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David Rodgers: Epstein’s Pilot, the Flight Logs, and the Disputed Passenger Records

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ByEpsteinWiki
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Snapshot

David Rodgers flew for Jeffrey Epstein from 1991 through 2019. He was chief pilot until the end of 2004 and remained a captain afterward. His personal flight log became a central record in civil litigation and at Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal trial.

Rodgers’ significance extends beyond the names in a logbook. He helped run the aircraft operation, recorded passengers, handled company manifests, spoke with investigators, and testified under oath. The records also raise questions about why passenger names disappeared from later logs. Rodgers and fellow pilot Larry Visoski gave the FBI different accounts of when and why that practice changed. epstein-data.com<table> <thead><tr><th>Question</th><th>Documented answer</th></tr></thead> <tbody> <tr><td>When did Rodgers begin?</td><td>His first recorded flight with Epstein was July 26, 1991.</td></tr> <tr><td>What did he do?</td><td>He flew aircraft, served as chief pilot for roughly thirteen years, and maintained flight and passenger records.</td></tr> <tr><td>Did he record every Epstein flight?</td><td>No. His personal log covered flights on which he worked. Other crews operated additional flights.</td></tr> <tr><td>Did he testify at Maxwell’s trial?</td><td>Yes. He authenticated his logbook and explained entries involving prosecution witnesses.</td></tr> <tr><td>Did he report seeing sexual abuse aboard the planes?</td><td>No. He testified that he did not see sexual activity on flights he piloted.</td></tr> <tr><td>Was he charged in the Epstein or Maxwell prosecutions?</td><td>The reviewed criminal case records identify him as a witness, not a defendant.</td></tr> </tbody> </table>

Key Takeaways

Before Epstein: Kentucky, Military Service, and Aviation

Rodgers told the FBI that he studied business at Eastern Kentucky University and participated in ROTC. He served two years on active Army duty, received government support for pilot training, and subsequently worked as a flight instructor and professional pilot. Eastern Kentucky University student journalists later identified him as a 1975 alumnus. Reporting based on their investigation says he was originally from Carrollton, Kentucky. epstein-data.com

Before joining Epstein, Rodgers worked in aviation in Columbus, Ohio. A 2021 record prepared before his Maxwell trial testimony says he had been flying for a real estate developer. In a separate deposition, aircraft maintenance director Larry Morrison identified the earlier operation as Glimcher Corporation and said both Rodgers and Larry Visoski flew there. Morrison knew them through aircraft based in the same Columbus hangar. Epstein Exposed

The connection to Les Wexner was a route into Epstein’s employment, not evidence that Rodgers had been Wexner’s pilot. Rodgers said an aviation manager working near The Limited’s flight department mentioned that Wexner had a friend seeking a pilot. Morrison, when specifically asked whether Rodgers or Visoski had flown for Wexner, answered no. epstein-data.com

Joining Epstein’s Flight Department

Rodgers met Epstein in 1991 and identified July 26 of that year as his first flight with him. His first Epstein aircraft was a Hawker 700. He subsequently worked with a Gulfstream II, a Boeing 727, smaller aircraft, and later Gulfstream models. His FBI interview gives approximate purchase, service, and sale dates, but aircraft registrations changed and should be checked against the date of each flight. The EpsteinWiki aircraft network guide provides that broader context.

As chief pilot, Rodgers’ work included flying, scheduling maintenance, monitoring aircraft records, and managing aviation expenses. He said a captain’s later responsibilities were narrower. Epstein demoted him after a disagreement over a quiet landing procedure at Palm Beach. Rodgers said he used the procedure after Epstein had told him not to and lost the chief pilot title and about $5,000 in annual pay. Payroll records show a $5,000 salary difference between 2004 and 2005, followed by a restoration in 2006. Rodgers remained employed. epstein-data.com

An FAA related record also identifies Rodgers signing as chief pilot on aircraft paperwork while Epstein signed for the company. Such a signature documents an aviation role. It does not, by itself, make Rodgers an owner of the aircraft or the company.

Who Controlled Travel Plans

In his 2020 FBI interview, Rodgers said Maxwell regularly passed along flight plans during the 1990s. She gave schedules verbally, communicated changes, and was especially likely to contact him when she would be aboard. Secretaries, Epstein’s office, and property managers also supplied travel information.

