Stricken P-51 lands with help from a legend: Bob Hoover

http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2012/120229stricken-p51-lands-with-help-from-bob-hoover.html

Circling above Mobile, Ala., on Feb. 26 with the left main landing gear of the vintage P-51 stuck halfway down, pilot Chuck Gardner calmly worked the procedures. When that failed to produce the desired result, a little advice from fellow aviators—including 90-year-old aviation legend Bob Hoover—proved helpful.

 

Landing with one of the main wheels more horizontal than vertical was not an appealing option for the pilot, passenger, or owner. After picking the brains of various pilots, it occurred to Jeanes that Hoover, whose storied career included many flights in a P-51, might have something to offer.

 

“Chuck had really tried just about everything,” Jeanes recalled.

 

Hoover, a veteran military, airshow, and test pilot, spent decades as the official starter of the Reno Air Races, guiding pilots into line abreast with his P-51, then announcing “gentlemen, you have a race” as he pulled up to circle above the contest. If an airplane got into trouble, as they often did, Hoover would form up on the wing and talk the pilot through it.

 

“Somebody would have a problem almost every other race, and over the years I must have talked down 30 or 40 airplanes that were in real trouble,” Hoover said in a telephone interview. “As a test pilot, I had more experience, probably, than most people.”

 

Hoover also had experience with a very similar problem—twice over. First in World War II, and later at the Transpo ’72 airshow at Washington Dulles International Airport, Hoover had to land a Mustang on one wheel. In 1972, Hoover explained, the up lock failed to release, and there was no hope of extending both wheels. He put the old warbird down on one leg, walking away uninjured, but the aircraft required extensive repair following the inevitable prop strike.

 

On Feb. 26, Hoover said, the main wheel was not locked inside the fuselage, so he encouraged Gardner to keep trying a couple of promising maneuvers: an abrupt pull-up that could dislodge the gear with G forces, and a hard yaw to bring the force of the slipstream to bear on the stuck gear assembly.

 

“Boot enough rudder there at landing gear down speeds, get a side load on it, it would force it out and into the locked position,” Hoover said. “I’ve been there, I’ve done that a couple of times.”

 

Jeanes, on the phone from Dallas to Hoover in Los Angeles, encouraged Gardner to keep trying the maneuvers over Mobile Bay. “Just slip it, skid it, yaw it, whatever you have to do to get some air under the door.”

 

After about an hour of maneuvering, the landing gear dropped at last into the down and locked position, and a smooth landing followed (with fire engines waiting just in case).

 

Jeanes said the problem was caused by a bad valve which controls the pressure in the shock and strut assembly, preventing the strut from fully extending. Fortunately, the P-51 had departed with plenty of fuel on board.

 

“Everybody was real calm. Nobody was panicking,” Jeanes said.

 

The Mustang will continue its tour, with a stop planned at Sun ‘n Fun. Rides can be arranged for $1,995.

 

Hoover said he was happy to lend his experience to a pilot in a pinch—again.

 

“I was so pleased we could save the airplane, or that I … had anything to do with it,” Hoover said.

Great story with a happy ending

Bob Hoover, 90. Flew with Yeager. Tested for North American. Helped develop proper techniques for landing a jet on a carrier. Best airshow pilot ever. Told the FAA to flip off. And still kicking'. What a beautiful life!

a big salute to you sir ~! :thumbup:

Wish i had that experience and confidence regarding my flying abilities :D

Cool article!

cant wait to do this in DCS!

Although i'm still waiting for a gear failure in the A-10 ;)

Legend.

What a pro, this is the kind of guy we want flying aircraft.

Just a few days after that incident, I shot this vid of P-51B "Betty Jane" taxiing into Pensacola. It was returning from a paid flight. Such a beautiful machine. This one's owned by the Collings Foundation and visiting PNS with its bomber brethren: a B-17 and a B-24.

http://www.facebook.com/v/3435645447639

The topper? To my left while I was filming this was a spry elderly gentleman who flew the D models in WWII, escorting B-17s during the last six months of the war--and battled ME-262s. Mind = blown. :pilotfly:

From Bob Hoover's wiki page: "his malfunctioning Mark V Spitfire was shot down by a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 off the coast of Southern France and he was taken prisoner. He spent 16 months at the German prison camp Stalag Luft 1 in Barth, Germany. He managed to escape from the prison camp, stole an Fw 190, and flew to safety in the Netherlands." - sounds like something from a film. I bet he has some good stories ;)