Bob Hoover, probably the greatest pilot ever, has passed. One of my personal heroes.
If you don't know him, Google around. Fascinating guy, amazing stick and rudder guy, WWII pilot, escaped from a POW camp and stole a German plane, was Yeager's chase pilot, airshow pilot extraordinaire, and much, much more.
http://www.flyingmag.com/aviation-legend-bob-hoover-dies-at-94
If you don't know him, Google around. Fascinating guy, amazing stick and rudder guy, WWII pilot, escaped from a POW camp and stole a German plane, was Yeager's chase pilot, airshow pilot extraordinaire, and much, much more.
http://www.flyingmag.com/aviation-legend-bob-hoover-dies-at-94
Quote:
News of the death of legendary test pilot and aerobatics pioneer Bob Hoover this morning has brought grief to the aviation community.
Hoover, known among his many fans as the "pilot's pilot," died at about 2 a.m. PT, according to reports. He was 94 years old.
Hoover's flying career began when he was a teenager. He soon enlisted and flew in World War II as a fighter pilot. After being shot down over Italy and spending 16 months in a German POW camp, he famously escaped by stealing a Fw190 fighter and flying it to the Netherlands.
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. The movie Flying the Feathered Edge: The Bob Hoover Project recounts his entire storied career in detail....