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Hoot Gibson's comments about the pilots of Southwest Airlines really touched my heart. I flew for Eastern Airlines for 25 years and had a great career. I'm not complaining. My son, who I thought was a real pilot, got hired by Southwest Airlines. He claims he flew one leg with Hoot at one time, and Hoot just said he did a nice job. I told my son to say no more; that will go in your resume. I had a promising career, and my is living my dream by FLYING for Southwest; it is a real pilot’s airline
I had the privilege of flying as Hoot's First Officer several times, including on his SWA retirement flight from BNA to HOU. A finer human you will not meet. Gifted, kind, funny and insightful, this video series is a great opportunity to see all that and more. I watched Hoot interact numerous times with SWA folks and he was always joyful- sharing "space stories" with any crew who asked and would share pictures, or drill down in STS technical stuff as deep you could handle.... Kudos to JT for recording these.
I don't think I ever flew with Hoot, but I did have the pleasure of running into him a time or three in the HOU Pilot Lounge when I was a new F.O. I'm in my 22nd year at SWA now. Happy to be able to say I met such a legend of American aviaton.
I spent a week with Hoot on an adult Space Camp program and I practically BEGGED him to write a book about his life. He thought there were too much such books out there already, but I said he had a lot of other experiences other astronauts never had. I told him it'd be best to open with the final lap at Reno where he won. I could see the gears turning when I mentioned that and a few years later I'm still hoping he'll write it after all. "Never meet your heroes," they say. Most of the time it's true but Hoot is a really nice person and accommodating to his fans. He's earned the right to be a crusty 'been there done that' jerk, but he's nothing like that at all. A REAL class act, that man is!
Hoot is amazing. I love his stories and interviews. Such an amazing pilot, personality, and engineer. Hard to believe he nearly got killed by same guy twice while racing. RIP Rocky. Great series.
@@lurch789 "Out of their league"? LOL "A Rocky"? Rocky (my Dad) had more flying time than Hoot had (and maybe has presently). Not only was he in the RCAF, he taught flying and later joined the USAF for about 14 years as a fighter pilot in both WWII and Korea (where he was a night fighter pilot of the "Mid Night Sinner" F-82G in the 4th AWFS and then he was asked to retire early and was immediately hired by Hughes Aircraft Co. as a 2 time Mach Buster Club (Mach I and Mach II) awarded test pilot for over 20 years, flying to their extreme limits just about every "F" plane you can think of (except the F-105, nor the XB-70 or X-15) , performing many Falcon, Phoenix and Maverick missile launch tests eventually becoming an assistant manager where he was in charge of the F-15 radar development program in Bitburg GE, where he even got to fly (Eagle Pilot) an F-15 shortly before he was killed. He was also quite an accomplished stunt pilot with his Pitt's Special N77CK and probably over 15 years in Formula One racing in "Pogo" and "Ole Blu". Twice he had to emergency dead stick land with an oil covered canopy after his (properly dye checked) aluminum composite prop "disintegrated" during a race (thank God for safety wired engines) Dad died doing what he loved, and I thank God that there was no fire or explosion on that dreadful day. RIP Dad!
@@Dronescapes Thanks, I was 31 and it still hurts at almost 64! Ironically I worked at NASA LaRC as a contract Graphic Designer from 1981-2011 (same dates as 30 year STS program) and one of my friends in the library called my HAPB (X-43) office one day and said I knew your Dad from the "Superchute" flight interview after he miraculously recovered the falling Cessna 172. Normally I don't do this but after seeing the national news is actually blaming your dad (who was my friend), I thought you should see this document. Let's just say they gave me a conflicting copy of the "official" report and that's ALL I'm saying about that! Yes, "perhaps" people will be.
Having known Hoot for years of working ops for the Reno air races….the VERY LAST THING I would ever consider him would be a “bad boy” thanks for all the great times, and I would fly with him ANY time!
I got the honor of meeting Hoot when I took my flight exam at one of his friends airports. He’s an awesome person and a true pioneer to aviation. Thanks for all you’ve done for aviation.
What a pleasant and captivating half hour I just had meeting Hoot through UA-cam. He spoke of how Herb made him feel a yearning for more time with him, and just by watching Hoot, I got the same feeling about Hoot which he was describing. So well spoken, and humble even, but with a track record many a pilot would envy. I'm 76 now and don't travel much but if I do I will try to choose Southwest just on the merits that Hoot shared about their maintenance attitude. Thank you so much for the inspiring stories even though one was a harsh lesson in the nature of sport aviation.
I crewed for Rocky Jones at Reno that year and briefly met Hoot Gibson. I was saddened by the loss of Rocky but glad it was not a double tragedy. I always understood that the accident was caused by Rocky's misjudgement but this was the first time the conditions of the midair were throughlly explained. RIP Rocky.
Hoot shouldn't have been there! RIP Dad! Ironically Dad was the 7th pilot to die (up to that point) that year in some sort of air sport and it happened on 070790
Kinda tough blaming the accident on someone who cannot defend himself. Even if Rocky's left eye was weak, the right eye also has peripheral vision to the left. If he truly had lost part of his peripheral vision, then the doctor signing off on his medical is partly to blame. Human flight should be respected and it is everyone's fault if several people are up there pushing things to the limit, just to see who is the fastest. Statistics will show you that there will be accidents either mechanical or by human error with enough time passing. Winners are no greater of men, skilled, but still just men.
Imagine being a Southwest captain and finding out that Hoot Gibson was to be your co-pilot. That must feel like being a physics professor and finding Albert Einstein was your TA.
