▼ 040 FLYER 2014 DECEMBER Photo: Tyson Rininger Bob Hoover T interviewer feel at home. His trademark grin isstillthere,too. interviewer feelathome.Histrademarkgrin mannersandhospitalityquickly makeasomewhatawestruck His gracious memory, andthoughhenolongerflies,stillspeaksatairshowsevents. several times,fromfast-movingaircraft.Butnothinghasslowedhismindor been physicallyslowedbyageandtheeffectsofinjuriessufferedbailingout, reflected movement.Iturnandthereheis.MrHoover, nowaged93,has I’mstillgazingthroughtheglasswindowsofmodelcasewhenIcatch a man’s lifeismind-stretching. would beimpressive.To thinkofallitheldtogetherbythethreadone this wasaroomcommemoratingtheexploitsoflong-livedsquadron,it the nose.Andofcoursethere’saFocke-Wulf 190… there’sastorythere.If fighter/bomber withaP&WR-4360 Wasp Major, andcontrarotatingpropson Boeing has flown…airplanesfromaStearmanbiplanetovast,single-engine Charles Lindberghatadinnertable—thinkaboutthatcombinationforminute! feathered. AsnapshotofMrHoover, hiswifeColleen,NeilArmstrongand bothprops barelyafootofftheground, wingtip Rockwell Shrike,alsotouchingdownononewheel,the yellow P-51 Mustangtouchingdownononewheel.A A fire. beach. AP-39 Airacobra,guttedbyanengine runway. sandy B-26 rescuedfromashort, AMartin with allthehatchesopen,onsomelong-agoAfrican airplanes andpeople.ADouglasA-20 Havoc,bellied-in memorabilia, andthewallslinedwithphotos,bothof tight onitsrightwing. floats fliesbythewindowwithanExtrain 300tucked From nearbyTorrance,runways ofLAX. aCessnaon basin. Afewmilesbelow, airlinerscrawlintotheskyfrom with sunlightandthewindowsofferaspectacularviewofLosAngeles private studyandinvitedmetowaittakealookaround.The roomisfilled who’s everlived”. stick-and-rudderpilot to talkwiththemanJimmyDoolittlecalled“thegreatest all ofwhicharetrue. airshow pilot…BobHoover’slifestoryisaseriesofhard-to-believeepisodes, PoW, frommilitarytestpilottociviliananddemonstrationpilot,an Africa,fromcombatinSpitfirestoGerman newly-assembled airplanesinNorth himself (ina37hp E-2Taylor Cub)totestflyinghundredsof nobody in the Army Air Corps had a place for him or his men. He hadn’t nobody intheArmy AirCorpshadaplaceforhimorhis men.Hehadn’t sergeant incharge of 60-pluspilots,mostthemofficers. When hearrived, Butfirstofallhewasafighterpilot. In a 1942,he shippedouttoEngland, Shrike becamethegoldstandardof airshowworld. management’demonstrationsinaRockwell stopped. MrHoover’s‘energy in astockbusiness-classpistontwin, much ofitwithoneorbothengines to flylikethat. What theydidn’texpectwasalow-levelaerobaticroutine,flown one-wheel landing.Impressiveasthat was,audiencescouldexpectaMustang Ole Yeller throughalow-levelaerobaticroutine,usuallyculminatingin decades heshowedcrowdsjusthowpreciselyaP-51 could beflown,flying Today, For mostpeoplerememberMrHooverforhisairshowperformances. Spitfire downed airshow pilot, and WWII .Interview by airshow pilot,andWWII Ken Scott R E LY F A glasscasecontainsmodelsofmanythe300 orsotypesMrHoover The studyisfilledwithawards,modelsand When Iarrivedathishome,assistantusheredmeintoMrHoover’s Slightly intimidatedandmorethanalittleexcited,IheadedforLosAngeles the closestthinginAmericanaviationtoalivinglegend.From teaching likeme)is like toconductit?BobHoover(Mrlessermortals magazine hadarrangedaninterviewwithMrRA‘Bob’Hoover. Would I he emailfromeditorEdHickspracticallyfroze meinmychair. FLYER spendsanafternoon withaviationlegendBobHoover, formertest and Colleen, Colleen, NeilArmstrong and and CharlesLindbergh

