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The
Collaborators Formation Aerobatic Team
 Sean
D. Tucker Lead for the Collaborators Formation Aerobatic Team
Sean D. Tucker's life is
marked by a search for excellence and perfected skill. He is not
satisfied unless he is learning, refining a skill, or conquering
a fear. Whether he is heli-skiing, cave SCUBA diving, golfing,
or flying his one-of-a kind aerobatic dream machine, Sean D.
Tucker is full-throttle and extremely accomplished.
In air show flying, Sean is the
world's premier performer in terms of entertainment value,
piloting skill and most importantly, professionalism. He has
been flying air shows world-wide since the mid-70's and has won
numerous aerobatic competitions. In that time, Sean has flown
more than 1000 performances at more than 425 air shows, in front
of more than 80 million fans. In the upcoming season alone,
Tucker and Team Oracle will entertain nearly 10 million fans at
25 shows throughout North America. The level of professionalism
and excitement in Sean's air show displays is no coincidence. He
practices his air show routine three times every day. Sean has
devoted his entire adult life to exploring the art of aerobatic
flight, and after over 10,000 lifetime practices, his passion
continues to grow. He is more inspired by the magic and
discipline of flight every single year and he continues to
improve his skills as an aviator. Sean's airplane, the Oracle
Challenger bi-plane, has also continued to improve each year.
Sean 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 Sean asked of it. This resulted in the most
high-performance aerobatic aircraft in the world, the Challenger
II biplane. It is a fire-breathing monster with over 400
horsepower, weighs just over 1200 pounds and responds to the
slightest pressure on the control stick even at 300 mph. Sean
has become so in-tune with his machine that, while performing,
the control stick becomes his feathers and the aircraft, his
body. To endure the extreme physical demands of each routine,
Sean maintains a rigorous physical training schedule by
working-out over 340 days per year in a routine of jogging and
weight lifting on alternating days. In addition to being a
phenomenal aviator, he is also a larger than life character who
touches the heart of his fans and inspires millions of
Americans. When asked about flying air shows, Sean responds,
"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!" Sean is extremely passionate about every aspect of
the Team Oracle program. His 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 air show was one of the most engaging days of their
lives." This energy is infectious; guests frequently go
away with rekindled enthusiasm for their own passions in life.
Sean D. Tucker: Living Dreams… Inspired by Freedom. Sean's
signature closing statement, "the three best words in the
English language… God Bless America."
Expanding on his love of flying,
Tucker created the Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety, a
world-class flight training institution dedicated to setting and
spreading the standard for aviation safety in aerobatics and
aviation at large. The Academy offers a variety of courses
including stall/spin recognition and recovery training,
aerobatic proficiency training, a low-level aerobatic mentorship
program, and formation aerobatic flight training, which can be
found no-where else in the world.
Sean is a leader in the air show
business as well as the larger aviation industry. He has
received all of the air show industry's highest honors.
Additionally, Sean has been named as one of the Living Legends
in Aviation, recipient of the Crystal Eagle Award, the inductee
at the 2001 USAF Gathering of Eagles and named as one of the
Living Legends of Flight. This raises Sean into an elite group
of aviators and astronauts that includes General Jimmy
Doolittle, General 'Chuck' Yeager, Bob Hoover, Gene Cernan and
John Glenn.
 Eric
W. D. Tucker
Left-Wingman for the Collaborators Formation Aerobatic Team
ASU Vice President
Eric, Sean's son, literally grew
up in the air show industry. From age 9 to 16, Eric spent his
summers touring the air show circuit as the narrator for his
Sean's air show routine and as the copilot in the team's crew
plane. At 14, Eric soloed in gliders and at 16, he soloed in a
Pitts S-2B. At the ripe age of 18, Eric was the "Rookie of
the Year" snowboard instructor at Steamboat Springs
Colorado. In the fall of 2000, Eric moved to begin studying
engineering at the California Polytechnic University in San Luis
Obispo. In his early years of university studies he owned and
operated his own exterior house painting business. After earning
his flight instructor rating, Eric began teaching aerobatics,
stall/spins and unusual attitudes and helping to build the
various business projects of the Tutima Academy of Aviation
Safety. In fall of 2006, Eric graduated with an Aerospace
Engineering degree on the dean's list. During the 2005 air show
season, Eric toured the states as the left wingman for the Stars
of Tomorrow formation flight demonstration team. He worked for
the last year as a research and development test pilot for
Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. In addition to his
passion for flight, Eric loves to travel the world while putting
his Spanish language skills to the test. Eric's favorite quote:
"CHARGE!"
 Ben
Freelove
Right-Wingman for the Collaborators Formation Aerobatic Team
Director of Operations & Aerobatic Instructor - Tutima
Academy of Aviation Safety
Ben moved to California from Ohio
in 2001 to pursue his life long passion for aviation at the
Sierra Academy of Aeronautics at the Oakland International
Airport. Within one year he had successfully completed his
Instrument, Commercial Single Engine, Commercial Multi-Engine,
CFI, CFII, and MEI. He quickly became of the San Francisco Bay
areas most popular flight instructors. Since, Ben has logged
over 3,000 hours in more than forty different types of aircraft.
Ben joined the Tutima Academy Team in order to continue his
dream of flying aerobatics. Shortly after arriving at the
Academy, Ben was promoted to Director of Operations. He is a
serious aerobatic competitor flying in the Advanced category.
Ben is also a professional musician specializing in jazz and
rhythm and blues bass.
 Bill Stein
Slot Pilot and Safety Officer for the Collaborators Formation
Aerobatic Team
Formation Specialist & Aerobatic Instructor - Tutima Academy
of Aviation Safety
Bill began flying aerobatics when
he was still a student pilot and has been dedicated to
perfecting his skills ever since. Since 1995 Bill has performed
at air shows all across the United States and has entertained
millions of air show fans. Bill's has a passion for precision
flying. He trains every day so that his skills stay razor sharp.
Bill's experience includes competitive aerobatics and years of
flying on the world famous Red Baron Stearman Squadron. Bill
also mentors many new air show pilots including coaching the
"Stars of Tomorrow" team. His plethora of formation
experience makes him an ideal safety officer for Team Oracle's
Collaborators. In addition to his extensive flying experience,
Bill Stein spent 22 years working in the Silicon Valley. He
spent 5 years working for Sybase Director of Product Development
of the Open Client Server products, as well as Director of the
SQL server development. His last position was Vice President of
Engineering for HotJobs.com. Bill combines outgoing personality
and outstanding flying skills with an in depth understanding of
modern day technology and business.
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