The greatest living pilot passed away yesterday at 94, and that's not just my opinion, but that of Gen. Chuck Yeager, too, as well as countless others- Robert A. "Bob" Hoover was the Pilot's pilot- I had the pleasure of seeing this man perform the most incredible air show routines I've ever witnessed, then or since, when I was a kid in the 80s in Flint, Michigan. That plane hes standing next to? Thats a business airliner, a #ShrikeCommander, and he'd do acrobatics in it and land it. With the engines OFF. And that's only part of it. In WWII, the man escaped a German POW camp by STEALING A DAMN PLANE... so many stories. I remember being so struck by seeing him, I wrote a fan letter to #RockwellInternational, his sponsor, in like fifth grade, and they sent me a nifty press packet and some swag. I only saw him in person that once; I may have even met him and got an autograph; I can't remember. But that thrill of seeing the sheer artistry of a guy who flew with a joy and style the likes of which I've never seen since has NEVER left me. I guess the only consolation is that now you're free to roam the skies where you belong. Thanks Bob... #RIP ********* #plane #planes #airplane #aviation #avgeek #inmemoriam #bobhoover #ripbobhoover #fly #flying #flight #history #legend #P51 #P51mustang #hero #heroes