page_title: Sean D. Tucker
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Sean D. Tucker / Career
caption_attribution_description: English: Naval Air Station Oceana, Va. (Sept. 24, 2004) – U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy aircrew Master Sgt. Rick Turpin, Tech. Sgt. Frank Falcone, and Maj. Star Smith, stop to take a photo with aerobatic pilot Sean Tucker at the 2004 "In Pursuit of Liberty," Naval Air Station Oceana Air Show. Twice during Tucker’s performance, he will fly the aircraft backwards, straight down, tail-first at more than 100 mph. The air show, held Sept. 24-26, showcased civilian and military aircraft from the Nation's armed forces, which provided many flight demonstrations and static displays. U.S. Navy Photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Jennifer M. Simonds (RELEASED)
context_page_description: Sean Doherty Tucker is an American aerobatic aviator who is sponsored by the Oracle Corporation and performs in air shows worldwide as "Team Oracle". Tucker has won numerous air show championship competitions throughout his career and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2008. He has led several efforts to assist youth in learning to fly or becoming involved in general aviation, and currently serves as co-chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagles program.
context_section_description: Sean Tucker, a native of Eagle Rock, California, earned his Private Pilot certificate at age 17. His father, William, was an aviation industry lawyer who had learned to fly as part of his job. Tucker started out as a cropduster, eventually starting a cropdusting business in Salinas, California. In order to overcome his fear of crashing, he took an aerobatics course, through which he "found out you could roll an airplane upside down and it wouldn't fall out of the sky." He has been flying airshows worldwide since the mid-1970s and is considered by many to be one of the world’s premier airshow performers. Tucker's favorite stunt is the "triple ribbon cut", where he uses his plane to cut three ribbons suspended between poles from three different angles. Despite once having a fear of flying, Tucker has flown more than 1,000 performances at more than 425 airshows, in front of more than 80 million spectators.
  Tucker's first sponsorship was with Randolph Sunglasses from 1993 through 1995, then in 1996 he transitioned to MCI under the 1-800-COLLECT and 10-10-220 brands until his start with Oracle in 2001.
  Tucker has been named one of the Living Legends of Aviation, is the recipient of the Crystal Eagle Award, was an inductee at the 2001 USAF Gathering of Eagles, and in 2003 was named one of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's 25 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 mountain climbing, 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."
  He is one of only a handful of civilian performers who have been allowed to fly close formation with the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds.
  In 2013, Tucker was appointed Chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) program Young Eagles, which introduces and educates children aged 8 to 17 about aviation. It has given flights to over 2 million children around the world. Tucker is an annual fixture at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow each summer. At the 2016 event, Tucker was joined by past EAA Young Eagles chairmen Harrison Ford, Chesley Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles as they flew the 2 millionth Young Eagle. In July 2018, NFL player Jimmy Graham became co-chairman of the program, with Tucker.
  On October 21, 2018 he flew his last solo performance at the Wings Over Houston Airshow over Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. In 2019, Tucker lead an aerobatic demo team with Jessy Panzer.
  On May 13, 2020, Tucker announced that he will be flying a new formation aerobatic act featuring Cristian Bolton, Bill Stein, and Jessy Panzer. The team will perform aerial demonstrations in the Game Composites GB1 GameBird.
caption: Tucker (2nd from left) in 2004 posing with the aircrew of the USAF Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
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