Bob Hoover steals a FW 190 and flies it to freedom.

[Phil Perry]

I had not seen this before,. . .this bloke could fly anything it seems. . . Shame about the annoying music track !

 

 

 

[turboplanner]

If that was the Bob Hoover we know, and it sounds like him, that's two more crashes added to his total of dozens; I must rsearch it one day, because it's around 30, and way more than any other pilot I know of.

 

Having said that, I still rate him the best in the world.

 

 

[Aldo]

If that was the Bob Hoover we know, and it sounds like him, that's two more crashes added to his total of dozens; I must rsearch it one day, because it's around 30, and way more than any other pilot I know of.Having said that, I still rate him the best in the world.

Turbo

 

If not the best as close as you can get to being the best I don't know of anyone any better.

 

Aldo

 

 

[Phil Perry]

TurboIf not the best as close as you can get to being the best I don't know of anyone any better.

 

Aldo

My Mate 'Chalkie' down at the 'Dog and Duck' pub. . .now renamed. . ( And Chalkie's funeral was nearly 3 years ago. . .) .used to tell me that HE was one of the Best pilots in WW2, ( 1943 to 45 ) as he Never got shot down, and all his Lancasters returned to England,.although not always at the same base ( ! ) with very few dead crew, and never had to crash land. He then operated in the Berlin Airlift flying Dakotas. I feel sad that I never asked if he'd ever barrel rolled a Lanc. . .( ! )

 

 

[turboplanner]

My Mate 'Chalkie' down at the 'Dog and Duck' pub. . .now renamed. . ( And Chalkie's funeral was nearly 3 years ago. . .) .used to tell me that HE was one of the Best pilots in WW2, ( 1943 to 45 ) as he Never got shot down, and all his Lancasters returned to England,.although not always at the same base ( ! ) with very few dead crew, and never had to crash land. He then operated in the Berlin Airlift flying Dakotas. I feel sad that I never asked if he'd ever barrel rolled a Lanc. . .( ! )

Being sole pilot with all that crew would have been a huge weight on your shoulders.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Being sole pilot with all that crew would have been a huge weight on your shoulders.

I often wondered if losses could have been fewer if the Lancs had two pilots and dual controls A La B-17. . . I imagine that we shall / can never know Turbs. . . .

 

***Edited to add * * * 'Chalkie' told me his 'Best Pilot' was a nickname he had from his RAF friends who just Couldn't believe his 'Luck' He made the 'Best Pilot' comment with tongue firmly pressed into cheek . . .He was one of the few who really did not mind talking about his experiences. . .

 

I liked the one where he was 'Corkscrewing' to get out of a searchlight cone over some target at around 25,000 feet, I think he said 'Mannheim' ? and after he lost the searchlights, he pulled up too hard in pitch darkness and stalled. . he managed to get the Lanc to actually 'Spin' . . which was NOT his intention. He said that I would not understand this, ( ? ) but he had to use engine thrust on one side and throttle back on the other. . ( assymetrics ? ) to recover it, as most of his twin rudder surfaces had been peppered by Flak. . . Damn, the chap could have written a book !

 

But he was not the 'Eddificated' sort, his lineage being a long line of Coal face workers in Cannock chase pits. . .( there were 27 of them around here during the Forties )

 

The saddest news was when I asked his Son if I could have his logbooks if the family didn't wish to keep them. His Son waved away my request, saying that . . " Oh, I don't know what's happened to them' . . . .( A$$hole ) He had not visited his Dad for 20 years. . .

 

Grrrrr.

 

 

[turboplanner]

It was a commitment all round in the Lancaster; if the pilot copped a bullet, you were all for it, although an amazing number of people successfully baled out.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Being sole pilot with all that crew would have been a huge weight on your shoulders.

...young people had to grow up quickly.

Despite my recent post about WWII pilots, I retain much confidence in today's youth. A couple of years ago I was watching a bushfire when two RFS tankers left the firefront and stopped near us. They were crewed entirely by young girls and boys, exhausted from hours of battling the blaze and covered in grime. It occurred to me they weren't much different to a returning Lancaster crew.

 

 

[M61A1]

There are quite a few good videos on youtube, with Hoover talking about his efforts, some really good material, also some good stuff with a long interview and other footage of Eric Brown.