Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 28

PREFLIGHT FIVE QUESTIONS
BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER
ERIC TUCKER
AMBULANCE CHASER...SORT OF
YOU'D PROBABLY THINK THE SON OF AERobatic
superstar Sean D. Tucker would
take his lead from his father. But Eric
Tucker was influenced by airshow comedy
performer Jim Mynning, who among
performing other feats, landed a Piper
Cub on a pickup truck he called " The
world's smallest airport. " The younger
Tucker decided he wanted to perform
airshow comedy, so he has perfected an
act during which he lands on an ambulance-a
moving ambulance. His wife
found the 1990 ambulance at an Arizona
fire department. Tucker designed
a platform to attach to the roof of the
ambulance. Landing a J-3 Cub on top of a
moving ambulance isn't an aerobatic feat,
Tucker said, but more a type of formation
flying. The ambulance motors down the
runway centerline at 55 mph and Tucker
positions the Cub over top. " The car-top
landing is the raddest thing. It's a total
wrestling match. It's pretty challenging
and super personally satisfying, " he said.
LOGBOOK
WHO: Airshow pilot Eric Tucker
HOURS: 6,000
RATINGS: Single-engine commercial,
multiengine ATP, CFI, and glider and
floatplane ratings
Tucker will be a featured performer at
Arizona's Buckeye Air Fair and AOPA
event in February.
How did you get started in aviation? I
guess you could call it the family business.
My grandfather was an aviation attorney,
and my dad is an airshow pilot and crop
duster. I had my first aerobatic airplane
ride before I was born. I was two weeks
overdue, and my dad said Let's get that kid
out of there and four hours after the flight
my mom was in labor.
Biggest challenges? When I was young,
and still today, I think decision making
and how to set up for stress are the biggest
challenges all of us face.
Favorite aircraft? My wife recently asked
that same question but added " if money
were no object " and I told her there'd be five
aircraft: my J-3 Cub, an Albatross, Citation
jet of some kind, Staggerwing, and an Extra
300. But I love my J-3 Cub and I love flying
the Falcon 900 (for work).
Favorite aviation-related activity? I
really love teaching and helping my kids
to fly. I want to give my kids a similar
experience growing up that I had. I was
never in the shadow of my dad; he opened
up a world for me. My son Phoenix says
he wants to have an epic solo and land
on an ambulance. I'll support that but
he needs to be really good, especially at
formation flying.
Advice for students? The right habits,
do the right thing. I really believe
you have to understand how your brain
works, how it reacts to stress, or otherwise
your decisions and actions are left
up to chance. I always recommend people
to read Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales;
it really influenced me.
julie.walker@aopa.org
28
FLIGHT TRAINING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
DAVID TULIS

Flight Training - January/February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - January/February 2024

Contents
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - Intro
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - Cover1
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - Cover2
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - Contents
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 2
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 3
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 4
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 5
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 6
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 7
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 8
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 9
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 10
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 11
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 12
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 13
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 14
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 15
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 16
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 17
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 18
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 19
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 20
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 21
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 22
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 23
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 24
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 25
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 26
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 27
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 28
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 29
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 30
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 31
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 32
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 33
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 34
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 35
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 36
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 37
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 38
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 39
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 40
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 41
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 42
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 43
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Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 46
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 47
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 48
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 49
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 50
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 51
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 52
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 53
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 54
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 55
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 56
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - Cover3
Flight Training - January/February 2024 - Cover4
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