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| Sean D. Tucker in his Oracle Challenger III bi-plane (courtesy photo) |
PORTSMOUTH –
National Aviation Hall of Fame legend Sean D. Tucker will be
performing his awe-inspiring aerobatic flying routine at this weekend’s Service
Credit Union Boston-Portsmouth Air Show. The show takes to the skies
Saturday and Sunday, June 30 and July 1 at the Portsmouth International Airport
at Pease. Tucker and Team Oracle arrived to begin practice on Wednesday,
June 13
Tucker is internationally-known as the world’s premier
civilian aviator and has received the highest awards in the industry including
induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, the International Council of
Air Shows Hall of Fame, the Living Legend Aviation Award, and many other awards
and recognitions. He has been flying air shows worldwide since the mid 1970's
and has won numerous aerobatic competitions. In that time, Tucker has flown
more than 1,000 performances at more than 425 air shows, in front of more than
80 million fans.
Tucker’s airplane, the Oracle Challenger III bi-plane, has
continued to improve each year. Tucker 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 he
asked of it. This resulted in the most high-performance aerobatic aircraft in
the world in its time, the Challenger II biplane. Tucker’s continuous
demand to push the aircraft further resulted in the 2010 unveiling of the
Oracle Challenger III, which is the most high-performance aerobatic aircraft in
the world today. This fire-breathing monster packs more than 400
horsepower, weighs just over 1,200 pounds and responds to the slightest
pressure on the control stick even at 300 mph. To endure the extreme physical
demands of each routine, Tucker maintains a rigorous physical training schedule
by working out more than 340 days per year in a routine alternating jogging and
weight-lifting.
Not only is Sean D. Tucker the leading aerobatic pilot in
the world, he is also a larger than life character who touches the hearts of
his fans and inspires millions of Americans. Tucker is extremely passionate
about sharing his love of aviation with air show fans. His
self-proclaimed goal is to share the magic of flight with fans by inspiring and
thrilling them. “I want them to go away saying that the air show was one of the
most engaging days of their lives,” Tucker said. “We are extremely excited to
be performing for the great fans in Portsmouth this weekend.”
