Robert Anderson Hoover (January 24, 1922 – October 25, 2016) was an American fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and record-setting air show aviator. Hoover flew Spitfires in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and was shot down in 1944 off the coast of France.

R.A. “Bob” Hoover was an artist whose medium was airplanes and whose canvas was the sky. That is why General Jimmy Doolittle called him “The greatest stick and rudder man who ever lived.” He was a singular gift to aviation and the country he loved.

2016年10月26日 · Bob Hoover, a pilot who escaped Nazi captivity in a stolen plane, tested supersonic aircraft with his friend Chuck Yeager, barnstormed the world as a breathtaking stunt performer and became, by...

2016年10月25日 · The winner of hundreds of military and aviation awards, including the prestigious Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy in 2014, Hoover died Oct. 25 in Los Angeles at age 94. While frail in recent years, he lived at home and relatively pain free until the last few days, according to close friends.

2024年8月31日 · Yet there is one who makes just about every single roll call, and many consider him the ultimate “pilot’s pilot”— Bob Hoover. A U.S. Army Air Forces aviator, flight instructor, test pilot, and ultimate airshow performer, Hoover dazzled generations of pilots and fans.

2016年10月25日 · Bob Hoover was an air show pilot, United States Air Force test pilot, and fighter pilot. Known as the “pilot’s pilot,” Hoover revolutionized modern aerobatic flying and has been referred to in many aviation circles as one of the greatest pilots ever to have lived.

2016年10月25日 · Captain of the 1966 U.S. Acrobatic Team at the international competition in Moscow. World renown aerobatic pilot and his P-51 in a main attraction at the Reno Air Races. Established a coast-to-coast record in 1985 flying a P-51 from Daytona Beach to Los Angeles in 5 hours and 20 minutes. Interested in learning more?

Born Jan. 24, 1922, in Nashville, TN, Hoover had a long and distinguished aviation career, first as a combat aviator during World War II, then serving as a military and civilian test pilot. Fellow aviation pioneer Jimmy Doolittle called Hoover “the greatest stick-and-rudder man who ever lived.”

2016年10月28日 · Robert A. “Bob” Hoover died Tuesday at the age of 94, marking the end of a legendary life in aviation. Widely regarded as the “pilot’s pilot,” Hoover flew 58 missions during World War II before being shot down and spending 16 months as a prisoner of war.

2014年1月28日 · Legendary Bob Hoover was a USAF test pilot and an air show performer, known for his graceful energy management maneuvers. He's referred to in aviation circles as a "pilot's pilot." It's not often you get to meet a legend.