at adinnertable…” “ Hoover, hiswife A snapshot of Mr A snapshotofMr

what a Sabre could do if it was flown with confidence and skill. One of the what aSabrecould doifitwasflownwithconfidence andskill.Oneofthe war again,butthis time inajet.HewenttoKorea toshowfighterpilotsjust The picturestriggered morememories,notjusttestflying,butgoingto could filloutthebackstoryandidentify someofthemeninphotos. photos hangonmyownwalltoday. Itookthemwith me,hopingMrHoover initwasincinerated,butthose test photos.Dad’shouseandeverything andalltheflight houseful ofpossibilitieshechoseacouple offamilyportraits, enough timetothrowafewthingsin thebootofhiscarandrun.Outa life, bushfiresroaredthroughhismountainsidecommunity. Hehadjust who testedthemhungonthewallofmychildhoodhome.Lateinfather’s Mr Hooverasanexperimentaltestpilot.Framed photos ofF-86sandthemen and Mr Hooverworkedtogetherthere,myDadasaflighttestengineer days;myfatherand IhaveatenuouspersonalconnectiontotheNAA make thehaironanypilot’sarmsstandstraightup. anti- rocketswerefiredandaspinrecoverychutedeployed,isenough to Mr Hoover, ofanF-100 inaflatspinandrefusingtorecover, evenwhen Sabre, theFury, theF-100 SuperSabre.The filmrecord,calmlynarrated by first generationsofswept-wingjetfighters,totheirlimits,andbeyond:the the best.Iwasexcitedtogoworkthere.” American’swere Aviation. “I’dflownalotofairplanesbythen,”hesaid.“North when ChuckYeager streakedintothehistorybooks. of theX-1onitshistoricMach1flight.HewasflyingF-80chaseplane After thewar, he becameafull-timetestpilot.Hejustmissedbeingthepilot Precision flying started lookingforAlliedtroops.”started ground-looped togetstoppedand to Holland,whereIlandedinafield, but neverenoughfuel.” “It wasabetterfighterthantheMark V, morepowerandaterrificdog-fighter, HefinallyfoundhisplaceintheMediterranean,flyingMarkIXSpitfires. thattestflyingwas.”learning opportunity landing-gear failures.AsmuchasIwantedcombat,laterrealisedwhatagreat failuresaweek.Andthatwasbetween averaged acoupleofengine bombers,fighters,capturedItalianaircraft.“Iprobably Hefleweverything: USA. him toworktest-flyingairplanesassembledfromcratesshippedthe Africa,where,tohisdisgust,theAirCorpsput HewassoonpostedtoNorth that. I’lltellyou,Iwaslocked,lockedonthatman’swing!” enough, IfoundmyselfovertheEnglishChannelanditseemedlowerthan higher than25ft, Germanradarwouldpickusup.Twenty-five feet!Sure “Myfirstmissionwentto France. Myflightleadertoldmethatifwegot find aplaceonBritishfighterbase,inthecockpitofMarkVSpitfire. come toEuropesitaroundandwait,he’dfight.Hemanaged There wasplentyofexcitementoverthenextfewyears ashetestedthe After astintofmilitarytestflyingat American Wright Field,hejoinedNorth Flying theSpitfireoverSouthern France, heendedupinashootingmatch out the opening of the revetment and took off. It got me itanywhere.Ijustpointed remembers. “Ididn’ttaxi few bulletholes,butitwasfulloffuel,”Mr. Hoover aFocke-Wulfmechanic tohelpthemstart 190. “Ithada a smallpistolandusedittoconvinceGerman way toaGermanairdrome.Somehow, they’dacquired buddy managedtogetpastthewireandmaketheir attempts. Finally, asthewarwounddown,heanda He spenthistimeplanningandmakingescape the nextyear-and-halfinaPoW campneartheBaltic. tank thatwouldn’trelease,hewasshotdownandspent ofFW-190s. Hamperedbyanexternal with aquartet 2014 FLYER DECEMBER 041 SPECIAL FEATURE Bob Hoover

