Tucknott Electric
Soon after Robert Tucknott founded his electrical contracting business more than four decades ago, he took up flying in order to pilot himself to jobs in cities throughout California. Today, his company employs more than 100 people, allowing Tucknott to pursue a new line of business as a forensic expert witness.
He flies a Cessna 182 Skylane for business at least twice a month to several Western states. Often, an insurance company or law firm will hire Tucknott to travel to and investigate an electrical accident, such as a fire, asbestos exposure or a construction worker who’s suffered an electrical shock.
“Most of my cases aren’t in my backyard, but I can fly easily to most of the Western states: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and California,” he said.
It’s not unusual for attorneys to travel with Tucknott onboard the Skylane to investigate an accident. Federal Aviation Regulations allow pilots to share fuel expenses if all passengers are traveling for a common purpose and the air travel is not held out to the public.
“When I’ve been retained by local attorneys and they need to get to a case, we all benefit,” said Tucknott. “We can save a lot of money if I take two or three attorneys in my airplane and go out to a case that’s a couple of hours away by air.”