A Lifelong Aviator.
Chief Chase Rutledge is a retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 who served 26 years in the Oklahoma Army National Guard as a helicopter pilot and instructor.
A lifelong aviator, Chase today serves as the SKY 5 Chief Pilot at KOCO Channel 5 in Oklahoma City — keeping him in the air over the community he has spent his life serving. Away from the cockpit, he is a dedicated wood turner and outdoorsman who loves hiking, skiing, camping, and traveling.
Chase co-founded the Reconnect Foundation alongside COL Brad Dean (retired). Drawing on a lifetime in Army Aviation — and the bonds forged flying alongside the men and women who serve — he helped create RECON-nect to make confidential, evidence-based mental wellness support available to every veteran and first responder who needs it.