If you’ve ever been astounded at the repairs and precise instruments used on modern airplanes, then you might be interested in how the opposite was true in the early days of flight. Planes back then were smaller, had open cockpits, and a distinct lack of instruments when compared to today’s aircraft. Yet, pilots and mechanics became sensitive to every little change in their planes, even making repairs in mid-air. That was the case in 1926, when stunt performer Gladys Ingle literally jumped between planes mid-flight in order to replace a tire that had fallen off the plane of stunt pilot Art Goebel. With a spare wheel strapped to her back, Ingle installed the wheel on Goebel’s plane, allowing him to make a safe landing.
