Justice for Hoover

R. A. (Bob) Hoover sits in the upstairs conference room of Great American Aircraft, a tidy shop in Torrance, California, that tends to the trademark-yellow North American P-51 Mustang that bears his name. His clear blue-eyed gaze is unwavering, his hands steady as a laser gyro, and his train of thought true. Considering all that the man's been through to win back his medical certificate, clear his name, and resume his flying career — his upbeat mood and gentlemanly demeanor are amazing.

After a lengthy legal battle to recover his medical certificate, Hoover has finally received justice. His saga should remain a lesson to us all. Two FAA inspectors, alleging that Hoover performed poorly in an airshow and looked in ill health, recommended to the FAA medical staff that Hoover's medical be pulled. The agency waited until Hoover had completed an additional 33 appearances before taking action. In what has all the earmarks of a daytime soap opera, Hoover's quest to recapture his livelihood took many strange turns. (For a more detailed review of Hoover's legal battle, see " Pilot Counsel: A Chapter in the Life of Bob Hoover," May 1994 Pilot, and this month's " Pilot Counsel," page 69.)

The legendary pilot performed his first U.S. airshow in two years at Daytona Skyfest '95 in Daytona Beach, Florida, on November 4 (see " Pilot Briefing," December 1995 Pilot).

AOPA Pilot met with Hoover both to congratulate him and to learn what's on his mind, now that he can turn his attention to the endeavor he loves most of all — flying. A full transcript of the interview is available on AOPA Online on CompuServe (library: Pilot Magazine, filename: HOOVER.TXT).

First, the obvious question: How does it feel to be back?

Well, very nice. The important thing is we won a real battle for all pilots. What's also very important to me is all the support that I've received. It's been really widespread, all over the world. I get letters from people from just about every country you can think of, even Russia.

What are they saying to you?

'You're welcome to fly in our country.' Places like India...Japan...and, of course, I have flown in Mexico. In 1995 I had three tours in Australia.

And they said regardless of the stateside disposition of your medical, you're free to fly in their country? Did they issue waivers?

No. Once I received Australian certification, I could fly anywhere in the world, except the United States.

So you are an Australian pilot?

Yes, I even put patches on my flight suit. I had an American flag on one shoulder and the Australian flag on the other. I think that really gave a lot of enthusiasm to the people in Australia. They were proud of their country.

So common sense prevailed down under?

It sure did. Of course, my friend Rob Liddell, director of aviation medicine for the Australian CAA [Civil Aviation Authority], knew of this controversy, but he didn't believe the findings. Because why would I be allowed to fly 33 flights after these two people [the FAA inspectors] state that I'm not physically fit?

Did the Australians say, 'We've seen the allegations — they make no sense to us?'

I think they said, 'You passed our physical, so you're fine to fly.' I did pass along to them all these test results that I had taken and passed. I said, 'Why don't you let me take the resident written exam for a commercial pilot's license?' Liddell said, 'I think I can arrange that for you,' and so he did. And I had to study real hard for three solid days — eight- to 10-hour days. And I did very well, considering...I got an 84.

Then you performed the flight tests?

A very fine gentleman by the name of Barry Diamond was the inspector...a very sharp man. He cleared me on the instruments and all the other checks, but he also cleared me for low-altitude aerobatics — which means that he actually flew with me during the demonstration right off the bat. That's sort of gutsy. Most people say, 'do it at altitude' — but he said, 'I trust you; go ahead and do it right off the deck.'

And his opinion was obviously that you passed?

He said to me beforehand, 'I'm going to give you the most severe checkride that I've ever given anyone, because of the controversy.' And I didn't object to it at all, and I think it's paid off — because he did write a letter 'to whom it may concern,' outlining all the things that he did; and it clearly indicates that if I had a cognitive problem, I sure as heck couldn't pass all these tests.

Do you think that that experience was in part why you have a medical now?

I'm certain that it contributed to it. How could you argue that I'm not capable of flying in the face of all the medical experts who took a look at all of the test results? One fellow who is a professor of neurology for the Nottingham University in Nottingham, England, came here. He was returning from Australia and he stopped in Los Angeles just to give me his clinical observations. His viewpoint was that there's no way that anyone can say that an individual, on the basis of tests alone, has any kind of an impairment.

What procedures did you have to go through to get your medical back?

