Clarence Adelbert Shoop (May 10, 1907 – January 27, 1968) was a long serving pilot in the

California Air National Guard The California Air National Guard (CA ANG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Air Force, and part of the National Guard of the United States. As militia units, the units in the Californi ...

, an American

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

, and a

mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...

who eventually rose to rank of major general and post-war commander of the California Air National Guard. His Guard unit was federalized into the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

in World War II, where he flew

photo reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of image ...

missions. After the war he returned to work as an executive at

Hughes Aircraft Company The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes in Glendale, California, as a division of the Hughes Tool Company. The company produced the Hughes H-4 Hercules air ...

while continuing as an officer in the California Air National Guard.

Early career

Shoop enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 1927. By 1930 he was a cadet in the

(forerunner of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

), learning how to fly at March Field. A difficult student, Shoop took a trainer aircraft for his first solo flight without permission. On landing, the aircraft entered a ground loop, suffering minor damage. Shoop was convicted by

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

and sentenced to six months' hard labor at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. His sentence was subsequently rescinded but he was expelled from the Army Air Corps cadet program. Shoop was able to join the

training program at Griffith Park Aerodrome, where he earned his

Aviator badge An aviator badge is an insignia used in most of the world's militaries to designate those who have received training and qualification in military aviation. Also known as a pilot's badge, or pilot wings, the aviator badge was first conceived to re ...

. By 1933, Shoop was a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

assigned to the Guard's 115th Observation Squadron.

Test pilot

During those years, Shoop was assigned as an Air Corps representative to

Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and military, defense company based in Southern California. Founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr., it merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell D ...

. Just prior to

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

, Shoop started his 15-year career as a

and was involved with testing the then-experimental P-38 Lightning. He went on to test the

Lockheed Constellation The Lockheed Constellation ("Connie") is a propeller-driven, four-engined airliner built by Lockheed Corporation starting in 1943. The Constellation series was the first civil airliner family to enter widespread use equipped with a pressurized cab ...

Bell P-59 Airacomet The Bell P-59 Airacomet is a single-seat, twin turbojet, jet-engine fighter aircraft that was designed and built by Bell Aircraft during World War II. It was the first jet produced in the United States. As the British were further along in j ...

, and Lockheed XP-80. In 1943, he met his future wife, actress

Julie Bishop Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia), Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia#Federal deputy leader ...

, while on the set of '' Princess O'Rourke''. The couple married in 1944 in the

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church City is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is ...

, residence of TWA president Jack Frye. At the invitation of

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

, the couple had a short honeymoon at her home in

Hyde Park, New York Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Fra ...

Eighth Air Force

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Shoop was assigned to the 55th Fighter Wing. The day before

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, he took command of the 7th Photo Reconnaissance Group, then under the

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...

. Shoop piloted (along with his group) the first photo reconnaissance flights over

Omaha Beach Omaha Beach was one of five beach landing sectors of the amphibious assault component of Operation Overlord during the Second World War. On June 6, 1944, the Allies of World War II, Allies invaded German military administration in occupied Fra ...

General Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

credited Shoop and his group's intelligence collection for their tracking of the allied invasion's progress. The group was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for their work. He was later promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

After World War Two

In May 1945, he returned to Muroc Army Airfield (later to become Edwards Air Force Base), where in 1953 he tested the Convair YF-102 Delta Dagger. From 1946 to 1950 he commanded the 46th Military Airlift Group. From 1954 to 1957, Shoop commanded the 146th Fighter-Bomber Wing, which were then flying Sabrejets, as a One-star General. In his civilian career, concurrent with his duty in the Air National Guard, he worked as chief pilot and director of aircraft operations at

. By 1960, Shoop had his second star and served as the Chief of Staff for the state Air National Guard. Shoop eventually became a Vice President at Hughes Aircraft. Throughout his career, Shoop worked as technical advisor on a number of films including '' So Proudly We Hail!'', '' Blaze of Noon'', '' Gallant Journey'', ''

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

'', '' One Minute to Zero'', and '' Jet Pilot''. Shoop had also appeared infrequently on '' The Bob Cummings Show''. The show's star,

Robert Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in d ...

, had been an Air Force pilot and flight instructor at

Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, California, Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County and a souther ...

while Shoop was the base's commander. He appeared as a contestant on '' You Bet Your Life'' hosted by

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...

on an episode that first aired December 22, 1955. Shoop died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

in January 1968 at the age of 60.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shoop, Clarence A. 1907 births 1968 deaths People from Warren County, Pennsylvania United States Air Force generals Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Military personnel from Pennsylvania