Bob Hoover's Shrike routine...

I saw the first time that this was done by Chuck Lyford at the 1967 Abottsford Airshow. He shocked everyone with his twin engine out routine in a P-38. He urged Hoover to do it in the Shrike which he did in the fellowing year. Really something to hear what a P-38 sounds like as it passes dead stick at 200+MPH. Lyford came in at high speed, did a loop and a roll and then peeled away and restarted his engines. Quite a show.

 

I saw Hoover the first time at Abbotsford, B.C in the 60's (I think) and the last time at Arlington NAS, WA. in the 90's, still in the Shrike.

 

I went to Oshkosh many times during the mid to late 1970s with my dad. Saw Hoover do both the Shrike routine and fly his Rockwell yellow P-51. Awesome - life long impression on a 10 year old kid. I also met Greg Boyington, who cussed me and my brother out but then did sign our copy of his book after his friends jumped all over him.

Ive met and spoken with Hoover, Boyington, Bud Anderson, Yeager, Gabreski, Tex Hill, Ed Rector, Gunther Rall and a number of others at various events over the years. Anderson and Rall were by far the most personable and entertaining.

I went to Washington DC to a Smithsonian symposium, I think it was 1988, with my dad. We went up the day before the event so we could tour the Garber facility. While there, we saw a group of 3-4 older guys also walking around and I recognized Rall. So we went up to say hello and he was the nicest guy you could imagine. Turned out he and my father had some mutual friends (Dad was a Delta pilot for 33 years and had several buddies active in the Warbird community). Rall walked around with us for about an hour looking at all the planes and telling us stories. The next night after the event, I was in line for him to sign my copy of his book.... and he remembered my name and spent another 10 minutes chatting as others waited! Amazing guy.

He had some incredible stories, just amazing. Flying 4-5 sorties per day on the Russian front from grass fields less than 20 miles behind the lines, moving base a couple of times per week at times. We were looking at a Hurricane being restored at Garber... he tells about one day where he shot down 6 of them in a single engagement, the last one going down as a massive flaming torch after passing only feet away as he overshot after his firing pass. Humble, respectful, clearly aware and saddened by the loss of life but also proud to have done his duty to his nation - an amazing Gentleman.

I never get tired of reading about that generation of heroes.



Terry

 

Yes, I saw him do it at the original Aero Commander plant in Bethany, Oklahoma. He was so smooth that it did not really even look all that scary.

His comment to the press was - this routine is not really aerobatics, as much as it is "energy management".

 

I've seen Hoover's Shrike routine a number of times.

I still have fond memories of the Reno Air Races in the 1980s when Hoover would start the race from the yellow P-51. While the race was going on, you could look way up and see Hoover doing aerobatics in the P-51 to kill the time...