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[[stamped]] FROM THE HAROLD & MARVEL MOREHOUSE AVIATION PIONEERS COLLECTION 
NATIONAL AIR & SPACE MUSEUM [[/stamped]]

FREDERICK A. HOOVER
EARLY CUTISS EXHIBITION PILOT - INSTRUCTOR

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Frederick A. Hoover was born in New Sharon, Iowa, October 21, 1887, where he attended local schools, then went to Colorado College.

He developed an early interest in flying and enrolled for instruction in the Curtiss Flying School at Hammondsport, New York during the late fall of 1911. He received some preliminary training there before moving with the school to their winter location at North Island, San Diego, California to finish his course. There he was a member of the first winter class, along with Underwood, Engle, Solbrig, Malick and Callan. Their instructor was J.B. McClaskey. There Hoover obtained F.A.I Pilot License No. 100 on February 28th, 1912, flying a school Curtiss plane.

Hoover then returned to the mid-west and joined Mills Aviators at Chicago to fly exhibitions for the season with Art Smith, Nels Nelson and Diddier Masson. He used a Mills-built Curtiss-type pusher biplane, powered by a Kirkham 6 cylinder engine. On June 10th he and Masson made several flights at Quincy, Illinois, July 12th to 19th Hoover flew at Hillsdale, Michigan, the 20th and 21st gave exhibitions at Adrian, Michigan, and July 27th he and James Mills flew at Lansing, Michigan. Mills was also doing some instruction work that year and Hoover assisted him on occasion. 

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