I actually did. It was at Bruce’s airstrip where I had the honor of meeting them. My Flight Examiner was good friends with them. They had a little fly-in and my instructor asked me to fly there. Low and behold they welcomed me and my flight instructor with open arms. Shared their BBQ with us and it was an awesome day. Definitely a surprise for the both of us.
I spent a lot of time with Bruce. One of his gifts to me was a memento that included a nice letter from Hoot as well. Wonderful times! We will soon feature a video on Bruce as well. If you have a chance, pay him a visit, and for anyone reading this, here is his contact: instagram.com/flyintigerflyingschool I owe him a lot of amazing memories, and his random guests are often true legends
He was flying in an air show in San Marcos Texas. I actually helped Hoot build the Cassut F1 N911HG. NASA had previously told Gibson to stay out of the plane pending an upcoming Space Shuttle flight.
I just love listening to these guys.. they were at the very pinnacle of their profession. I've met a few of our fighter jocks and not been over-impressed with their attitude.. 'I'm a God'.. I've also had the pleasure of having to deal with people like Hoot Gibson.. top of the tree Edwards Test pilots.. totally different, modest, wonderful sense of humour.. nothing to prove attitude.. One of which I had to check out in a simulator.. the performance was beyond anything I would have thought to be human. There are poor pilots, average pilots good pilots... and exceptional pilots.. Then there's a class you would not believe existed.
I'll never forget when Hoot had a few of us go get some beer for us to drink at Poly Royal (CalPoly-SLO, a "dry" campus). We were standing in front of the Business building when the College President showed up. Hoot casually handed Dr. Warren Baker one of our beers. It was epic Hoot!
Great interview. I'm not a pilot but would love to be shown how to pilot a plane by Hoot. Amazing team player. Love his talk about being penalized by NASA and still being an astronaut.
Amazing interview, well done the host to allow Hoot time to talk. Great Wisdom by Hoot to know that could fight City Hall (NASA) and win the Battle, but lose the War.
Great interview thank you. Hoot is the exact type of guy I’ve always wanted to meet let alone be close friends with. We have many things in common that would make it happen. Hopefully some day.
So, he designed a strong wing for his Formula 1 racer, which held up when another aircraft collided with it. His piloting skills to get the ship wings level and accurately assess the aircraft's airworthiness is something amazing (as a non-pilot) to me. I'm thinking there are not lot of guys out there who would be able to do this. Others can correct me if my perception is off.
In a matter of SECONDS this all happened. From the time he hears the "BANG BANG BANG" to re-lighting a dead engine with NO STARTER to safely touching down back on the ground was less than 30 seconds or so. Probably less. It was just automatic. Shame someone hit him. It's more of a shame that someone was up in the air that didn't belong up there. Bad eyesight causes what happened here.
I worked in NASA Mission Ops in the 90's-2000's. When Hoot retired and went to work for SWA, a lot of us smiled, chuckled a bit and said "Good for him, the man loves to fly!" That was pretty cool. To think the guy flew Shuttles and would go fly airliners. Really says a lot about his character!
The story of Rocky having the bad left eye reminded me of my Uncle's story of when he had to renew his commercial driver's license before he could have cataract surgery. He already had the surgery scheduled. When the DMV person did the eye test he covered his bad eye and put his hand down right away. Then when the person told him to cover his other eye he covered his bad eye again and passed. That is why you need to be specific with directions. Cover your right eye. Now cover your left.
Soooo, several qualified pilots were suspicious about Rocky’s sight, and Hoot had experienced a dangerous incident implicating Rocky’s sight to the point where he was warning others. Yet, nobody reported Rocky. That’s a broken system.
@@jamesburns2232 Not necessarily, nobody said he'd always had a bad eye, all we know is he had one later in life. Hoot mentioned that the guy was a good bit older than him when he first got to know him. I think it's more of a case of a friendly doctor not wanting to take flying or at least racing away from the guy, I'm at a point in my life where I'm struggling with having to take my 85 year old mother's car keys away from her, at her age one of the few things she has left in her life is her personal freedom to come and go as she pleases, it's breaking my heart the thought of being the one to take that away from her but at the rate her mental faculties are deteriorating I'm gonna have to do what's best for her and everyone else around her when she's behind the wheel of a vehicle. It sucks having to play god.
So good that you made it alive and it wasn't worse, but I've heard you saying something like "stall speed". A new "stall speed" for the damaged wing. Well, I'm not trying to correct you or anything but those who don't know..., a "stall speed" is something virtual, as you don't stall cause of "speed", you stall cause of angle of attack and ONLY angle of attack at any speed, thing that I'm convinced that you certainly know. The Space Shuttle is in a stalled flight for example during re-entry at any angles of attack above 30 real AoA (not indicated in units, but real angle relative to the undisturbed airflow vector) and if I understood correctly, it glides at some 40 or more AoA on the high altitude deceleration pattern and is logically only lowered below stall when the remaining speed and altitude are within the right margin for the remaining distance for the programmed glide path. With that damaged wing I believe that you tried to pull some stick and see at what AoA you would start losing lateral (roll) control while holding zero beta (ball to neutral on the yaw indicator) and from there keep it to a bit lower AoA 1G needed airspeed and land with that. People becoming pilots have just spiraled into literally monkeys with this very wrong invented term called "stall speed" (dunno who the hell did this, but created a lot of confusion with it) which by it's naming leads most to think that below X airspeed the plane suddenly stalls and so by this logic they understand that going above that "stall speed" you regain control and you're out of stall. They never ever understood what the terms "angle of attack" mean and why you can stall at any given speed once you pull over a critical AoA and can never come out of the stalled condition no matter the speed. This has killed many and will continue only because of these 2 ingredients: 1. The plane only stalls due to AoA, while the speed only multiplies the G-load for a given AoA and aircraft weight. 2. Not good enough or simply very rare training flights for re-experiencing stalls, what they actually come from and how to get out of them when wanted. I only hope that some day the confusion creating term "stall speed" will forever be deleted (for good) and replaced by the physically logical and better comprehensive term "critical AoA 1G minimum speed" and that would always make the pilot remember or better understand what physically is the limit for 1G flight or any G flight and what's responsible for making a wing have a reversed/detached airflow on it, which is the main definition of the stall. Regards!
