posted 10-25-2016 11:08 AM               

We mourn the passing of our friend Robert A. "Bob" Hoover, "The Greatest Stick and Rudder Man Who Ever Lived."

The Smithsonian summarized Hoover's legendary career on the occasion of him being awarded the National Air and Space Museum Trophy in 2007.

No less an expert than Jimmy Doolittle said "Bob is the greatest stick-and-rudder man that ever lived." Bob Hoover began flying at Nashville's Berry Field in 1937, where he taught himself aerobatics. He joined the Tennessee Air National Guard and became a U.S. Army Air Corps test pilot charged with flying aircraft to the edge of their performance capabilities. Hoover was shot down on his 58th mission in World War II and spent almost 16 months as a German POW before escaping in a Focke-Wulf FW-190.

After the war, he was a front line test pilot for such aircraft as the F-84 and P-80. He served as back-up pilot on the Bell X-1. Later, for North American Aviation, Hoover flew the first flight of the XFJ-2 Fury. He also tested the F-86 Sabre, including during bombing missions in Korea, and the F-100.

In the 1950s, Hoover moved into corporate positions and began flying a precision aerobatic routine with a North American P-51 Mustang, then the T-39/Sabreliner and the Aero Commander fleet, culminating in the Shrike Commander 500S, now in the Museum's collection. He set altitude and speed records and was routinely sent abroad to demonstrate aircraft.

As a safety pilot in the Reno Air Races, his advice saved the lives of several pilots in emergency situations. He was captain of the 1966 U.S. Aerobatic Team and his skill as an aerobatic performer is unmatched. In his most famous maneuver, Hoover poured iced tea from a pitcher into a glass on his T-39 instrument panel while performing a perfect barrel roll. He didn't spill a drop. Hoover has flown more than 300 types of aircraft and performed at more than 2,500 civilian and military air shows.

Hoover is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Smithsonian's Lindbergh Medal. He is an inductee of the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the International Aerobatic Hall of Fame. He is the only man to serve two terms as president of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

posted 10-25-2016 04:31 PM               

We lost an aviation pioneer today. I knew Bob Hoover forever and he was a funny guy. He liked to tell stories and I think he could outdo me when it came to being played off the stage for talking too long. But more importantly he could do magical things with an airplane and helped build confidence in Air Force aviators. He was the best and he will be sorely missed.

posted 10-26-2016 06:01 PM               

Mid-1980's, I found out that Hoover was going to be at the local airshow. I wanted to have him autograph the cover above, which already had the Yeager and Cardenas autographs on it. Well, they had Hoover and his Aero Commander situated about 50 yards behind a security fence where I couldn't get near them. A couple of the show staff folks pulled up in a golf cart and I persuaded them to take the cover over to Hoover for a signature. So, they did. I saw them hand the cover to Hoover and point over to me on the fence. Hoover waved and I waved back.

He started to sign the cover and the wind... blew... it... out... of... his... hand and it went zooming across the tarmac! I just about died seeing that! The good news was that Hoover was a tall lanky guy who could cover a lot of ground really fast! He chased it down in about 20 feet. And as you can see, it got signed and safely golf-carted back to me. All of us were laughing in the end.