I wasn't yet shaving when Al Parker made (t)his record-breaking flight.
Probably read about it in a glommed-onto "Soaring" mag soon after joining SSA
in 1972...wet behind the ears, comprehensively soaring-ignorant. In the
succeeding 42 years, I've undoubtedly re-read the article at least half a
dozen times, always with a changing, maybe even deepening, perspective. Most
recently, what struck me about the flight was how utterly unremarkable a day
it was for the time of year and area of the country. I say that having driven
most of the country over which the flight traversed, and - since 1976 - having
both lived near/SW of the flight's northern end and soared over much of the
same country between Hobbs and Kimball since 1976. I dare say that few of
today's soaring pilots would even give that sort of day a second glance, were
they (say) of a mind to bag a straight out diamond distance, much less 1000k.

I could be wrong in my assessment of the day, of course, but I'm sure I'm not
wrong in concluding that persistence is a good thing for soaring pilots!

Bob W.