CARSON CITY, Nev. - Nevada National Guard pilot Maj. Derek Routt has distinguished himself throughout his Air Force career by emphasizing basic character traits such as integrity and work ethic.
They promise to be the same attributes Routt upholds this fall when he becomes the first National Guard pilot joins the U.S. Air Force's Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds.
Routt, 38, is the first Air National Guard pilot chosen to fly with the team. Other Guard airmen have held enlisted positions on the team, but Routt is the first pilot.
The application process for the world-renown team was arduous. Routt completed the 30-page application for the Thunderbird team in January and made the first cut with five other individuals.
The selection process was only beginning though. A series of lengthy interviews in Florida, South Carolina and Las Vegas took months, but Routt said it was worth the chance.
"I would watch the Thunderbirds and always thought they were truly magnificent," Routt said.
It wasn't until May 30, the day after his birthday that the son of a National Guardsman learned he would get the chance of a lifetime to fly with the Thunderbirds.
"It is an unbelievable honor," Routt said "Not only to represent the Guard, the Air Force and the Army, but also my family. It's really a defining moment."
This year, 50 percent of the current team will receive new assignments and Routt will take over the "No. 7" position as the operations officer and second in command.
He will begin his four-month training period in July, receive his uniforms in October and begin flying with the team in November, said Capt. Elizabeth Kreft, the public affairs officer for the Thunderbirds.
Routt began his career as an active-duty, nuclear missile launch officer at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. Thirty months later he crossed into aviation and trained in Texas, received his wings in June 1997 and transferred to Florida where he learned to fly the F-15C.
In May 1998, Japan became the next stop for the aspiring pilot. For the next three years, Routt was stationed with the 67th Fighter Squadron in Japan flying throughout Iraq, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
In 2003, Routt was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas and he flew F-16s for three years. In 2006, he transferred back to F-15s and joined the Nevada Air National Guard High Rollers. He currently serves in the 65th Aggressor Squadron.
"It's been great and I hope it will continue to be great," Routt said. "I'm sure it will."