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Helga Duffy's wing walk: the record has changed hands three times…

Helga Duffy flew eight minutes strapped to a biplane wing, raising money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance; the previous holder says she wants the title back.

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  1. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorHelga Duffy, ninety-nine, spent eight minutes strapped to the top wing of a biplane, and it turns out the record needed only five.

  2. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorWith us now is Barnaby Szymanski, managing partner at Holloway Crane Advisory. Barnaby, what are we looking at?

  3. Barnaby SzymanskiA trend. The data is clear: Harry Heasman set it at ninety-eight in May, Betty Bromage at ninety-seven in August, and now Helga in October.

  4. Barnaby SzymanskiI call that the Heasman Curve.

  5. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo how many data points is that?

  6. Barnaby SzymanskiThree. The data is clear that three is a lot of points. I have them laminated, in fact.

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From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, October 19, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months