Bob Hoover, a famous test pilot and frequent performer at air shows, was returning to his home in Los Angeles from an air show in San Diego. As described in the magazine Flight Operations, at three hundred feet in the air, both engines suddenly stopped. By deft maneuvering he managed to land the plane, but it was badly damaged although nobody was hurt.
Hoover's first act after the emergency landing was to inspect the airplane's fuel. Just as he suspected, the World War II propeller plane he had been flying had been fueled with jet fuel rather than gasoline.
Upon returning to the airport, he asked to see the mechanic who had serviced his airplane. The young man was sick with the agony of his mistake. Tears streamed down his face as Hoover approached. He had just caused the loss of a very expensive plane and could have caused the loss of three lives as well.
You can imagine Hoover's anger. One could anticipate the tongue-lashing that this proud and precise pilot would unleash for that carelessness. But Hoover didn't scold the mechanic; he didn't even criticize him. Instead, he put his big arm around the man's shoulder and said, "To show you I'm sure that you'll never do this again, I want you to service my F-51 tomorrow."
Our work environments could be vastly better places if we learned from this example.
-- from Creative-Reaction.org
#2249
Monday, February 23, 2009
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Bob Hoover http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hoover is a cool cat, I have seen him at the Oshkosh Air Show , his performance : taking a twine engine civilian aircraft [aero commander] up]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_Commander_500 . At a pre determined altitude he would shut off both engines put the nose down to pick up air speed do a few loops etc. enter the normal flight pattern land and roll in to the parking space that his aircraft was parked in before he started his part off the show, all of this with no power.
ReplyDelete-- Art Solie
Every day I can't wait to read these!!!!! Thank-you for doing this how it touches my heart to keep going through my suffering.
ReplyDeletePlease pray for so many out of work and they have families my heart is heavy for so many. We need to get on our knees and turn to God He is our only HOPE!!!!
- C. Bauman
What a great motivator! But it would be a P-51, not F-51.
ReplyDelete-Joni Clark
Thanks for this message. For many years we here in Nashville provided a very large air show here for the public. We were a very small local Rotary Club and it really was a labor of love. Hoover was a very integral part of the show. One year, after we had committed our $100,000 or so to the yearly offering on the 11th of September, we were informed that all aircraft was to be grounded. That was the end of our program. However, because of our record and Mr Hoover's participation, we were able to survive our lives but not out participation. Hoover needs to be recognized. THANKYOU!
ReplyDeleteCurt Silverthorne