In the Cockpit with Sean Tucker is the fourth volume in the Passion for Flight series. These "short biographies" (20,000 words or less) tell the stories of notable pilots who inspire young and old alike to take to the skies.
Oprah invited Sean D. Tucker on a 2009 show dedicated to the “best” in different areas. The legendary aerobatic pilot briefly shared some of his life story with her, including what caused him to fear flight at an early age and how he overcame that fear. I had the chance to interview Sean a few years ago, shortly after he made a harrowing jump out of his cherished biplane, the Oracle Challenger.
Sean Tucker’s father was a pilot who influenced his passion for airplanes as well as his fear of flight. An early experience with skydiving also contributed to that fear, but he overcame it through aerobatic lessons with acclaimed flight instructor Amelia Reid.
Tucker has flown more than 1,000 performances at more than 425 air shows, in front of more than 80 million spectators. His extraordinary talent in the sky has earned him many awards, from the Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award and the Bill Barber Award for Air Show Showmanship, in his early air show days, to recently being inducted into the International Council of Air Shows Hall of Fame in 2007, the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2008, and the International Aviation Air & Space Hall of Fame in 2009, as well as many others.
Sean Tucker is also an honorary Thunderbird, Blue Angel, and Snowbird, and is the only civilian performer ever to be allowed to fly close formation with the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. His concern over safety in the industry led him to accept an appointment in 1990 as an FAA-appointed air show certification evaluator (ACE). Throughout his career, he’s also mentored many would-be air show performers.
This bio is based on Di Freeze's personal interviews with this legendary aerobatic pilot. He reviewed and approved this approximately 9,800-word bio. This is not meant to be a comprehensive history of Sean Tucker's life, but it contains the major milestones in his life.
