America Lost Another Hero

• Oct 27, 2016

• #1

Expert684

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Bob Hoover passed away yesterday. He was truly an American hero and aviation icon. He was a WWII POW and escaped by stealing a German fighter. If you get a chance look up some of his videos on You Tube. He use to do a dead stick loop in an Aero Comander.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/to...prison-camp-dies/ar-AAjrdiv?OCID=ansmsnnews11

https://www.facebook.com/FlyingAcademy/videos/10151510891857855/

 

Last edited: Oct 27, 2016

• Oct 27, 2016

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Firearmfanatic

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Yes, I had seen that. He was truely a natural born aviator!

 

• Oct 27, 2016

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John_

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Quite an aviation legend for sure. Imagine escaping a POW camp, stealing a German fighter, then having to evade being shot down by the Allies.

 

• Oct 27, 2016

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Expert684

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John_ said:

Quite an aviation legend for sure. Imagine escaping a POW camp, stealing a German fighter, then having to evade being shot down by the Allies.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a great movie to me!!!

 

• Oct 27, 2016

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general mills

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he was a childhood hero of mine, and part on the inspiration that led me towards aviation as a career. my dad would tell me he could preform a 1 G barrel roll while pouring coffee into a cup on the instrument panel.

 

• Oct 27, 2016

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Firearmfanatic

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general mills said:

he was a childhood hero of mine, and part on the inspiration that led me towards aviation as a career. my dad would tell me he could preform a 1 G barrel roll while pouring coffee into a cup on the instrument panel.

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I have never seen that, but I have seen this video where he seems to be pouring a class of tea:

 

• Oct 27, 2016

• #7

John_

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How did he pour that tea while executing the roll? Centrifugal force perhaps? The fluid in the glass or pitcher doesn't appear to budge.

 

• Oct 27, 2016

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Firearmfanatic

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John_ said:

How did he pour that tea while executing the roll? Centrifugal force perhaps? The fluid in the glass or pitcher doesn't appear to budge.

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Yeah, I think he was using it to control the liquid and have it stay where he wanted it.

 

• Oct 27, 2016

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general mills

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Firearmfanatic said:

I have never seen that, but I have seen this video where he seems to be pouring a class of tea:

Click to expand...

I guess that is the video he was talking about. Thanks. I guess he remembered it as coffee, or he said tea and I remembered it as coffee. I've never actually seen the video, but that's good stuff.

 

• Oct 27, 2016

• #10

general mills

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John_ said:

How did he pour that tea while executing the roll? Centrifugal force perhaps? The fluid in the glass or pitcher doesn't appear to budge.

Click to expand...

If performed smoothly, a roll can keep relatively 1 G downward force through the whole maneuver. If you were blindfolded, you would never know you went upside-down, and would probably perceive the whole thing as a slight bump. Think of John Kennedy continuing in a death spiral into the ocean while supposedly arguing with his wife, same concept.

 

Last edited: Oct 27, 2016

• Oct 27, 2016

• #11

Abby Normal

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Thanks for starting this thread Expert. I seen this yesterday as well. I watched Bob fly his Yellow P-51 & Aero Commander at an Air Show in Hammond in the early 80s. That was a Great little show. I then went to a Shelby meet and heard a pilot talking about Carrol Shelby in his younger days. I never put it together till years later that was the same Bob Hoover.
I watched the "pouring Tea" on TV about 30 yrs ago. He said the hardest part was pouring it backhanded so they could see in on camera & not the back of his arm.
I'll miss his flying & his great stories.

 

• Oct 28, 2016

• #12

Ellis1958

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Saw Bob fly his P51 and Aero Commander at Oshkosh many times from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s.

The one maneuver he did with the Aero Commander that always freaked me out was he would shut down and feather one engine. In 99.9% of cases you would now be in an emergency situation. Not Bob. He simply would roll the aircraft around the operating engine.

He was from an era of pilots who truly earned the name 'pilot'. Not like todays drivers who are nothing more than systems managers who are along for the ride until some light comes on in the central warning panel.

Sir, you have gone west with honor. Thank you.