Greece Odyssey grad joins elite group of pilots

It could be said that David Rodriguez has always had his feet on the ground, but his head in the clouds.

The 2006 Greece Odyssey graduate earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16.

Today, the U.S. Air Force lieutenant is about to join a very exclusive group as a pilot of the F-22 Raptor, of which there are fewer than 200 in the world.

“Early on, when he showed an interest in flying and joining the armed forces, I did my best to make him understand that his oath to defend our country could potentially require the ultimate sacrifice,” said David’s father, Tom, a Rochester police officer who lives with his wife, Deena, and David’s siblings, Phil and Shannon, in Greece.

Phil, 22, is a software engineering senior at Rochester Institute of Technology and Shannon, 18, is at the University of Arizona, on scholarship in the dance program there.

Tom Rodriguez, a U.S. Navy veteran along with his father, Chief Quartermaster Thomas J. Rodriguez, said the proudest moment of his son’s career was when “we rendered our first hand salute to Dave after he was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force on graduation day at the Air Force Academy.”

“While being an Air Force pilot is certainly exciting, it’s a serious business. With that in mind, Dave had no reservations about serving,” his father said.

In high school, David was captain of his lacrosse team and was named first team all-county as a senior. From high school, he was appointed to both the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He chose to attend the Air Force Academy, and graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering. Afterward, he reported to Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas, where he completed Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training. He received his “wings” in May, his father said.

David, now 24, was the only member of his SUPT class selected to pilot the F-22 Raptor and was the first student pilot in many months to be selected for that aircraft.

“When I found out I was (selected to pilot the F-22), I couldn’t believe it, it was unreal,” said David. “I’d dreamt of it from the time I was a kid, and it was a dream come true.”

Many, including David, consider the F-22 the top fighter jet, particularly for its “low observability and maneuverability.” In the history of the aircraft, there have been fewer than 300 F-22 Raptor pilots.

David has recently been at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix for a short course of flying and tactics in the F-16 Falcon. He soon will report back to Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Fla., to begin his F-22 training.

David was married Oct. 12 in San Antonio to Brooke Taylor, a graduate of Texas A&M University whom he met on a blind date set up by a friend.

“That worked out pretty well,” David Rodriguez said with a laugh.

Story and photo:    http://www.democratandchronicle.com