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Published on 10/20/1999 All articles from this issue

Flying high proves a dream come true for aviator who grew up in Los Altos

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By Ellen Murray

Special to the Town Crier

When he soloed in an F-18 Hornet last July, Lt. j.g. Ryan Bernacchi, 26, son of Los Altans Elli and Jerry Bernacchi, attained his childhood goal. Lt. Bernacchi flew the same type of plane the Blue Angels took through its paces during the recent Fleet Week.

Bernacchi, who attended Loyola Elementary School, Blach Middle School and Mountain View High School, set his sights high at an early age and achieved his ultimate dream when he received his Navy Wings as a jet pilot.

At his junior high school graduation, Bernacchi gave a commencement address and spoke of "desire, determination and discipline." He added a fourth goal: a dream.

"He has wanted to be a Navy jet pilot since he was 3 years old," said Eli Bernacchi. "He thought the P-3 Orions that flew into Moffett Field were named after him! Every time someone said 'Orion,' he thought they were saying 'Ryan.'"

Bernacchi wrote his elementary school reports about aviation, and even doodled airplanes in the margins of his math assignments. A Navy pilot, who spent a day with him during a seventh grade trip to Moffett, told him about the tremendous commitment flying would require.

Inspired by this mentoring, Bernacchi joined ROTC, earned his pilot's license while at the University of California at San Diego, then received a Navy scholarship for his last three years of college. He maintained a high GPA so that he could be go on to flight school, and was among the top 10% of his primary training class that went on to jet training. The process became more rigorous each step of the way as he progressed through Intermediate Jets in the T-2C Buckeye. His was the first class to fly the Navy's newest jet trainer, the T-45C Goshawk.

As the final hurdle, Bernacchi performed 10 carrier-arrested landings or "traps" in the T45. He successfully completed his test flight aboard the USS John F. Kennedy off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, in March. One month later, with four commendations for bombing and dogfighting excellence, he received his "Wings of Gold" and was assigned to the Pacific Fleet Hornet Wing. He is stationed in Lemoore, Calif., near Fresno.

"I feel very lucky to be doing what I love. I can't believe I'm being paid for it," Bernacchi said. "It's very rewarding, both better and harder than you can imagine."

An anthropology and combined social sciences major at college, he acknowledges that he doesn't fit the stereotype of "what you see on TV" in a Navy aviator pilot. And his parents confirm that his "commitment and respect" are qualities that may represent the new breed of military officer.