▼ ▼ ▼ Bob Hoover SPECIAL FEATURE 042 FLYER 2014 DECEMBER bombs on targets like these. bombs ontargetslikethese. a methodthatwouldallowfighterpilotstodeliver ammunition dumps.Hooverwasaskedtodevelop hitting targetslikebridgesandtrucks tactical role,interdictingenemysupplyroutesand essential thatfast-movingjetsbeadaptedtothe attackweretakingterriblelosses.Itwas ground slow-moving P-51s andB-26s employedin critical forthewarbeingfought.The relatively something fighterpilotsreallywantedtodo,but skills hetaughtwasprecisionbombing…not To celebrate Hoover’s90thbirthday, Jeppesen producedtheultimate anniversary card trained forcombat,notprecisionaerobatics.” nose wouldbeuphere,ordownthere…they’d asked himtodoitthesamewaytwiceinarow. The couldn’t comeanywhereclose,especiallyifyou you askedhimtoclimbordiveata45°angle,he aboutthat.Now, anything theaveragefighterpilot,if wind andtheatmosphere,wecouldn’tdo place everytime.The onlyvariablewouldbethe and diveangle,thebombwouldlandinsame flying. Ifthepilotcouldflyanexactairspeed,altitude “The keytoit,”heremembers,“wasprecision to storiestoldbythe bestwho’severbeen.■ I’d justspentthreehourstalkingflying andlistening entirely thesunthatmademefeelalittle dazzled. almost 70 years. my handandwentupstairstojoinhis wifeof Eventuallyitwastimetogo.Mr. Hoovershook things in25 years!” he realisesIhaven’tthoughtaboutoneofthose outaproblemwithanF-86.Idon’t think to sort was BobHoover,” hetoldme.“Hewantsmyhelp Hecameupstairs,hiseyesabitwide.“That there assoonIcan…” if youthinkIcanhelp…yes…sure…OK.I’llbe heard himdownstairs:“Bob,I’dbehappytocome Well, IwashomewhenDadgotthatcall. outinaday.” andhaditsorted to thedesert was themanIwanted.Hedroveallwayout IcalledyourDad.He When Igotontheground rudder andpowersoImanagedtolanditallright. hand. Icouldn’tmakeitmoveatall.stillhad in toland. wentprettywelluntilIcame keep itin.Everything wherehe’dbuildamagnificenthangarto airport an decided thatI’dmakethefirstflightandlandat andhelpedsupervisetherestoration.We agreed I as aprivateairplaneandhewantedmetoflyit. “A wealthyfriendhadanF-86hewasrestoring of it. and thisoneIalreadyknew. Atleast,Iknewhalf but MrHooverwantedtotellmeonelaststory… Our meetinghadrunmuchlongerthanplanned, Final approach pretty successful.” and airspeedstheyneededtohittargetsproved My methodofteachingthemthepreciseangles was me.Afterthattheguyswerewillingtolisten! still onhiswing.The onlypilotwhohaddropped he’d hadanelectricalglitchandhisbombswere leader hadhitit,butwhenwerejoined,found “At firsteveryoneintheflightthoughtour into abridgeinusebyenemytrucks. doubters whenhestuckhisfirstbombdirectly wingman inaborrowedF-86,heconvincedthe inabombingmission.Flyingas participate initial scepticism,wasallowed(asacivilian)to I hadtogetupat3ameverymorning!” get thesmoothairweneededforaccuratedata. row intothetarget. display. Eventuallyhecouldput20 bombsina theangle.Callitanearlyheads-up changing glance, withoutlookingdownandinadvertently gunsight lethimseehisspeedinthesame extra airspeedindicatormountednexttothe any otherpilot,tolearnjudgeanglesexactly. An aircraft today, hemadeatoolthatallowedhim,or the canopy, usedonaerobatic similartothegrids exactly wherehewantedit.Byputtingmarkson and airspeedthatallowedhimtoplaceabomb practice. Hesoonfoundthecombinationofangle routines… experimentandaccurate,repeated methods helaterusedtodevelopairshow American bombingranges,usingthesame Hooverdevelopedhistechniqueover I stepped outside and I don’t think it was I steppedoutsideanddon’tthinkitwas “On finalapproach,thestickjustfroze inmy He tookhismethodtoKorea and,aftersome ofthat,”hesays,“wasthatto “The worstpart