This is accurate, thank you for your explanation. I hadn’t thought of it like this, and simply considered ‘stall speed’ being the speed where the wing cannot generate enough lift under any circumstances to support itself. Or do you think there is some truism to my assumption? At any rate, your explanation certainly applied to the SR-71 during unstart pitchups. The Blackbird was definitely well above its so-called ‘stall speed’ at Mach 3, but nonetheless stalled - just listen to Lockheed test pilot Bill Weaver (dec) describe his Mach 3 ejection.
Would you consider getting Hoot to tell the story of losing the prop on Bruce Bohanan's Pushycat? I was at the JSC Radio Control Club meeting when he told about the event and found it to be a fascinating story. It's a nice change when everyone got to go home safe, too.
I helped build Cassutt N6EW with Ernie and Gary Wilson. I thought all were built with full span ailerons, but noticed Hoot’s Cassutt did not. Hoot is the aviator that every one wanted to be.
You probably know the long list of aircraft (and space-craft) that Hoot has flown. Did you know he also flies remote control airplanes? He has a busy schedule but sometimes flies at our remote control field. One of my favorite photos is of a space walk. I have it hanging in my living room. The first time I meet Hoot at our rc field I found out he took that photo. I rushed home and brought it back for him to sign. I can truly say Hoot is an officer and a gentleman.
Hello, Hoot! I'm a Facebook friend of Juan Browne. Therefore, I know your name. He says good things about you. Good to see you in person. I'm so glad you had built your wings so well.
This has to be one of the best aviation related interviews that I have ever seen...Very interesting how the accident happened, and NASA's response to it... The accident was a possible result of rules being side-stepped by one of the pilots in that race.... Nasa , had their rules too, but they seemed to be somewhat ambiguous as to the definition of the timeframe of 'dangerous activity' of the astronaut corps during their training phase... Driving on a public road could be more 'dangerous' than the activities that Nasa felt needed to be avoided.... The story of Hoot's time with SWA was very interesting as well... Unti I saw this program, I did not realise that the U.S. air-carriers required mandatory retirement from their pilots at age 60... And from this program, I learned it has now been changed to age 65 that mandatory retirement of commercial airline pilots is required in the U.S. ... I also heard that SWA and some other U.S. airlines are being investigated for un-realistic flight scheduling conditions.... Who knows what is ACTUALLY going on when the government gets involved....
Got to talk to him in 2003 at Reno when he was racing Riff Raff. Knowing he had been Navy I mentioned that I was going to boot camp a couple weeks later. His reply "Good, dont become a pilot though, it's not any fun" as he laughed a bit. Would definitely be cool to sit down and hear some of his stories.
I have known Bruce for a long time. We spent a lot of time together in his airfield. If you ever have a chance, you should pay him a visit, and take a look at his aircraft, or even fly with him. He is one of the greatest pilots out there.
Hoot spoke at an Aviation Workshop at Middle Tennessee State University that I attended. Great demeanor. Since Hoot lived in Tennessee, someone asked if he had an interest in possibly teaching in the AeroSpace Department at the university. He said he had been approached, but after looking at his credentials (at the time he had more time in the Space Shuttle than anyone else, had flown has a fighter pilot in the Air Force, numerous other high-profile experience) the university decided he WASN"T QUALIFIED to teach in the Aerospace Department! The ignorance of the institution of education is unbelievable.
What?? That makes no sense. There must have been a personality clash or some other back story there. Hoot is practically the poster child for being considered overqualified to teach ANYTHING aerospace related. I never pursued his story like I did with my Space Race and golden age Edwards Test Pilots, so I wouldn’t say I’m a ‘Hoot groupie,’ but I have heard him speak several times, along with reading many articles favorable of him. Hmm, or maybe I am a groupie just coming out of the closet.
15:27 He got removed from the TSS mission. Gee. He got rewarded by being removed from that mission. I worked in Mission Operations during that time, and that mission was plagued left and right. I was glad I never had to work on that one, or the reflight.
I knew of him in MSCRC and John Kiker; Manned Spacecraft Model Airplane Club. He violated the rules in an airshow or something almost got killed. I still have a Patch and a Decal of MSCRC
Great interview with a captivating pilot and human being. On a different topic, can anyone explain why a quiet conversation between two clearly spoken gentlemen a couple of feet apart requires a huge microphone on a huge stand. Seems to be catching on a bit on UA-cam.
What's haunting to me is he really resembles what I remember my Dad (RIP) looking like (at 69) before heading to TX, hair color, moustache even down to the red white and blue shirt!
I was at that air show earlier in the day and had gone to the house to eat and get out of the sun for a while. The plan was to take my camcorder along (the big one that you slung over your shoulder) but the accident had already taken place and the show was over.
How do they compensate for the outside plane traveling the farthest distance around an oval "track" for times and determining a winner, without a staggered start line?
I stumbled upon this video and will say you speak so intelligently and who knows what God savedyou from by mission the initial mission! Love it that they (NASA) had to quietly behind the curtain come back and release grounding! Thanks for the service and sacrifices you've successfully made!
