Sean D. Tucker's life is marked by a search for excellence and perfected skill. He is not satisfied unless he is learning, refining a skill, or conquering a fear. Whether he is heli-skiing, cave SCUBA diving, golfing, or flying his one-of-a kind aerobatic dream machine, Sean D. Tucker is full-throttle and extremely accomplished.
In airshow flying, Sean is the world's premier performer in terms of entertainment value, piloting skill and most importantly, professionalism. He has been flying airshows world-wide since the mid-70's and has won numerous aerobatic competitions. In that time, Sean has flown more than 1000 performances at more than 425 airshows, in front of more than 80 million fans. In the upcoming season alone, Tucker and Team Oracle will entertain nearly 10 million fans at 15 shows throughout North America. The level of professionalism and excitement in Sean's airshow displays is no coincidence. He practices his airshow routine three times every day. Sean has devoted his entire adult life to exploring the art of aerobatic flight and after over 10,000 life-time practices, his passion continues to grow. He is more inspired by the magic and discipline of flight every single year and he continues to improve his skills as an aviator.
Sean's airplane, the Oracle Challenger bi-plane, has also continued to improve each year. Sean started with a factory built Pitts Special 30 years ago and modified it each year. After reaching the limits of the Pitts, Tucker's team designed a one of a kind airplane that could do anything that Sean asked of it. This resulted in the most high-performance aerobatic aircraft in the world, the Challenger II biplane. It is a fire-breathing monster with over 400 horsepower, weighs just over 1200 pounds and responds to the slightest pressure on the control stick even at 300 mph. Sean has become so in-tune with his machine that, while performing, the control stick becomes his feathers and the aircraft, his body. To endure the extreme physical demands of each routine, Sean maintains a rigorous physical training schedule by working-out over 340 days per year in a routine of jogging and weight-lifting on alternating days.
In addition to being a phenomenal aviator, he is also a larger than life character who touches the heart of his fans and inspires millions of Americans. When asked about flying airshows, Sean responds, "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!" Sean is extremely passionate about every aspect of the Team Oracle program. His 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." This energy is infectious; guests frequently go away with rekindled enthusiasm for their own passions in life. Sean D. Tucker: Living Dreams... Inspired by Freedom. Sean's signature closing statement, "the three best words in the English language... God Bless America."
Expanding on his love of flying, Tucker created the Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety, a world-class flight training institution dedicated to setting and spreading the standard for aviation safety in aerobatics and aviation at large. The Academy offers a variety of courses including stall/spin recognition and recovery training, aerobatic proficiency training, a low-level aerobatic mentorship program, and formation aerobatic flight training, which can be found no-where else in the world. Click here to find out more.
Sean is a leader in the airshow business as well as the larger aviation industry. He has received all of the airshow industry's highest honors. Additionally, Sean has been named as one of the Living Legends in Aviation, recipient of the Crystal Eagle Award, the inductee at the 2001 USAF Gathering of Eagles and named as one of the Living Legends of Flight. This raises Sean into an elite group of aviators and astronauts that includes General Jimmy Doolittle, General 'Chuck' Yeager, Bob Hoover, Gene Cernan and John Glenn.
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