A daring 74-year-old from Morfa Nefyn has taken to the skies to complete a fundraising wing walk, complete with a loop the loop!

John Jackson completed his first wing walk in September 2020, even though he had never been on a plane before! His efforts raised £556 for Canolfan Felin Fach, Pwllheli.

The caring pensioner enjoyed his wing walking experience so much that he decided to take to the skies again, but this time, there would be a twist, or rather a loop the loop!

The fundraising event had been due to take place on 13 April but was postponed because of bad weather.

This time, John got the go-ahead to fly high and the fundraising event took place on Tuesday, 3 May.

“We travelled down to the airfield near Cirencester that morning,” said John.

“There was not the entourage of friends and family at the field as before with the first flight, as the cancellations had affected people’s arrangements.

“A consequence of this was a lack of photos taken. However, we have a nice shot of me in action on the aircraft, inverted, at the top of the loop, smoke trailing behind, above the Cotswold countryside!”

He added: “It all began with a safety briefing, followed by a relaxed discussion with Dave, the pilot, on what to expect to encounter throughout the flight.

“There was particular mention of the simple hand signals for me to signal to the pilot when necessary, for example, both arms extended with thumbs up for ‘Good to go’ and one arm extended with thumb down for, ‘Please, lets go back and land’.

“I climbed up onto the top wing of the biplane and Kirsten, a professional wing walker, strapped me into the harness.

A couple of minutes past and then the engine started up, running smoothly, firing on all cylinders.

We set off up to the end of the field, where the plane turned and faced the long open expanse of grass stretching into the distance. The engine revs came up, and we were off, quickly gathering speed over the not so smooth surface, then, as the wheels left the ground we were riding smoothly on the air.

“We had to make a long climb up to the cloud base - regulation does not allow for aerobatics under one thousand feet.

“The engine was working hard and the wash from the propeller pushed a cold rush of air against me, causing my skin to ripple and my clothing to cling tightly. It really was a bit nippy.

“About six minutes of flight and we arrived in a peculiar patchy fog which I guessed was the cloud.

“I felt the aircraft turn and then there was a distinct waggle of the wings. I knew that this was the signal from the pilot, asking if I was ready.

“At this point I was feeling pretty cold all over, and not feeling 100 per cent keen on the prospect of what was to come...

“Then a sudden thought flashed into my mind. ‘Come on boy. This is what your here for!’

“I put both arms out with thumbs up.”

Recalling how he felt during the loop of the plane, John said: “Wow! Speed, G force, legs going ever so heavy, blur, disorientation, was I actually upside down? Apparently so. I now have a certificate to prove it.”

Once again, John is raising money for Canolfan Felin Fach, the Pwllheli-based community mental health centre that supports adults experiencing or recovering from difficulties in their lives. The centre has helped John’s wife Jenny, and that is why he is keen to raise more money.

John’s latest flight raised £512.

“A big thank you to all the wonderful people who donated,” said John.