Well, I just called my AME, Larry Marinelli, and said, 'I think there's a possibility of getting my medical back. Why don't I come over and take a physical and see if I could pass it?' And I did. Got a second class medical certificate, though Larry gave me a first class physical, as I was due one for Australia.

What has this cost you in time, effort, and money?

Well...the waking up at night. As we all do, you know. When I would try to go back to sleep, it ran through my mind — how can this happen in this great country of ours?

It was impossible for me to comprehend that such an injustice was set up and planned, and then further carried out by the medical world, when there was no basis for it. And so it sort of opened my eyes that there are some injustices out there that take place and people can't do anything about them.

I happen to be very, very fortunate in getting the support of AOPA and EAA behind me, and having dear friends like F. Lee Bailey and John Yodice supporting me. I've had many good friends helping, and my reputation gave me a lot of attention somebody else wouldn't have. It's cost me a lot of time trying to fight it.

Lee Bailey has not charged me one cent for all of his effort. There have been other legal fees — some substantial ones — that I paid. Then, fortunately, my legal defense fund came around, and that helped so much. I heard from some wonderful friends who were calling and offering to help. Some of the contributions were just so heartwarming, I can't believe it. One boy, a 10-year-old, wrote a letter with a $5 bill in the envelope. Of course, when money came in like that I sent it back, but I would take the time to send a little note back to the person.

Now that you have the medical back, do you find yourself in demand for airshows?

Yes. I've been trying to put my act together here. My Commander is going to the Smithsonian, so I have to find another airplane. I made that commitment at a time when I thought there would never be a possibility of getting my license back, and I can't change that. I'm honored and privileged that they want it.

You handed over the keys thinking you'd never fly in the United States again?

I had accepted the fact that I had exhausted practically all resources.

So what's next on the circuit?

I'm not sure I really want to go back on the circuit 30 or 40 weekends out of the year as I have in years gone by. I've found, for one thing, that I can fly three shows a year and maintain my proficiency.

I am talking with some people about sponsorship. You can't be on the airshow circuit and charge enough money to support the cost of the operation without sponsorship. And I intend to be back on the circuit again. Lee Bailey has offered me the use of his Commander, which is the one I used in Daytona Beach, and it's a beauty.

Has the controversy posed any problems for you in getting sponsorship?

Oh, not at all. Well, the thing is, I didn't have anything to offer unless I was flying. The billboard advertising is what it's all about. And I am convinced that those companies who are sponsoring the different airshow acts are really getting their money's worth. They go by the number of times the company's name is seen in print, the exposure that it gets on TV, and this sort of thing; it doesn't take very many national hookups on TV networks to really pay for the whole operation.

Also, I'm hunting a sponsorship at a bad time of the year, because most companies have put their budgets to bed.

Does this sour you on the FAA?

I know so many wonderful people in the FAA. It's a pity that an organization can get a bad name because of a handful of rotten apples. You wouldn't believe how many letters I've had from people that I've never met in the FAA, telling me that they're distressed about what has happened, that they know it's wrong.

What else is in your future?

Well, at the moment, I've got a book that should be out early next year; from Simon and Schuster. I'm doing that book with a writer by the name of Mark Shaw. And I've been talking with some of the movie studios. It's a little premature to say anything more than that.

Since this happened to you, a very high-profile individual in the industry, what cautions do you have for the everyday pilot who doesn't have the kind of support that you had?

If you receive a letter through the mail requesting that you do this, or whatever, don't respond. Don't pick up the phone and say, 'Sure, I'll cooperate with you.' Don't do it.

Get an aviation attorney to place that call for you and to advise you as to what you should or should not do. Because this would never have happened had I done that. Had I called up John Yodice first, I would never have taken one test, and therefore none of this would have occurred.

John would have told me exactly what to do, it would have been the right thing to do, and we would have then figured out that these two people had conspired for no reason at all.

But for that one phone call, Hoover's life would have taken a distinctly different track during the last three years. It turned out to be an unfortunate turn of events that robbed Americans of one of the finest and most well-regarded airshow acts extant; it also placed one of aviation's upstanding citizens squarely into the vortex of controversy and hardship.

Spend a few hours with Hoover, though, and one thing becomes clear: He's ready and willing to put this fiasco behind him and get back to plying American skies. Where he so rightly belongs.