Forever Flying

No less an authority than Jimmy Doolittle considers Hoover ""the greatest stick and rudder pilot who ever lived,"" and in this autobiography, Hoover provides ample evidence that he has been as skilled a pilot of jets as he was of earlier aircraft. Born in 1922, he soloed at age 16 and went on to become a fighter pilot in WWII, during which he was shot down and served more than a year as a German prisoner of war. In 1950, he became one of the chief test pilots for North American Aviation and, subsequently, for the merged NAA-Rockwell. Although he became an executive in that corporation, he frequently climbed into the cockpit to demonstrate its products, even defying corporate orders by joining in some bombing missions during the Korean War. Hoover retired from the industry in 1986 but continued appearing in air shows until 1992, when, at the age of 70, his license was pulled by the FAA. After a three-year legal battle led by F. Lee Bailey, his license was reinstated last year. Shaw (Down for the Count) has helped him tell his exciting story, including anecdotes about Orville Wright, Charles Lindbergh, Yuri Gagarin and Neil Armstrong, all of whom he knew personally. Author tour. (Aug.)