Notes for: Robert Anderson HOOVER
Ace Pilot, Test Pilot. He was a pilot in WWII and an aerobatics pioneer. He was one of the most accomplished aviators of all time. Robert Hoover was known among his many fans and fellow pilots as the 'Pilot’s Pilot'. Hoover’s flying career began when he was just a teenager in the late 1930's. He then enlisted in the Army Air Corps and flew in World War II as a fighter pilot. After being shot down over Nice, France during his 59th mission in World War II, Hoover spent 16 months as a POW, spending much of the time in solitary confinement as punishment for two dozen escape attempts. He then famously escaped by stealing a German Fw190 fighter and flying it to the Netherlands to freedom. He went on to become a U.S. Air Force test pilot alongside Chuck Yeager and later revolutionized aerobatics with his airshow routines in his instantly recognizable green and white Shrike Commander and yellow P-51 Mustang. He was the pilot who flew the chase plane for Chuck Yeager when Chuck broke the sound barrier for the first time. He also flew chase for the 50th anniversary of the Mach 1 flight in a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. In addition to being one of the most accomplished pilots who ever lived, Hoover was also universally beloved by pilots and aviation enthusiasts alike. His entire storied career was recounted in detail in the movie Flying the Feathered Edge: The Bob Hoover Project. Harrison Ford was featured in this thrilling movie. In his 94 years on this earth, Hoover had met Orville Wright, Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh, Jimmy Doolittle, Jacqueline Cochran, and Neil Armstrong, all spanning the golden age of flight. A few years ago, the Federal Aviation Administration tried to ground Hoover, saying he was too old to fly. Aviators throughout the world shrieked with outrage until the FAA relented. The Australian Aviation authorities however granted 'Bob' a pilot's license and medical certificate allowing him to fly until the matter was resolved. He then returned to the American air show circuit for several years before retiring in 1999. His final show was Sun'N'Fun 2000 in Lakeland, Florida, although he did not perform any aerobatics. Upon Hoover's retirement, his Shrike Commander was placed on display at the National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, in Dulles, Virginia.