AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 112
PILOTS HELICOPTER GURU
Tim Tucker
Robinson's in-house expert
B Y I A N J. T W O M B LY
LOGBOOK
WHO | Tim Tucker, Robinson
112 | AOPA PILOT January 2020
development, Tucker saw the potential
for the helicopter in his flight school.
He purchased serial number 3, the first production ship, and put it on the
flight line to great excitement. Soon the school was operating 10 R22s and
doing a booming business, in part because the Robinson was priced at a third
of other models.
After his flight school partners wanted out, Tucker sought to continue
his training role at the Robinson factory, and soon into his tenure developed
the esteemed Robinson Pilot Safety Course. The course began as a way to
train instructors how to teach in the R22. "We felt that make and model
experience was one of the most important attributes of a flight instructor
in helicopters, especially in a small helicopter like the R22," he said.
"For the first 10 years it was just for flight instructors." Today the course
is offered for owners and all Robinson pilots.
Tucker has taught the course in more than 30 countries, and on six continents, in places predictable, such as Australia with its thriving R22 market,
and as surprising as Rwanda. He has 17 foreign certificates, and continues to
do hands-on instruction and flight tests in the Robinson line today.
AOPA
EMAIL ian.twombly@aopa.org
CHAD SLATTERY
TIM TUCKER KNOWS more about the Robinson R22,
R44, and R66 than you do. In fact, as Robinson's
chief flight instructor and creator of the Robinson
Pilot Safety Course, he probably knows more than
anyone in the world about how to fly Robinson
helicopters safely.
Like many of his generation, Tucker learned
to fly helicopters in the U.S. Army and honed
his skills in Vietnam. At the time the army
used multiple training helicopters, and Tucker
was assigned to learn in the TH-55 Osage,
a military version of the Hughes 269. After
training, he was assigned the venerable UH-1,
which despite decades of experience with the
Robinson models remains his favorite ship.
"There's no question the army UH-1 has a place
in my heart I can't replace. It's always gotten me
home," he said.
After reading about Frank Robinson's work
in the Los Angeles Times early in the R22's
Helicopter's chief instructor
HOURS | More than 22,000
FAVORITE AIRCRAFT | Bell UH-1
EXTRA | Tucker has excelled in his
military and civilian careers. In
addition to his work for Robinson
he has been a designated pilot
examiner since 1983, and has
administered more than 8,000
flight tests. As a pilot for the U.S.
Army he was awarded the Silver
Star and Distinguished Flying
Cross.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020
Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - BB1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - BB2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 10
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 18
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 43
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 46
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 112
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - Cover4
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