SEAN D. TUCKER WEBCHAT

Read the WebChat Transcript

EAA Aviation Center - July 20, 2005 – How did aerobatic champion Sean Tucker overcome his fear of flying to become one of the best in the industry? Ask him yourself on July 20!

Even though he had his first flight lesson at 17 with his father as his instructor, Sean Tucker was afraid of flying. To overcome his anxiety, he took up skydiving, but a parachuting accident killed a close friend and only validated his fears.

Determined to overcome the panic, he went on to earn his pilot’s license. But he still found himself fearful, especially of stalls. So in 1973, he enrolled at the Amelia Reid Flying School for aerobatic training. Something finally clicked.

Today, Sean is one of the premiere air show performers in the world and will be performing at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005 at Wittman Regional Airport.

You can ask him any questions you have during our monthly Webchat from 7-8 p.m. central time on July 20.

What is a Webchat?

The Young Eagle Webchat is an opportunity for interesting people in aviation to answer your questions directly. The text-based chat is available on the third Wednesday of the month between 7 and 8 p.m. central time.

Meet Sean Tucker

After learning aerobatics, Sean kept practicing and started winning awards. Today, he helps to train those new to the business as part of Stars of Tomorrow, a program for up and coming performers that made its debut at Oshkosh in 2003. One of the Stars in 2005 is his own son, Eric, a 23-year-old senior at Cal Poly — San Luis Obispo majoring in aerospace engineering.

Tucker believes that air show pilots need both mental and physical fitness. "If you don't have the discipline, you're going to die," he says. "When you are fit, you feel strong the whole day, alert, with a good positive mental attitude for handling life's challenges.”

His discipline includes eating carbohydrates in the morning and switching to protein in the afternoon. He eats small meals six times a day, with the largest meal coming at 10:30 a.m.

He works out three or four days a week, often combining weight training and aerobic exercises.

"I fly heavy sustained G loads when doing snap rolls and while diving at the ground. The snap rolls have me plastered against the side of the airplane. I feel like the muscle on my forearm is leaving the bone. If I am fit, it doesn't bother me," Tucker said.

In the upcoming season, Tucker will entertain nearly 10 million fans at 25 shows. "I like to think that I bring the fans' dreams of flying into the plane with me; there's nowhere I'd rather be than in the cockpit.”

Did You Know?

During media flights, Tucker will fly within 5-feet of the support plane carrying photographers.
During his performance, he flies backwards, straight down, at more than 100 mph.
Over half of his maneuvers are original and have not been duplicated by another aerobatic pilot.
His performances impose more G-forces on his body than jet fighter pilots experience — +10 and -7.5 Gs. That means from his normal weight of 175 pounds, Sean will weigh nearly 1,700 pounds while pulling 10 positive Gs...and will resist the force of 1,200 pounds pulling on his head as 7.5 negative Gs try to pull him out of the cockpit!
Tucker is the only air show performer to be named an honorary member of all three North American jet teams – the US Navy Blue Angels, US Air Force Thunderbirds and Canadian Forces Snowbirds.

Sean D. Tucker’s awards

2003 - Named one of the 25 "Living Legends of Flight" by the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
2001, 2000, 1999, 1998 — Champion, CASPA Challenge
1992 - The Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award and The Bill Barber Award for Air Show Showmanship. He is the only performer to receive both awards in the same year.
1988 — U.S. National Advanced Aerobatic Champion.