40 under 40 – 2017 winners

Daniel Radocaj

Daniel Radocaj
California, Maryland.

Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Lt. Commander, US Navy Flight Pilot. Daniel has currently achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After graduation from Purdue, he was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy.

It was always his dream to fly and accomplished that when he became an F/A-18 pilot. Professionally he has been awarded four Navy and Marine Corp Commendation Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals as well a Humanitarian Service Medal. He has flown over 2600 hours and has spent over two and a half years deployed onboard aircraft carriers during 6 deployments and done 600 carrier landings on 11 different aircraft carriers. In 2009 he graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School and thus, became a test pilot.

Dan was the first test pilot from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 to man the first Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch system in 2010. He was the 2011 Naval Test Wing Atlantic Test Pilot of the Year as well as 2011 NDIA Naval Tester of the Year. In addition he was recognized with the 2013 Purdue University Engineering Young Alumni Award. He had graduated in 2000 from Purdue University with a Bachelors Degree in Aerospace Engineering and 2001 with a Masters Degree too.

Presently, he is finishing his Executive Masters of Business Administration in 2017. He’s close to becoming the commanding officer of an F/A-18 test squadron and help test and develop the next generation of aircraft and weapons for the US Navy. In the long term, his biggest dream has always been to become an astronaut. Daniel has applied with NASA in 2012 and 2016 and as of fall 2016, he’s made it through the first round of selection and will hear more in the spring of 2017.

Daniel has attended a few NFCA meetings and did attend the first Association of Croatian American Professionals meeting in April 2016. His father, Mijo Radocaj is a long time NFCA officer and two time President. Dan was raised in Massillon Ohio. Dan has always enjoyed visiting his Croatian family in the village of Generalski Stol near Karlovac.

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