Sean D. Tucker is a world renowned and champion aerobatics pilot who has been flying all his life, passionate about aviation and life. Sean has been preforming in
airshows worldwide, inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, International Aviation Air and Space Hall of fame Inductee, named one of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s 25 living Legends of Flight, Chairman of the EAA Young Eagles Program and honorary member of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Royal Canadian Snowbirds, Brazilian Air Force Smoke Squadron, U.S. Army Golden Knights. “I fly to make people happy, to entertain and thrill them. But in my mind, I’m still a student of the art form. When I wake up in the morning of a show day, it’s high pressure to where sometimes I can’t event think, because I want to live.”
Sean grew up hanging out at small airports, with his father William Tucker, an aviation lawyer and pilot. At age 17, Sean began taking flying lessons earning his Private Pilot’s license. He was terrified of aircraft stalls, so he enrolled in an aerobatics course to help conquer his fears. After his first roll, he became obsessed with aerobatics or as he calls it, sky dancing. Sean’s aircraft (Oracle) was custom built for him, has an airspeed of 260 knots, a roll rate of 400 degrees per second, 12 positive G’s, 8 negative G’s, and flies backwards tail first. Sean donated the aircraft to the Smithsonian.
In 1997 Sean started the Sean D Tucker School of Aerobatic Flight, now known as the Tutima Academy of Aviation safety, the world’s premier precision flight training school. They have a talented team with every flight instructor an active airshow pilot and passionate about both the importance of safety and the beauty of the art form of aerobatic flight.
Sean is the founder of the Bob Hoover Academy (https://bobhooveracademy.org/), leveraging the work that Sean and his son, Eric Tucker began in 2014, creating the Every Kid Can Fly after school program. Sean was troubled by the stories coming out of his hometown, Salinas CA about activities of the gangs. He believed that we must counter the depth of trauma with the height of inspiration for the kids who need it the most. Every Kid Can Fly was born with an initial offering of flight training after school, for students at Rancho Cielo (a local alternative high school program). The time available after school was limited, so a revolutionary administrator at Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) stepped in to form a transportation-pathway diploma-earning high school classroom in January 2016. The program is now a full-time public-private partnership between MCOE and the Bob Hoover Academy. Named after the legendary military, test pilot and airshow performer Bob Hoover, they strive to incorporate Bob Hoover’s character traits into their work and students. They offer weekly ground school, flight training in both their airplane and full-motion flight simulator, as well as fun and educational field trips throughout the aviation industry. Check out the PlaneTalk episode, a chat at AirVenture with Sean about the Bob Hoover Academy and his love for aviation.
Location:
This is an online-only meeting. Check your BFC-News email for the Zoom link!