Bad sight on the left eye when you are racing where there are only left turns - that should give you to think. When you KNOW you cannot pass the sight test for years - that is challenging it. But obviously he did what he loved. And did it up to the last second. Good that no one else was hurt.
To Hoot: I think Blaine was the STS64 Commander? He deserved a little come-uppance, which you probably know better than I. Our class ('73) laughed a little about the way he handled being in the program. He roomed on down the hall from me. Terry, his ex, had lots of stories about him.
The Steve McQueen rule, no motorcycle riding during filming on the NASA thing same I bet. Tether sat shuttle footage was on local Victoria BC cable TV in Canada and it was wild lots of things checked it out.
John Young was a great Astronaut. Very demanding, which was necessary. No B.S. with him, but from my experience, not very personable. When I was a new employee at JSC, I was trying to find a certain conference room, and not realizing who he was, asked him in the hall. He wasn't particularly helpful, and rather gruff. Later, I realized who he was, and wouldn't have dared ask him had I known at the time. He may have been having a bad day, for all I knew.🤔
You don’t always want to meet your heroes. I watched Yeager be a complete ass to a fan, at an air show, of all places. I walked away without trying to tell him what an inspiration he was, and tried (unsuccessfully) to forget about it. I did meet, on the other hand, James Lovell at the Milwaukee Discovery Museum (renamed The James Lovell Museum of Science, Economics and Technology), who was the epitome of grace and class - and is, as evidenced by his involvement with youth at the museum. Milwaukee renamed the downtown part of N 7th St to James Lovell St in his honor. Sadly, the planned James Lovell Regional Space Center of the Milwaukee Public Museum, which had started construction during the Space Race, lost its funding, oddly enough, in 1969, and was shut down. If I recall, he resides in Menomonee Falls, a suburb of Milwaukee. I also somehow ended up riding in the back of a jeep at the Oshkosh Air Show with my A&P coworker on our way to our warbird - which was very welcome, as we started from the Antiques section, a long walk. When we stopped at some aircraft on display, it so happened Frank Borman was in the passenger seat, and it also so happened I recognized him, but not until the end of his ride! As he got out, I said, “Hey, you’re Frank Borman…Apollo 8, right?” He grinned, tersely, but said ‘yep,’ and left. As we drove on to our T-28, my coworker, Kevin, just looked at me and said “you…no way you got that right.” I guess not really relevant to your point, but I thought I’d write about it after this comment triggered my memory. I have to confess I made an educated guess, but I looked good to Kevin. I guess engineers aren’t really well known for their social skills, with exceptions…apparently Hoot’s one of the exceptions.
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The so called tether incident where UFOs appeared!🖖✌
It would be really helpful if you had chapters in these videos separating the different topics 😃
Hoot Gibson's comments about the pilots of Southwest Airlines really touched my heart. I flew for Eastern Airlines for 25 years and had a great career. I'm not complaining. My son, who I thought was a real pilot, got hired by Southwest Airlines. He claims he flew one leg with Hoot at one time, and Hoot just said he did a nice job. I told my son to say no more; that will go in your resume. I had a promising career, and my is living my dream by FLYING for Southwest; it is a real pilot’s airline
I could listen to Hoot's "war stories" all day long! He's an absolute aviation national treasure!
I totally agree. These vidoes featuring him are awesome.
I had the privilege of flying as Hoot's First Officer several times, including on his SWA retirement flight from BNA to HOU. A finer human you will not meet. Gifted, kind, funny and insightful, this video series is a great opportunity to see all that and more.
I watched Hoot interact numerous times with SWA folks and he was always joyful- sharing "space stories" with any crew who asked and would share pictures, or drill down in STS technical stuff as deep you could handle.... Kudos to JT for recording these.
i didn't know who he was until watching this and reading his wikipedia page.
this guy needs to leave some girls for the rest of us.
Must've been cool getting to fly as First Officer for an ex Astronaut! What a man this guy is! Thanks for sharing your insight into Hoot!
I don't think I ever flew with Hoot, but I did have the pleasure of running into him a time or three in the HOU Pilot Lounge when I was a new F.O. I'm in my 22nd year at SWA now. Happy to be able to say I met such a legend of American aviaton.
I spent a week with Hoot on an adult Space Camp program and I practically BEGGED him to write a book about his life. He thought there were too much such books out there already, but I said he had a lot of other experiences other astronauts never had. I told him it'd be best to open with the final lap at Reno where he won. I could see the gears turning when I mentioned that and a few years later I'm still hoping he'll write it after all. "Never meet your heroes," they say. Most of the time it's true but Hoot is a really nice person and accommodating to his fans. He's earned the right to be a crusty 'been there done that' jerk, but he's nothing like that at all. A REAL class act, that man is!
Hoot is amazing. I love his stories and interviews. Such an amazing pilot, personality, and engineer. Hard to believe he nearly got killed by same guy twice while racing. RIP Rocky. Great series.
All I can say is Hoot shouldn't have been there! RIP Dad!
@@lurch789 "Out of their league"? LOL "A Rocky"? Rocky (my Dad) had more flying time than Hoot had (and maybe has presently). Not only was he in the RCAF, he taught flying and later joined the USAF for about 14 years as a fighter pilot in both WWII and Korea (where he was a night fighter pilot of the "Mid Night Sinner" F-82G in the 4th AWFS and then he was asked to retire early and was immediately hired by Hughes Aircraft Co. as a 2 time Mach Buster Club (Mach I and Mach II) awarded test pilot for over 20 years, flying to their extreme limits just about every "F" plane you can think of (except the F-105, nor the XB-70 or X-15) , performing many Falcon, Phoenix and Maverick missile launch tests eventually becoming an assistant manager where he was in charge of the F-15 radar development program in Bitburg GE, where he even got to fly (Eagle Pilot) an F-15 shortly before he was killed. He was also quite an accomplished stunt pilot with his Pitt's Special N77CK and probably over 15 years in Formula One racing in "Pogo" and "Ole Blu". Twice he had to emergency dead stick land with an oil covered canopy after his (properly dye checked) aluminum composite prop "disintegrated" during a race (thank God for safety wired engines) Dad died doing what he loved, and I thank God that there was no fire or explosion on that dreadful day. RIP Dad!
