John Robinson (1954, Hall of Fame's founding!) was a Worldly Fellow. On January 1,1949, he set the World1 Absolute Altitude Record of 33,500 ft, earning him the second diamond on his C badge. For this, FAI awarded him the 1949 Lilienthal Medal, the highest (how appropriate!) soaring; award in the World2. In 1950, his super ship Zanonia delivered his third diamond, making Robinson the first Diamond L pilot in ...youguessed it!... the World . Hed started this night late, nearly landed out, but struggled on. "Several nice looking cumulous clouds slap[ped] my face with a complete lack of updrafts." He dove "through a mountain pass and found a real 'Elevator'," from which he reached "a huge thunderstorm too large to fly around." Eventually working through its dissipating chaos, he was rewarded with "a beautiful cloud street stretching ahead directly over my goal. I snuck in over the airport with 13,000 ft to spare." World~4-dass sense of humor? His gull-winged Zanonia lounges in the National Soaring Museum; a must-see if/when traveling is safe again.
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