Duncan Aviation’s Bob Tooker Receives Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award

Master of Ceremonies Darwin Godemann presents Bob Tooker with Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award for 50 years of aviation maintenance service. Click image for high-res download.

LINCOLN, NEB. — Bob Tooker, a sales representative for Duncan Aviation’s Parts and Rotables Sales and a long-time aircraft technician with Duncan Aviation, was recently honored as a recipient of the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.

The Nebraska Aviation Mechanics Seminar committee and the Federal Aviation Administration presented the awards at a banquet on the evening of January 26 in Kearney. The presentation was conducted in conjunction with the annual evening banquet at the Nebraska Aviation Mechanics and IA Renewal Seminar.

The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award is named in honor of Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic in powered flight. Taylor served as the Wright brothers' mechanic and is credited with designing and building the engine for their first successful aircraft. The award recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior mechanics.

Award recipients are required to have worked for a period of 50 years in an aviation maintenance career and must have been an FAA-certificated mechanic or repairman working on N-registered aircraft maintained under the federal aviation regulations for a minimum of 30 of the 50 years required. 

Tooker has been employed in aviation for 50 years, 43 of those years being dedicated to serving at Duncan Aviation. To start his career, Tooker joined the U.S. Navy in 1967 and was sent to Avionics School in Memphis, Tenn., after he tested very high with an aptitude for aviation.

In 1974, at a time when there were only 17 aircraft mechanics at Duncan Aviation, Tooker came to the company to work on early model Learjets, Bonanzas, Barons, and King Air aircraft. It wasn’t long before he began leading his own teams through major inspections. His first job as lead mechanic was for the 10 year, 10,000-hour demate inspection on a Learjet 23 and 24. He admits this first leadership run was a bit intimidating, but when he went on his first test flight doing test stalls and wing checks, it pretty much sealed the deal for Tooker on his love for aviation. He was in it for the long haul.

In 1984, Tooker helped Duncan Aviation develop and start its Parts and Rotables Sales department, which manages an extensive inventory of aircraft avionics, parts and rotables available for sale. Tooker traveled across the country buying aircraft to be parted out or inspecting potential parts consignments, helping build the inventory from scratch. For the remainder of his career, Tooker wore many hats, including inventory quality control, and sales rep. One of his favorite projects was the disassembly, transportation, and reassembly of a Learjet 35 that can be seen hanging in Terminal 3 of the Denver International Airport.

Tooker has a lot of gratitude for Robert Duncan, Chairman Emeritus of Duncan Aviation. “I always felt encouraged and empowered by the trust Robert put in me early in my career. I want to thank him for the fun ride.”

About Duncan Aviation

Duncan Aviation is an aircraft service provider supporting the aviation needs of business aircraft operators, government agencies, and other aircraft service providers. Services include major and minor airframe inspections, engine maintenance, major retrofits for cabin and cockpit avionics systems, full paint and interior services, engineering and certification services, fabrication and manufacturing services, and preowned aircraft sales and acquisitions. Duncan Aviation also has international aircraft components solutions experts available 24/7/365 at +1 402.475.4125 who can handle any aircraft system problem with immediate exchanges, rotables, loaners or avionics/instrument/accessory repairs and overhauls. Complete service facilities are located in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Provo, Utah. We also have dozens of other facilities strategically located throughout the United States to provide customers with scheduled regional support and the quickest response possible to avionics, engine and airframe Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situations.

For more information about any of Duncan Aviation’s services, call +1 402.475.2611 or visit https://www.DuncanAviation.aero/services