@rogerjones6033 we are sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your memories of your dad. Perhaps people will be less judgmental from now on.
@@Dronescapes Thanks, I was 31 and it still hurts at almost 64! Ironically I worked at NASA LaRC as a contract Graphic Designer from 1981-2011 (same dates as 30 year STS program) and one of my friends in the library called my HAPB (X-43) office one day and said I knew your Dad from the "Superchute" flight interview after he miraculously recovered the falling Cessna 172. Normally I don't do this but after seeing the national news is actually blaming your dad (who was my friend), I thought you should see this document. Let's just say they gave me a conflicting copy of the "official" report and that's ALL I'm saying about that! Yes, "perhaps" people will be.
Thanks for your service Hoot.
Gotta love this guy. He’s so straight forward, technical and talented. You’re truly a hoot, Hoot! 😎
Having known Hoot for years of working ops for the Reno air races….the VERY LAST THING I would ever consider him would be a “bad boy” thanks for all the great times, and I would fly with him ANY time!
I got the honor of meeting Hoot when I took my flight exam at one of his friends airports. He’s an awesome person and a true pioneer to aviation. Thanks for all you’ve done for aviation.
Thanks for sharing! Did you ever meet Bruce Bohannon by any chance? If not, you should visit him near Houston, he is as cool as Hoot
What a pleasant and captivating half hour I just had meeting Hoot through UA-cam. He spoke of how Herb made him feel a yearning for more time with him, and just by watching Hoot, I got the same feeling about Hoot which he was describing. So well spoken, and humble even, but with a track record many a pilot would envy. I'm 76 now and don't travel much but if I do I will try to choose Southwest just on the merits that Hoot shared about their maintenance attitude. Thank you so much for the inspiring stories even though one was a harsh lesson in the nature of sport aviation.
I crewed for Rocky Jones at Reno that year and briefly met Hoot Gibson. I was saddened by the loss of Rocky but glad it was not a double tragedy. I always understood that the accident was caused by Rocky's misjudgement but this was the first time the conditions of the midair were throughlly explained. RIP Rocky.
Hoot shouldn't have been there! RIP Dad! Ironically Dad was the 7th pilot to die (up to that point) that year in some sort of air sport and it happened on 070790
Kinda tough blaming the accident on someone who cannot defend himself. Even if Rocky's left eye was weak, the right eye also has peripheral vision to the left. If he truly had lost part of his peripheral vision, then the doctor signing off on his medical is partly to blame. Human flight should be respected and it is everyone's fault if several people are up there pushing things to the limit, just to see who is the fastest. Statistics will show you that there will be accidents either mechanical or by human error with enough time passing. Winners are no greater of men, skilled, but still just men.
Imagine being a Southwest captain and finding out that Hoot Gibson was to be your co-pilot. That must feel like being a physics professor and finding Albert Einstein was your TA.
I actually did. It was at Bruce’s airstrip where I had the honor of meeting them. My Flight Examiner was good friends with them. They had a little fly-in and my instructor asked me to fly there. Low and behold they welcomed me and my flight instructor with open arms. Shared their BBQ with us and it was an awesome day. Definitely a surprise for the both of us.
I spent a lot of time with Bruce. One of his gifts to me was a memento that included a nice letter from Hoot as well. Wonderful times!
We will soon feature a video on Bruce as well.
If you have a chance, pay him a visit, and for anyone reading this, here is his contact:
instagram.com/flyintigerflyingschool
I owe him a lot of amazing memories, and his random guests are often true legends
What a gentleman! So calm and quietly humorous!
I was a witness to this accident, remember it like yesterday. Prayers for Rocky and his family. Glad to hear Hoot description of this event.
Yeah...but what if the bad eye theory is true?! Signing off for an air racer?!!😮
RIP Dad!
Prayers didn't save Rocky's life nor will they bring him back.
He was flying in an air show in San Marcos Texas. I actually helped Hoot build the Cassut F1 N911HG.
NASA had previously told Gibson to stay out of the plane pending an upcoming Space Shuttle flight.
Yep! Had he not been flying and heeded the warning(s) RIP dad!
I just love listening to these guys.. they were at the very pinnacle of their profession. I've met a few of our fighter jocks and not been over-impressed with their attitude.. 'I'm a God'.. I've also had the pleasure of having to deal with people like Hoot Gibson.. top of the tree Edwards Test pilots.. totally different, modest, wonderful sense of humour.. nothing to prove attitude.. One of which I had to check out in a simulator.. the performance was beyond anything I would have thought to be human. There are poor pilots, average pilots good pilots... and exceptional pilots..
Then there's a class you would not believe existed.
I'll never forget when Hoot had a few of us go get some beer for us to drink at Poly Royal (CalPoly-SLO, a "dry" campus). We were standing in front of the Business building when the College President showed up. Hoot casually handed Dr. Warren Baker one of our beers. It was epic Hoot!
Oh wow, I’m a SLO native and had no idea he was here! Would’ve gladly made the cross town trip to see this legend!
