NBAA marked the passing of John T. Tucker, a longtime leader in business aviation, who died Aug. 30 in Vero Beach, FL. He was 82.
Tucker founded St. Louis, MO-based Midcoast Aviation in 1971 and served as its president for 20 years, overseeing its growth from a small fixed-based operator into a major provider of jet maintenance and modifications. The company was later acquired by Sabreliner Corp.
Bob Quinn, NBAA’s Midwest regional representative, said Tucker had a knack for recognizing, attracting and developing talent, and he prepared many of his employees for successful leadership roles at other companies across the United States and overseas.
“He was extremely influential,” Quinn said. “A lot of people in business aviation owe their beginnings to John Tucker. He provided a lot of jobs at a lot of different levels.”
Before founding Midcoast, Tucker was president of Butler Aviation, a fixed-based operator in New York, from 1968 to 1971. Before that he was executive vice president at Remmert-Werner, a St. Louis aviation services firm, from 1958 to 1968. Tucker began his career as a U.S. Marine Corps aviator.
Tucker served on the NBAA Associate Member Advisory Council, and was honored in 2003 with NBAA’s First Century of Flight Award for his significant contributions to the advancement of aviation. He also served on the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) board of directors, and received NATA’s William A. Ong Award, the association’s award for lifetime achievement in aviation. In addition, Tucker was a contributing editor to several aviation trade publications.
Tucker was a board member of many civic organizations, including the St. Louis Aviation Museum, and was chairman of the St. Louis County Fair and Airshow.
He is survived by his wife, Lucy, four children and eight grandchildren.
