Aviation icon Bob Hoover passes
We get the sad news today that Bob Hoover, a legend in pilot circles has passed at the age of 94. A contemporary of Chuck Yeager, the New York Times says that Hoover’s name is ensconced in aviation history;
Indeed, Mr. Hoover could trace the history of aviation, to the dawn of the space age, by the men he came to know: Orville Wright and Charles Lindbergh, General Doolittle and the World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, and the astronauts Walter Schirra and Neil Armstrong as well as General Yeager and Colonel Gagarin.
When he was a POW in Germany, he wrote another chapter of American military history;
As a pilot with the 52nd Fighter Group, based in Corsica, Mr. Hoover, a lieutenant, flew 58 successful missions before his Spitfire fighter was shot down by the Luftwaffe in February 1944. He spent 16 months in Stalag Luft I, a prisoner of war camp in Germany reserved for Allied pilots.
Mr. Hoover and a friend escaped from the camp in the chaotic final days of the war, according to his memoir. Commandeering an aircraft from a deserted Nazi base, they flew it to freedom in the newly liberated Netherlands, only to be chased by pitchfork-wielding Dutch farmers enraged by the plane’s German markings.
Yeah, beat that story.
Category: We Remember
RIP, I hope they can close the casket with those giant balls in the way! You Sir, are a true hero!
May God bless you and your family.
“Commandeering an aircraft from a deserted Nazi base, they flew it to freedom in the newly liberated Netherlands, only to be chased by pitchfork-wielding Dutch farmers enraged by the plane’s German markings.”
That is all kinds of fucking AWESOME!
A 24K BADASS indeed. R. I. P. Warrior, you’ve earned your place in History AND Valhalla.
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That kind of reminds of a scene from Mel Brooks movie “To Be Or Not To Be” about 16 seconds into this clip
https://youtu.be/3WXqrEeqfZw
Sounds like the plot in the “Great Escape” where James Garner led a blind prisoner and they stole a small german plane and escaped….
Rest Well great one….
Your place among the great ones is secure
Thank you for showing all what can be done
The spirit to climb to the heavens was opened
Up by great ones like you
Salute….
What that man could do with an AeroCommander defied the laws of physics. And was quite entertaining. He will be missed by everyone who ever saw him fly, knew him, or were otherwise aware of his impact upon 20th century aviation.
RIP, sir. Peace to your family.
I saw that dead-stick AeroCommander performance, most pilots couldn’t fly like that even under power! One of those quiet badasses that didn’t have to flaunt his badassery, it surrounded him like an aura.
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One of the best aviators. EVER.
And I bet that he never considered himself a hero.
No self-image problems at all for these men.
Clear skies and fair weather ahead, Mr. Hoover.
Sad face. I grew up going to air shows and watching him perform. One of the greatest pilots ever. Rest in peace, Mr Hoover!
“Yeah, beat that story” OR ANY PART OF IT.
Rest in peace Mr. Hoover. You Sir, have earned it.
What an amazing life and an amazing man.
“….that such men lived.”
RIP Sir.
Salute.
The guy was the epitome of balls of steel!
Check out the video of his engines off aerobatics from the early 70’s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7R7jZmliGc
R.I.P
You haven’t seen a real airshow if you haven’t watched Bob Hoover perform his “Energy Management Series” where he progressively shuts down the engines of his Grumman Shrike, while performing several aerobatic maneuvers, and then dead sticks the plane in to land and coasts to a stop in front of the grandstand. In his 70’s and 80’s he was an airshow super-star, but a humble gentleman.
Rest in Peace, Bob. It was an honor to have met you and shaken your hand.
May he rest in peace, but I think he’d rather rest in an airplane capable of aerobatics. I imagine he’s giving the angels a few flying lessons.
I too saw his performance in the Shrike Commander business turboprop when he shut off both engines, did a couple of loops, turns, and then dead-sticked the landing. What a great man, great pilot and inspiration to a generation of flyers.
There is sadness at his passing, but what a wonderful life in aviation he lived.
Balls, Brass
MILSPEC
SET OF TWO
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First heard of this incredible guy in, I believe, 1955, maybe 56, when he performed a demonstration of some F-86D capabilities at Misawa AFB. Our motor pool was located in a WWII hanger adjacent to the flight line and I saw that everyone was leaving it and lining up near the runway. Some had gotten the word from our AF cousins that there was going to be a demo. His performance so impressed me that I remembered his name from then on. Years later as a civilian aerospace worker I got to see him do his P-51 show.
You earned the rest Mr. Hoover. Well done.