Military Figure, Test Pilot. He was an American pilot in World War II and an aerobatics pioneer. He was one of the most accomplished aviators of all time. Robert Hoover was known among his many fans and fellow pilots as the "Pilot's Pilot." Hoover's flying career began when he was just a teenager in the late 1930s. He then enlisted in the Air Force and flew in World War II as a fighter pilot. After being shot down in 1944 over Nice, France, during his 59th mission in World War II, Hoover spent 16 months as a POW, spending much of the time in solitary confinement as punishment for two dozen escape attempts. He then famously escaped by stealing a German Fw190 fighter and flying it to the Netherlands to freedom. He went on to become a U.S. Air Force test pilot alongside Chuck Yeager and later revolutionized aerobatics with his airshow routines in his instantly recognizable green and white Shrike Commander and yellow P-51 Mustang. He was the pilot who flew the chase plane for Chuck Yeager when Chuck broke the sound barrier for the first time on October 14, 1947. He also flew chase for the 50th anniversary of the Mach 1 flight in a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. During the Korean War, he was a flight instructor for North American Aviation. In addition to being one of the most accomplished pilots who ever lived, Hoover was also universally beloved by pilots and aviation enthusiasts alike. His entire storied career was recounted in detail in the 2014 documentary film, "Flying the Feathered Edge: The Bob Hoover Project" with actor Harrison Ford. In his 94 years on this earth, Hoover had met Orville Wright, Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh, Jimmy Doolittle, Jacqueline Cochran, and Neil Armstrong, all spanning the golden age of flight. The Federal Aviation Administration attempted to ground Hoover, saying he was too old to fly, but aviators throughout the world shrieked with outrage until the FAA relented. The Australian Aviation authorities, however, granted "Bob" a pilot's license and medical certificate, allowing him to fly until the matter was resolved. He then returned to the American air show circuit for several years before retiring in 1999 after performing for fifty years. His final show was Sun'N'Fun 2000 in Lakeland, Florida, although he did not perform any aerobatics. Upon Hoover's retirement, his Shrike Commander was placed on display at the National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, in Dulles, Virginia. Among his host of accolades and awards are the Distinguished Flying Cross, Soldier's Medal for Valor, Croix de Guerre from France, Purple Heart, the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, inducted in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1988, inducted in the Aerospace Walk of Honor in 1992 and ranking 10th in the magazine "Flying" 2013 list of Heroes of Aviation.