Skycats: For these girls, it's just a walk in the sky

Bengaluru: The Scandinavian Catwalk, a bright yellow aircraft, grabs eyeballs by virtue of its appearance and its skilled pilots. Three ladies steal the show, however. The Skycats team, comprising three women who perform death-defying stunts atop a moving aircraft walk, move, perform stunts and pause for a moment to pose as the audience below watches with bated breath.

The Scandinavian Airshow, with their Skycats team, displayed daredevil moves in Aero India 2017. While there are pilots in the cockpit, Victoria, Hella and Anna on the wings steal the show fearlessly. Anna, the youngest performer in the team in terms of experience spoke to DC on the sidelines at the Yelahanka Air Force station.

“We start training with stunts on ground and then later move on to performing on a moving aircraft. There is no time limit to learn this. It differs for each person," the 22 year old Aerobatic performer said.

Has fear ever got the better of her, perhaps at the start of her journey as an aerobat? She responds with a resounding “No!” She goes on to say, “I never felt scared and neither do the others. It is necessary for us to be certified sky divers to learn aerobatics, so we are used to it. I feel excitement, rather than fear.”

Barrel rolls, loops, pausing on the wings, Lazy Cat, wing walking are some of their many moves, of which, Cat Walk remains the most popular. Being sky divers, they do not face usual difficulties of fainting or throwing up, like pilots do.

While Victoria and Hella have five and10 years of experience respectively, Anna is a college student who became a Skycat as a hobby.

“I study Industrial Engineering back home. I do this on the side, earn a little. It's great because I get to travel to so many foreign countries to perform,” Anna said.