What an amazing man and pilot! Am in awe.
Great interview. I'm not a pilot but would love to be shown how to pilot a plane by Hoot. Amazing team player. Love his talk about being penalized by NASA and still being an astronaut.
The real gift is this man's demeanor.
what Hoot said about touched my heart. I flew for Eaastern air line for twenty five,had a great career and my son flies for southwest.
Thanks Hoot. Such an inspiration! Enjoyed every moment I was privileged to share the cockpit with you😊
Great interview! Thanks for posting. Jb
"Hey thanks for taking that mission for me!" Priceless - the guy's a legend!
Amazing interview, well done the host to allow Hoot time to talk. Great Wisdom by Hoot to know that could fight City Hall (NASA) and win the Battle, but lose the War.
Great interview thank you. Hoot is the exact type of guy I’ve always wanted to meet let alone be close friends with. We have many things in common that would make it happen. Hopefully some day.
Wow, what an interesting interview. Thanks for your service and thanks for the wonderful stories Bob.
Thanks for listening
So, he designed a strong wing for his Formula 1 racer, which held up when another aircraft collided with it. His piloting skills to get the ship wings level and accurately assess the aircraft's airworthiness is something amazing (as a non-pilot) to me. I'm thinking there are not lot of guys out there who would be able to do this. Others can correct me if my perception is off.
if NASA had guys like him in charge now we would be on mars already.
In a matter of SECONDS this all happened. From the time he hears the "BANG BANG BANG" to re-lighting a dead engine with NO STARTER to safely touching down back on the ground was less than 30 seconds or so. Probably less. It was just automatic. Shame someone hit him.
It's more of a shame that someone was up in the air that didn't belong up there. Bad eyesight causes what happened here.
They broke the flipping Mold when they made Hero, Hoot Gibson!!!! Fact!!! What a Treasure America Has!!!!!
Hoot's right wing. Rocky's left wing. Rocky was on the outside. It's a counterclockwise course.
Great Interview. What an amazing man!
I worked in NASA Mission Ops in the 90's-2000's. When Hoot retired and went to work for SWA, a lot of us smiled, chuckled a bit and said "Good for him, the man loves to fly!" That was pretty cool. To think the guy flew Shuttles and would go fly airliners. Really says a lot about his character!
Hoot is awesome, I had the pleasure of meeting him many times growing up at the Reno air races and he is such a wonderful guy.
What a GREAT interview: Thank you.
Hoot is definitely a living legend! 👍
The story of Rocky having the bad left eye reminded me of my Uncle's story of when he had to renew his commercial driver's license before he could have cataract surgery. He already had the surgery scheduled. When the DMV person did the eye test he covered his bad eye and put his hand down right away. Then when the person told him to cover his other eye he covered his bad eye again and passed. That is why you need to be specific with directions. Cover your right eye. Now cover your left.
Soooo, several qualified pilots were suspicious about Rocky’s sight, and Hoot had experienced a dangerous incident implicating Rocky’s sight to the point where he was warning others. Yet, nobody reported Rocky. That’s a broken system.
Yeah, how amazing that everyone ignores - yep, ignores - that?
Pylon racing close to crowds - families and kids - what could possibly go wrong?
He must have cheated on the eye exam to have been an Air Force pilot. 🤠
@@jamesburns2232
Not necessarily, nobody said he'd always had a bad eye, all we know is he had one later in life.
Hoot mentioned that the guy was a good bit older than him when he first got to know him.
I think it's more of a case of a friendly doctor not wanting to take flying or at least racing away from the guy, I'm at a point in my life where I'm struggling with having to take my 85 year old mother's car keys away from her, at her age one of the few things she has left in her life is her personal freedom to come and go as she pleases, it's breaking my heart the thought of being the one to take that away from her but at the rate her mental faculties are deteriorating I'm gonna have to do what's best for her and everyone else around her when she's behind the wheel of a vehicle.
It sucks having to play god.
The first incident could be taken as a case of poor judgment.
Top notch interview. Really enjoyed it!
Now, that man is smarter than your average bear. A terrific career. And thank-you for your service.
I really like listening to his stories! Thankfully he’s still here to pass them on.
Hoot is very admirable! Loved the interview!
A very captivating interview,sad to see it end.
What an amazing personality. Great stories. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻
Thanks for watching
Great interview, thanks 👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video. Thanks for sharing. Take care and God Bless.
So good that you made it alive and it wasn't worse, but I've heard you saying something like "stall speed". A new "stall speed" for the damaged wing. Well, I'm not trying to correct you or anything but those who don't know..., a "stall speed" is something virtual, as you don't stall cause of "speed", you stall cause of angle of attack and ONLY angle of attack at any speed, thing that I'm convinced that you certainly know. The Space Shuttle is in a stalled flight for example during re-entry at any angles of attack above 30 real AoA (not indicated in units, but real angle relative to the undisturbed airflow vector) and if I understood correctly, it glides at some 40 or more AoA on the high altitude deceleration pattern and is logically only lowered below stall when the remaining speed and altitude are within the right margin for the remaining distance for the programmed glide path. With that damaged wing I believe that you tried to pull some stick and see at what AoA you would start losing lateral (roll) control while holding zero beta (ball to neutral on the yaw indicator) and from there keep it to a bit lower AoA 1G needed airspeed and land with that. People becoming pilots have just spiraled into literally monkeys with this very wrong invented term called "stall speed" (dunno who the hell did this, but created a lot of confusion with it) which by it's naming leads most to think that below X airspeed the plane suddenly stalls and so by this logic they understand that going above that "stall speed" you regain control and you're out of stall. They never ever understood what the terms "angle of attack" mean and why you can stall at any given speed once you pull over a critical AoA and can never come out of the stalled condition no matter the speed. This has killed many and will continue only because of these 2 ingredients: 1. The plane only stalls due to AoA, while the speed only multiplies the G-load for a given AoA and aircraft weight. 2. Not good enough or simply very rare training flights for re-experiencing stalls, what they actually come from and how to get out of them when wanted.
