Tutima Academy to provide extensive upset recovery and confidence training to Solairus pilots.
San Francisco (Feb 20, 2013) –
Solairus Aviation announced today that it has partnered with Sean Tucker’s Tutima Academy to provide its fleet pilots with upset recovery and confidence training. An intensive two-day program has been developed utilizing Tutima’s 2-seat Extra 300L aerobatic aircraft, with Solairus’ crewmembers scheduled to practice recovery techniques from a wide variety of unusual and extreme flight attitudes. In conjunction with their annual training at Solairus’ headquarters in Petaluma, CA, a comprehensive ground school covering the techniques involved with recovery maneuvers, psychological and physiological reactions during stressful situations, and the aerodynamic factors encountered during abnormal flight at and beyond aircraft aerodynamic limits are key features of this unique partnership.
Sean Tucker, the founder of Tutima Academy, is the world’s premier air show performer when it comes to entertainment value, piloting skill, and most importantly, professionalism. Tucker has been flying air shows worldwide since the mid-70’s and has won numerous aerobatic competitions. In that time, Tucker has flown more than 1000 performances at more than 425 air shows, in front of more than 80 million fans.
“I have been impressed with Solairus’ commitment to safety for a long time, and this vital training will only enhance their program,” Tucker said. “We’re going to be working hand in hand with Solairus’ pilots to push their basic stick-and-rudder and airmanship skills in a wide variety of extreme circumstances. During their training flights, our students are placed into difficult situations with our experienced aerobatic instructors onboard to ensure a safe learning environment. Working together, we help further condition Solairus’ pilots to be able to prevent loss-of-control (LOC) situations by reinforcing their ability to react appropriately during the unlikely scenario that their aircraft experiences impaired control. We will be augmenting Solairus’ already strong safety and training programs by returning to the fundamentals and focusing on strong mental discipline in an incredible program to which every professional pilot should have access to.”
Solairus CEO, Dan Drohan, considers Sean Tucker’s Tutima Academy upset recovery and confidence training to be a natural extension to the company’s already comprehensive training and safety programs.
“Anything we can do as an organization to further develop the skill set and expertise of our crew members is a clear safety advantage for all Solairus clients, and partnering with Sean and Tutima is a natural fit for us,” Drohan explained. “Response to this program has been very positive, as our pilots are among the most highly trained professionals in the field, and they are very dedicated to honing their skills at every level. In addition to the experience they gain in the cockpit over thousands and thousands of flight hours, Solairus crewmembers are required to attend simulator-training programs multiple times per year. However, as thorough as those programs are, even state-of-the-art flight simulators cannot replicate the severe situations and physiological effects that our pilots will experience at Sean Tucker’s Tutima Academy. The unfortunate reality is that many professional pilots have never been past 60 degrees of bank or beyond 60 degrees of pitch. Sean and his staff have utilized their enormous talents and decades of combined experience to create a custom program for our pilots that will safely expose them to these corners of the operating envelope and will teach them how to return to stabilized flight safely. Once their training is complete, our pilots will have immeasurably increased their technical ability and airmanship and, equally important, their confidence in dealing with a potential unusual attitude situation.”
Solairus is a full-service aviation asset management company that provides clients with expertise in acquiring and operating a wide range of private aircraft.
Solairus Aviation is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and has over twenty-five base locations across the United States and Europe. Solairus is an Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operator with a fleet of over 50 managed aircraft. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating has only been awarded to 5% of the world’s charter operators that have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified company. Solairus offers a full range of services in addition to aircraft management, which includes aircraft charter sales, aviation support services, and consulting. For more information about Solairus Aviation, visit www.solairusaviation.com or call 800-359-7861.
About the Tutima Academy:
Founded in 1997 by airshow pilot Sean D. Tucker, the “School of Aerobatic Flight” began as a one instructor, one airplane outfit based in Salinas, California. With students travelling from all corners of the globe the SAF quickly developed a reputation as “the” place to learn aerobatics. Having relocated operations 50 miles Southeast to King City in 2001, the SAF was rebranded the Tutima Academy in early 2006. This unique partnership was formed with Tutima to better fulfill our goal of becoming the pinnacle of aerobatic flight training.
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Solairus Aviation Media Contact:
Eric Wildt
707-775-2788
ewildt@solairusaviation.com