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From the
Flying Pioneers Biographie
Of Harold E. Morehouse

Frederick A. Hoover

Early Curtiss Exhibition Aviator - Instructor - Test Pilot

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Frederick A. Hoover was born in New Sharon, Iowa October 21st, 1887. He attended local schools and in his youth was the champion kite flyer of his neighborhood. After completing High School he attended Colorado College.

Hoover became interested in the amazing early development of aviation and later decided he wanted to learn to fly. As a result he became a student at the Curtiss Flying School at Hammondsport, New York in October, 1911 where he received some preliminary training before moving with the school to their winter location at North Island, San Diego, [[crossedout]] to finish the course. There he was a member of the first winter class, along with Underwood, Engle, Solbrig, Malick and Callan. Their instructor J. B. McClaskey. After completing his instruction Hoover obtained F.A.I. pilot license No. 100 at North Island on February 28, 1912, flying a Curtiss school machine, with Lietuenants Ellyson and Towers acting as Aero Club official observers of his tests.

Hoover wanted to get into exhibition work for the summer season and returned to the mid-west during the spring months where he joined the Mills Aviators Exhibition Team at Chicago, Illinois. Also flying for Millers were Art Smith, Nels Nelson, Diddier Masson and Frank Stites. James R. and George P. Mills were Chicago flying-exhibition promotors and had a small shop where they built Curtiss-type headless pusher biplanes for their aviators.