I only hope that some day the confusion creating term "stall speed" will forever be deleted (for good) and replaced by the physically logical and better comprehensive term "critical AoA 1G minimum speed" and that would always make the pilot remember or better understand what physically is the limit for 1G flight or any G flight and what's responsible for making a wing have a reversed/detached airflow on it, which is the main definition of the stall.
Regards!
This is accurate, thank you for your explanation. I hadn’t thought of it like this, and simply considered ‘stall speed’ being the speed where the wing cannot generate enough lift under any circumstances to support itself. Or do you think there is some truism to my assumption?
At any rate, your explanation certainly applied to the SR-71 during unstart pitchups. The Blackbird was definitely well above its so-called ‘stall speed’ at Mach 3, but nonetheless stalled - just listen to Lockheed test pilot Bill Weaver (dec) describe his Mach 3 ejection.
Under the Bus, this is Rocky...Rocky meet Under the Bus. LOL.
Thanks...I enjoy this interview....
20:00 That or they are thinking, "Has Southwest hired Hoot Gibson to find unhappy employees?"
That’s what I call a real man, Thank you!!
Would you consider getting Hoot to tell the story of losing the prop on Bruce Bohanan's Pushycat? I was at the JSC Radio Control Club meeting when he told about the event and found it to be a fascinating story. It's a nice change when everyone got to go home safe, too.
This is just one of those stories that just gets even more interesting as you go along.
I helped build Cassutt N6EW with Ernie and Gary Wilson. I thought all were built with full span ailerons, but noticed Hoot’s Cassutt did not.
Hoot is the aviator that every one wanted to be.
Hoots presentation to Peninsular seniors is fascinating.
You probably know the long list of aircraft (and space-craft) that Hoot has flown.
Did you know he also flies remote control airplanes?
He has a busy schedule but sometimes flies at our remote control field.
One of my favorite photos is of a space walk. I have it hanging in my living room. The first time I meet Hoot at our rc field I found out he took that photo. I rushed home and brought it back for him to sign. I can truly say Hoot is an officer and a gentleman.
One of the episodes of the series discusses that
ok, well there you go folks, confirmation of my comment😁@@Dronescapes
Just come across this channel, fascinating stuff, will return for more!
Welcome aboard!
Amazing man
good work
Hello, Hoot! I'm a Facebook friend of Juan Browne. Therefore, I know your name. He says good things about you.
Good to see you in person.
I'm so glad you had built your wings so well.
Hoot, Great story, thanks for sharing. I've got a picture signed by you in space that your daughter gave me when we worked together 15 years ago!
"Hey did you know that Rocky couldn't see out of his left eye..." WTF!!!
This has to be one of the best aviation related interviews that I have ever seen...Very interesting how the accident happened, and NASA's response to it...
The accident was a possible result of rules being side-stepped by one of the pilots in that race....
Nasa , had their rules too, but they seemed to be somewhat ambiguous as to the definition of the timeframe of 'dangerous activity' of the astronaut corps during their training phase... Driving on a public road could be more 'dangerous' than the activities that Nasa felt needed to be avoided....
The story of Hoot's time with SWA was very interesting as well... Unti I saw this program, I did not realise that the U.S. air-carriers required mandatory retirement from their pilots at age 60... And from this program, I learned it has now been changed to age 65 that mandatory retirement of commercial airline pilots is required in the U.S. ...
I also heard that SWA and some other U.S. airlines are being investigated for un-realistic flight scheduling conditions.... Who knows what is ACTUALLY going on when the government gets involved....
Got to talk to him in 2003 at Reno when he was racing Riff Raff. Knowing he had been Navy I mentioned that I was going to boot camp a couple weeks later. His reply "Good, dont become a pilot though, it's not any fun" as he laughed a bit. Would definitely be cool to sit down and hear some of his stories.
Hoot spoke at a little get together of ours last October in Clear Lake. Bruce Bohannon was there as well.
I have known Bruce for a long time. We spent a lot of time together in his airfield. If you ever have a chance, you should pay him a visit, and take a look at his aircraft, or even fly with him. He is one of the greatest pilots out there.
Very interesting interview enjoyed
So glad!
FANTASTIC STORY. !!!!!!!!
Hoot spoke at an Aviation Workshop at Middle Tennessee State University that I attended. Great demeanor. Since Hoot lived in Tennessee, someone asked if he had an interest in possibly teaching in the AeroSpace Department at the university. He said he had been approached, but after looking at his credentials (at the time he had more time in the Space Shuttle than anyone else, had flown has a fighter pilot in the Air Force, numerous other high-profile experience) the university decided he WASN"T QUALIFIED to teach in the Aerospace Department! The ignorance of the institution of education is unbelievable.
What?? That makes no sense. There must have been a personality clash or some other back story there. Hoot is practically the poster child for being considered overqualified to teach ANYTHING aerospace related. I never pursued his story like I did with my Space Race and golden age Edwards Test Pilots, so I wouldn’t say I’m a ‘Hoot groupie,’ but I have heard him speak several times, along with reading many articles favorable of him.
Hmm, or maybe I am a groupie just coming out of the closet.
I don't suppose ol' Hoot likes to enjoy a smoke once in a while.
