LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Capt. Harold Parker, 434th Flying Training Squadron flight commander and T-6A Texan II instructor pilot, was chosen by wing leadership to be the “XLer” of the week, for the week of Oct. 1, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.
The “XLer” award, presented by Col. Charlie Velino, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, is given to those who consistently make outstanding contributions to their unit and the Laughlin mission.
Parker helped craft and execute a new Phase II specialized undergraduate pilot training program. The new syllabus optimized the program by removing more than 10 discrepancies, helping clear up the fog of training and accelerate prospective military pilots to graduation day.
“Part of being the pilot team behind such drastic changes in the syllabus is running into the problems first-hand and solving them,” he said. “My flight and our sister flight have worked hand-in-hand in creating a process to ensure both a timely process and parity in assigning a student’s track.”
He also helped three students by flying five extra hours with them, where he exposed three negative trends in their performance. His initiative helped his students get back on track, while saving the U.S. Air Force approximately $2.3 million.
“I try my best to ensure I help every student as much as I can,” he said. “My goal is to make sure that every student who comes to fly gets through the program. I do that by analyzing how the student learns, and provide them with techniques that may fit their natural habit patterns better than what they were trying to adopt.”
Lastly, Parker helped to organize this year’s Adventure Race by being the primary event coordinator. His responsibilities involved coordinating with more than 10 local organizations to obtain approximately 26 miles of state highway and secure 24 new kayaks for the Southwinds Marina for the event.
“We started organizing the event six months ago and had to conquer challenges in funding, off-base agency coordination, and weather contingencies,” he said. “This year, we elected to try and incorporate more of Del Rio than in years’ past by biking through town and running on Amistad Dam. The Adventure Race was a blast and a true team effort!”
For his work in completing the pilot training mission by helping revitalize the Phase II SUPT program, helping progress his students to graduation and helping base morale by organizing the Adventure Race, Parker earned this week’s “XLer of the week” award.