On this day in 1979, Sabrina Patricia Jackintell established a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record and Soaring Society of America National Record for Absolute Altitude. The duration of the flight was 3 hours, 18 minutes. Flying her Grob G102 Astir CS glider from the Black Forest Gliderport, north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, she soared to an altitude of 41,460 feet over Pikes Peak. This record still stands.
When conditions are right, the wind creates a powerful updraft called a mountain wave. Pilots from every walk of life came to Black Forest for a fun week or weekend of soaring. At Jacintell's altitude, at the edge of the stratosphere, temperatures can drop to lower than -60° Fahrenheit. Hypothermia is a life-threatening danger, in addition to the risk of hypoxia. Gliders don’t have heaters, and in order to keep the canopy from frosting over, pilots keep the air vent open, allowing outside air to blow in. She suffered from hypoxia on the record-breaking flight and a subsequent flight. Fortunately, she fully recovered in about 24 hours.
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