15:27 He got removed from the TSS mission. Gee. He got rewarded by being removed from that mission. I worked in Mission Operations during that time, and that mission was plagued left and right. I was glad I never had to work on that one, or the reflight.
Was Hoot nicknamed after the Hoot Gibson that recovered a 727 from an out of control dive, cause of which remains disputed.
No, he was nicknamed after an actor
hoot is a cool guy great video
Thank you!
I knew of him in MSCRC and John Kiker; Manned Spacecraft Model Airplane Club. He violated the rules in an airshow or something almost got killed. I still have a Patch and a Decal of MSCRC
Great interview with a captivating pilot and human being. On a different topic, can anyone explain why a quiet conversation between two clearly spoken gentlemen a couple of feet apart requires a huge microphone on a huge stand. Seems to be catching on a bit on UA-cam.
There is nothing scarier then a near mid-air been in several of those over my decades of flying.
The speed and suddenness is etched in your mind.
What's haunting to me is he really resembles what I remember my Dad (RIP) looking like (at 69) before heading to TX, hair color, moustache even down to the red white and blue shirt!
Wow, still above ground..just image that he had peripheral vision of the impact...👀 And prop strikes...that memory would sure stick..
I was thinking that Rocky`s wing blocked his sight of Hoot. Typical low wing disadvantage.
Wing or that narrow canopy design! We will never know. RIP Dad!
Hoot you really are a Hoot great stories.
Wow!!!! a fatal Accident at an Airshow!?!?!?!?!?.. I'm shocked ( said no one ever ) !!!
Such a great interviewer and guest
Thank you
Holyshit…they had a racer out there with only one good eye?!?
God bless You MR Gibson
I was at that air show earlier in the day and had gone to the house to eat and get out of the sun for a while. The plan was to take my camcorder along (the big one that you slung over your shoulder) but the accident had already taken place and the show was over.
That's terrible. Poor Rocky.
RIP Dad!
How do they compensate for the outside plane traveling the farthest distance around an oval "track" for times and determining a winner, without a staggered start line?
I stumbled upon this video and will say you speak so intelligently and who knows what God savedyou from by mission the initial mission! Love it that they (NASA) had to quietly behind the curtain come back and release grounding! Thanks for the service and sacrifices you've successfully made!
Bad sight on the left eye when you are racing where there are only left turns - that should give you to think.
When you KNOW you cannot pass the sight test for years - that is challenging it.
But obviously he did what he loved. And did it up to the last second.
Good that no one else was hurt.
Nearly killed somebody else though - twice. There’s no excuse (assuming the story is true and he couldn’t see out of his left eye).
To Hoot: I think Blaine was the STS64 Commander? He deserved a little come-uppance, which you probably know better than I. Our class ('73) laughed a little about the way he handled being in the program. He roomed on down the hall from me. Terry, his ex, had lots of stories about him.
The Steve McQueen rule, no motorcycle riding during filming on the NASA thing same I bet. Tether sat shuttle footage was on local Victoria BC cable TV in Canada and it was wild lots of things checked it out.
Sad that there were two T-6 pilots killed at the final Reno Air Race yesterday (9/17/23). Another episode.
You’ll find something way better ❤
Interesting that his sight was not an issue, which is interesting to me because I don't know what it is like with the configuration.
a guy with a non-functioning left eye thinking it's okay to air race.......? speechless
As most of you already know, pushing that rule in his case is called chickensh*t. He is fortunate that things turned out well.
As an aircraft maintenance engineer same as an AI in USA in Australia I see the same hurdles .
Thank GOD there is still at least one American built airliner that believes in and actually implements the best safety practices obtainable.
A lot of people had issues with John Young - I assume this is him he is referring to.
John Young was a great Astronaut. Very demanding, which was necessary. No B.S. with him, but from my experience, not very personable. When I was a new employee at JSC, I was trying to find a certain conference room, and not realizing who he was, asked him in the hall. He wasn't particularly helpful, and rather gruff. Later, I realized who he was, and wouldn't have dared ask him had I known at the time. He may have been having a bad day, for all I knew.🤔
You don’t always want to meet your heroes. I watched Yeager be a complete ass to a fan, at an air show, of all places. I walked away without trying to tell him what an inspiration he was, and tried (unsuccessfully) to forget about it. I did meet, on the other hand, James Lovell at the Milwaukee Discovery Museum (renamed The James Lovell Museum of Science, Economics and Technology), who was the epitome of grace and class - and is, as evidenced by his involvement with youth at the museum. Milwaukee renamed the downtown part of N 7th St to James Lovell St in his honor. Sadly, the planned James Lovell Regional Space Center of the Milwaukee Public Museum, which had started construction during the Space Race, lost its funding, oddly enough, in 1969, and was shut down. If I recall, he resides in Menomonee Falls, a suburb of Milwaukee.
I also somehow ended up riding in the back of a jeep at the Oshkosh Air Show with my A&P coworker on our way to our warbird - which was very welcome, as we started from the Antiques section, a long walk. When we stopped at some aircraft on display, it so happened Frank Borman was in the passenger seat, and it also so happened I recognized him, but not until the end of his ride! As he got out, I said, “Hey, you’re Frank Borman…Apollo 8, right?” He grinned, tersely, but said ‘yep,’ and left. As we drove on to our T-28, my coworker, Kevin, just looked at me and said “you…no way you got that right.” I guess not really relevant to your point, but I thought I’d write about it after this comment triggered my memory. I have to confess I made an educated guess, but I looked good to Kevin.
I guess engineers aren’t really well known for their social skills, with exceptions…apparently Hoot’s one of the exceptions.
No starter??? So they hand prop these things?? For weight I assume?