According to Jimmy Doolittle "the greatest stick-and-rudder man who ever lived"

[Chantry]

He was referring to Bob Hoover http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hoover

Chuck Yeager knew him and was impressed by him; he escaped from a POW camp by stealing a FW-190 and flying it back to allied lines; he personally knew such great aviators as Orville Wright,Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh, James H Doolittle, Jacqueline Cochran, Neil Armstrong, and Yuri Gagarin; and was named the 3rd greatest pilot who ever lived in the Centennial of Flight edition of the Air & Space Smithsonian.

Huh, 30+ years of dabbling in aviation history and I don't recall hearing about him before.

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

Well consider your "dabbling" to be more rounded out now. Yes, Bob Hoover is one of the legends of flight.

 

I first saw his work in the 70's at various air shows where he flew the Aero Commander. He did stuff with that business plane that almost should not have been possible, but the engineers gave the plane amazing ability and Mr. Hoover could take it to the envelope's edge.

 

Here's a video of his work:

 

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

Here's another of my favorite Bob Hoover stunts maneuvers. He poured a glass of ice tea while executing a roll! That is why he's considered such a great stick-and-rudder-man!

 

[Dusty Balz, SASS#46599]

I've had the honor if meeting Mr Hoover on a few occasions , he is a fine gentlemen and watching him fly us truly a humbling experience , he is the finest pilot I ever saw

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

I saw him once at an air show many years ago... I think it was at the old Hamilton AFB in Marin County. He did amazing things with that Commander.

 

Dusty, do you remember Art Scholl...?

[Dusty Balz, SASS#46599]

I do remember Art , however I never met or saw him fly other then on film

[Dusty Balz, SASS#46599]

Me Hoover did break out of a German prison camp and stole a German aircraft , he also flew the chase plane when Yeager went Mach 1 ( Hoover was slated as back up pilot and almost flew the X 1 as Yeager broke his ribs when a horse threw him off the night before the flight). He was also chief test pilot for Northrop for. Number of years as mentioned in my earlier post he is one if the nicest guys you could ever meet

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

I got to watch Art at a show in Livermore back in 80's... not long before he went down in the Pacific, filming a Top Gun scene. That was shocking news.

 

The man would end his performance by climbing at least halfway out of the cockpit to wave to the crowd, with one foot on the wing... and when he landed, he'd climb out with a passenger - his dog, "Aileron!"

 

I hope the dog stayed home that last day...

[Hurricane Deck 100366]

 

He was referring to Bob Hoover http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hoover

Chuck Yeager knew him and was impressed by him; he escaped from a POW camp by stealing a FW-190 and flying it back to allied lines; he personally knew such great aviators as Orville Wright,Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh, James H Doolittle, Jacqueline Cochran, Neil Armstrong, and Yuri Gagarin; and was named the 3rd greatest pilot who ever lived in the Centennial of Flight edition of the Air & Space Smithsonian.

Huh, 30+ years of dabbling in aviation history and I don't recall hearing about him before.

 

I've never known a man that understands energy management like Mr. Hoover. Not even Yeager.

[DocWard]

http://www.thebobhooverproject.com/