pool and join my friends, but that is more of a social. I want to hold on to what I have got really.”

As a volunteer driver for Communicare, the Fleet and district voluntary care scheme, Ms Howard drives people to hospital or doctor appointments.

But there is still no stopping Ms Howard where challenges are concerned. When asked what challenge she would choose to do next. She said: “I wouldn’t mind doing the parachute jump which I didn’t do before. I could do that in tandem.”