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General control line discussion => Open Forum => Topic started by: Larry Wong on January 06, 2015, 08:57:42 PM
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http://www.chonday.com/Videos/incredible-pilot-skills
The great Bob Hoover y1 #^ Spell check did it again*# HB~> Sorry about that ???
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"late?"
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Happy to report that, unless he has died in the last three weeks, Bob has not yet joined the angels. He received an award Dec 12, 2014 and will be 93 three weeks from now. He has not flown airshows for going on 20 years but was an amazing flyer. Saw him in Ole Yeller and the Shrike many times.
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I just saw him, looked breathing and walking to me.
Chris...
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When Mr. Hoover passes it will be national (maybe international) news.
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I had seen some Bob Hoover videos before, but not this one with pouring the tea backhanded while rolling. Now that's amazing.
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I was in Harrisburg, PA when the tire on the yellow P-51 blew on takeoff....it caught fire as it was folded up.
The ensuing landing was very uneventful and there was little damage to the plane.
Hoover spoke to the crowd about 1/2 hour later and seemed calm.
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I have seen him preform over 20 times and met him on numerous occasions. He is a great showman and a true American hero.
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As Bob says -- there are bold pilots and there are old pilots .... but there are no old bold pilots !
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I am fortunate to have seen him fly on many occasions and talk with him on several more. He used to give forums at Oshkosh where he would present a slide show and give commentary on each photo. I wish some of those were available on DVD. There was a tribute to him a few years ago at Oshkosh and most of the now recognizable names in aerobatics made comments in the event program that they could not do what Bob did in his show, even though it just seemed like run of the mill loops, rolls and such. It all drastically changes when you switch the engines off! The late Bob Odegard did do a "Energy management Maneuver" but did not put it on the deck like Hoover could. He did shut down both engines, did a loop, roll and land and taxi back to show center, all dead stick. If you can find his book, buy it and read it. He's probably the best stick and rudder guy that ever flew.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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The one time I got to see the man fly was years ago at the old Olathe Naval Air Station. He did his routines with both planes. The last one was with the Aerocommander. Both engines dead after doing the loop, roll and then landing. Taxied it to the parking spot on the apron. One of the ground told him he was a foot short. He stated the ramp must a have slope to it. He is one of the greats.
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I have been blessed to see him fly several times along with Art Sholl, Jimmy Franklin, and many others that are long gone. Bob was a great performer in his day, and I think the reason he is still around is that safety was his prime concern, besides being one of the best pilots around.
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His book 'Forever Flying' is one of the very best of its type, and somehow manages to convey a lot of humility despite his exceptional achievements.
Apart from the incredible airshow stuff, let's not forget that he escaped from PoW camp and stole an FW190 to get to freedom. And having once suffered an engine failure and not had quite enough glide range to make the runway, he found the necessary extra energy by doing a touch-and-go off the top of a passing truck! An extraordinary aviator.