An 88-year-old Second World War hero today became the oldest person to wing-walk on a 100mph aircraft.

Les 'Dizzy' Seales, from Shoreham, smashed the world record, which had been held by an 87-year-old South African woman.

Instead of spending ten minutes on the wing of the Forties Boeing Stearman, all that was required to break the record, he notched up a further seven flights.

Afterwards, the daredevil pensioner said he wanted to stay in the air longer.

He said: "We flew for three quarters of an hour and I was on the aircraft for an hour and 15 minutes in all.

"I would not have minded staying up for longer but my pilot Mike said we had already been up for a long time."

He added: "I plan to come back every year until I am 100, but I am very laid back about the record. It is just another cross in my diary."

Mr Seales is no stranger to the stunt - he is nicknamed Dizzy because of an extraordinary rescue he made as a wartime air-gunner.

Then in his 20s, he walked along the wing of his damaged Defiant aircraft from his gun turret to rescue his trapped pilot.

Later in the war, he helped rescue about 100 British and American airmen from the English Channel when he became part of the RAF Air-Sea Rescue Squadron.

Before the war, Mr Seales was famous as a motorbike sidecar racer who specialised in hanging out of his vehicle at breakneck speed to help his co-driver in cornering.

With his co-driver he was British Sidecar Champion every year from 1935 until the outbreak of the Second World War.

The pensioner broke the record today with the aid of Europe's only professional "wingwalking" team, the Utterly Butterlys, and was watched by his 20-year-old god-daughter Amber and a collection of friends.

One friend, Ken Rimell, said: "He is just incredible. With the strength Dizzy has got, he could have stayed up there all day."

In the last few years, Dizzy has completed a number of wingwalking feats with the Utterly Butterlys, despite having a wooden leg - his real leg was amputated following an accident involving a London bus 15 years ago.