Wingwalker Carol Pilon shares her story at Gulf Coast Salute Air Show

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Carol Pilon said she was on her way to becoming a pilot when she witnessed an air show that changed her trajectory.

Pilon performed at her first air show in Panama City Beach during the Gulf Coast Salute Air Show. While in flight, Pilon performed aerobatics for the crowds below.

“He pulls the power back and then he tells me to move, and I walk across the lower wing and then I crawl upstairs,” Pilon said describing the performance. “And then when I’m upstairs, we do another series of aerobatic maneuvers.”

Pilon attributes her “limitless charm” to earning her a spot on a wing walking team before going on to purchase her own.

“It was a bit of a change in the normal way this was done,” Pilon explained. “Traditionally the pilots owned the airplane and hired the wingwalkers, now I was a wingwalker, owning an airplane and I was hiring pilots.”

Pilon’s pilot Joseph Bender is also a wingwalker when he isn’t driving.

“I talked to Carol and asked if I could walk on her airplane and she said yeah bring him on over, so that was my first wing walk and that’s where it got started,” Bender told NewsChannel7.

After 26 years of performing aerobatics, Pilon said she’s eyeing retirement.

“My plan is to eject as soon as I can get a viable candidate who will continue that team,” Pilon told NewsChannel7.

Pilon said she is the first woman to own and operate a wing walking team in north America.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WJHG on Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter).

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Email news@wjhg.com. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

Keep up with all the biggest headlines on the WJHG News app, and check out what’s happening outside using the WJHG Weather app.