Hopes To Establish A Formation Flying Act To Continue On The Air Show Circuit

Sean D. Tucker is one of the best known names on the air show circuit, and for good reason. He has flown on the circuit for 40 years, racking up more than 26,000 hours in the cockpit.

He currently flies the Oracle Challenger III when performing at air shows, an airplane that may one day soon hang in the Smithsonian.

Prior to the Vectren Dayton Air Show this past weekend, Tucker told a reporter from the Dayton Daily News that he will be retiring from solo flying following the 2018 air show season. He's just turned 65, and he said it's time to look at the next phase of his air show career.

What form that will take is not set in stone, but Tucker made it clear he was not retiring from flying. He is currently looking for a sponsor that will help him launch a formation flying team so that he can stay on the circuit.

Tucker began flying at 17, and earned his private pilot certificate at age 21. He said he learned aerobatics as a way to overcome the fear his early instructors instilled in him. He said he would "panic" at the thought of a stall or a steep turn. He began learning aerobatics in 1973, and flew in his first airshow three years later.

Tucker is currently the chairman of the EAA's Young Eagles program, and has started the Bob Hoover Academy, an alternative education high school in Salinas, CA focusing on STEM disciplines.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original Story, www.facebook.com/SeanDTucker/