Sean D. Tucker
Encyclopedia
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
pilot who performs in airshow
Airshow
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
s worldwide for Team Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
. Tucker is a leader in the airshow business as well as in the larger aviation industry. He is the only civilian performer ever to be allowed to fly close formation with the Blue Angels
Blue Angels
The United States Navy's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team...
and the Thunderbirds
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds are the air demonstration squadron of the U.S. Air Force , based at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada. The squadron tours the United States and much of the world, performing aerobatic formation and solo flying in specially marked USAF jet aircraft...
. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame
National Aviation Hall of Fame
The American National Aviation Hall of Fame is located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, east Dayton, Ohio...
in 2008.
Career
Tucker, a native of Eagle Rock, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, earned his pilot’s certificate at age 17. He has been flying airshows worldwide since the mid-1970s and is considered the world’s premier airshow performer. Despite once having a fear of flying
Fear of flying
A fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane , or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also sometimes referred to as aerophobia, aviatophobia, aviophobia or pteromerhanophobia....
, Tucker has flown more than 1,000 performances at more than 425 airshows, in front of more than 80 million spectators. More than half of Tucker’s maneuvers are original and have never been duplicated by another aerobatic pilot.
Tucker has been named one of the Living Legends in Aviation, is the recipient of the Crystal Eagle Award, was an inductee at the 2001 USAF Gathering of Eagles, and was named one of the Living Legends of Flight.
To endure the extreme physical demands of his acrobatic flying routine, Tucker maintains a rigorous physical training schedule, working out more than 340 days per year in a routine of jogging and weightlifting on alternating days. His other physical activities include heli-skiing, cave SCUBA diving, and golfing. When asked about flying airshows, Tucker has said, "I like to think that I bring the fans’ dreams of flying into the plane with me and there's nowhere I’d rather be than in the cockpit. That’s why I train so hard to keep a finely tuned edge."
Tucker’s self-proclaimed goal is to "share the magic of flight with Team Oracle’s guests by inspiring and thrilling them. I want them to go away saying that the airshow was one of the most engaging days of their lives."
Awards and recognition
- EAA AirVenture Freedom of Flight Award - 2010
- National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) – 2008
- Living Legend in Aviation Award – 2007
- Crystal Eagle Award by the National Aeronautics Association – 2006
- Named one of the 25 “Living Legends of Flight” by the National Air & Space Smithsonian – 2003
- Inductee in the USAF Gathering of Eagles – 2001
- Honorary Thunderbird, Blue Angel, Snowbird
- World Airshow Federation Champion – 2000
- International Council of Airshows Sword of Excellence – 2000
- Undefeated Champion of the Championship Airshow Pilots Association Challenge – 1998–2001
- General Aviation News and Flyer Reader’s Choice Award for Best Male Performer – 1997
- The Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award and The Bill Barber Award for Air Show Showmanship – 1992
- U.S. National Advanced Aerobatic Champion – 1988
Tucker’s airplane
Accidents
In 2006, the elevator (pitch control) system in one of Tucker's aerobatic aircraftAircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
broke, forcing him to bail out
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
. Tucker sustained minor injuries and the aircraft he was flying was destroyed. He still performs, and has since participated in the 2007 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in
Fly-in
A fly-in is a pre-arranged gathering of aircraft, pilots and passengers for recreational and social purposes.Fly-ins may be formally or informally organised, members of the public may or may not be invited, the gathering may be at an airport or in a farmer's field.Fly-ins can be aimed at specific...
and airshow.