Timothy C. Tucker,
Chief Instructor, R22/R44 Safety Course, Robinson Helicopter
Company, is the recipient of Helicopter Association
International’s (HAI) 2004 Joe Mashman Safety Award. This
award was presented at HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, California, during the
Helicopter Association International’s 44th annual
“Salute to Excellence” awards ceremony.
As Chief Instructor for Robinson Helicopter Company’s
R22/R44 Safety Course since 1982, Mr. Tucker has had a tremendous
impact on reducing helicopter accidents. The safety course targets
helicopter owners and operators, focusing on the main causes of
fatal helicopter accidents. In the past, over 800 pilots a year
have attended the course held monthly at Robinson, and a record
1,011 pilots attended in 2004. As an FAA Accident Prevention
Counselor, Mr. Tucker applied for and received an FAA waiver so
that a pilot’s attendance at this course meets all the
requirements for a full phase of the FAA’s Pilot Proficiency
(Wings) Program. As a result, 40-45 new pilots each month now
complete the first phase of this outstanding safety program.
In 1992, Mr. Tucker began conducting R22/R44 safety seminars
abroad. To date, twenty-four helicopter safety seminars have been
conducted in thirteen countries spanning six continents. In 2004,
the overseas safety seminar program had over 300 helicopter pilots
attending Mr. Tucker’s seminars. Mr. Tucker frequently
donates his time giving free lectures to helicopter safety seminars
conducted by pilot organizations and the FAA around the United
States. He has assisted a number of local FAA FSDOs around the
country in addressing local helicopter concerns.
Since 1984, Mr. Tucker has been one of the country’s most
active FAA Designated Pilot Examiners, and one of only a handful of
examiners authorized to conduct tests in ten different makes and
models. Working closely with 16 flight schools and 19 law
enforcement agencies, he has helped insure a high regard for
helicopter safety in the busy southern California area. Mr. Tucker
was selected as HAI’s “Salute to Excellence”
Outstanding Flight Instructor for 2000. He has authored numerous
articles for magazines and newsletters, and authored the Robinson
R22 Flight Training Guide, which has become the foundation for R22
flight training around the world.
Tucker’s thirty-four years of experience and
accomplishment during his 18,000-hour helicopter career have made a
large and important contribution to the helicopter industry, and
his educational contributions have greatly impacted helicopter
safety around the world, raising standards and saving lives in the
process. HAI’s Safety Award was first presented in 1987. The
award was re-named in 1994 in memory of Joe Mashman, noted
helicopter pioneer, whose contributions virtually parallel the
development of the civil helicopter industry. The Joe Mashman
Safety Award acknowledges outstanding contributions in the
promotion of safety and safety awareness throughout the civil
helicopter industry.