As noted on Aero-News, legendary pilot Bob Hoover turns 85 today. When I was 12 years old, we flew our Cessna T-50 as a camera ship in formation with Hoover flying a de Havilland Fox Moth. My dad gave me the controls for a few moments so that now, 26 years later, I can say "I flew in formation with Bob Hoover". Consider it said.
I had a nice chat with Hoover at Oshkosh last year – when I reminded him about flying with him, he remembered the Fox Moth immediately (and he wasn’t just being kind – he remembered the unusual orange paint scheme) and told me that the picture that was taken from our airplane hangs in his bar at home.
For more on Hoover, check out the Aero-News writeup here:
If you’ve never seen him fly, there’s a decent look at his justifiably famous "energy management" routine here:
Our Cessna T-50 at Oshkosh in 1989.
To see what a Fox Moth looks like, click here.
I took the picture of Hals T-50, July 31 1989 Oshkosh, Hal. Jr. was 20 then , Who are you Then as he was the only one there on the flight from Auburn, Wa to Oshkosh Wi. Jon