Rodgers said he sometimes received little notice and did not always know the passenger lineup until people arrived. At Maxwell’s trial, he described her as “number two” in Epstein’s working hierarchy, below Epstein. That was his observation of how the operation functioned, not a corporate organization chart. epstein-data.com

His account also describes pilots moving between locations by commercial aircraft while Epstein remained at a property. Consequently, Rodgers’ presence on a flight, absence from a later flight, or commercial return trip cannot be used alone to establish how long a passenger stayed at a destination.

The Difference Between His Logbook and Company Manifests

Rodgers said he habitually recorded passengers, dates, and routes in his personal logbook. He kept that log for flights on which he worked. Separately, the flight operation created company manifests, generally one for each leg. Rodgers said he had kept original company records for a period and that Epstein attorney Jack Goldberger later collected them. Visoski also described company manifests and said he did not put passenger names in his own personal pilot log. epstein-data.com

In a declaration under penalty of perjury, Rodgers explained that he generally wrote a passenger’s name if he knew or learned it. Otherwise, he might enter a description such as “1 Female,” “Nanny,” or “Baby.” At trial, he likewise explained that an unnamed female entry meant the crew did not know that passenger’s name. The description does not establish the person’s identity or age. epstein-data.com

Rodgers told the FBI that he did not routinely check domestic passengers’ identification or dates of birth. International travel could require advance identifying information for customs. Even then, one must locate the actual customs record before asserting what information he saw for a specific person.

The public Maxwell exhibit begins in 1991 and reaches visible entries in early 2006. It is neither a complete record of all Epstein aircraft movements through 2019 nor a list of criminal participants. Epstein’s aircraft network, other pilots’ manifests, and later aviation records must be examined separately. epsteinwiki.com

Why Passenger Names Disappeared: Two Accounts

The reason later passenger records contain fewer names deserves direct examination.

Rodgers told agents in February 2020 that he stopped entering passenger names around February 2007. He said another pilot discussed the disadvantages of recording names and that someone from Epstein’s circle also advised him to stop. Rodgers said he had previously favored names because they provided accountability.

Visoski gave a different account in his October 2020 FBI interview. He placed an initial change around 2008 or 2009. He then said Epstein told both pilots around 2010 or 2011 to stop putting passenger names on manifests and sheets and to record only Epstein’s name. epstein-data.com

These accounts may describe changes to different records at different times: Rodgers’ personal logbook, company manifests, and other flight sheets were distinct. The available interview summaries do not resolve every difference in timing or who gave each instruction. Researchers should cite the original page and record type before treating a missing name as evidence that a person did not travel.

The Maxwell Trial and What the Logs Corroborated

On December 8, 2021, Rodgers testified for the prosecution in United States v. Maxwell. He recognized and authenticated his pilot logbook. The judge admitted Government Exhibit 662 under seal and allowed a redacted version for public use. The trial transcript supplies the foundation that a scanned exhibit alone cannot provide. upload.wikimedia.org

Rodgers walked the jury through flights involving Epstein, Maxwell, and witnesses. He identified trips on which the witness called Jane appeared in the records. He also identified numerous 2001 legs carrying Virginia Roberts Giuffre, including travel through Spain, Morocco, England, and the United States. The entries helped establish movement and association. The testimony about abuse came from survivors and other evidence; a flight record alone does not prove abuse aboard an aircraft or at its destination.

Rodgers’ trial testimony has an additional limit. He said he had not observed sexual activity aboard the flights he piloted and had not seen Maxwell do something that alerted him to the abuse of underage girls. That is a statement about his observations. It does not establish the age of every passenger or negate survivor testimony about events elsewhere. upload.wikimedia.org

The “AP” Initials and Passenger Identification

Rodgers returned to a potentially consequential reading of his own log. In his 2020 FBI interview, he said that “AP” referred to Adam Perry in the entry he discussed, and that he wrote Prince Andrew’s name out when he meant the prince. The initials alone therefore cannot support a claim that Prince Andrew was on a particular flight.

Other entries and testimony may independently identify Prince Andrew on other flights. Each identification must be tied to its own date, page, and supporting evidence. It is equally unsound to transfer Rodgers’ explanation of one “AP” entry to every occurrence of those letters. epstein-data.com

Investigations, Depositions, and the Movement of the Logs

Rodgers spoke to the FBI in 2006 with an attorney present. The interview record discusses his work, aircraft, passengers, and manifests. The record also describes his production of 2004 and 2005 personal logs and company manifests under a grand jury subpoena.

In an October 2009 Palm Beach civil case, Rodgers was noticed for a deposition. Visoski’s deposition two days later refers to a logbook obtained at Rodgers’ deposition. On the afternoon of Rodgers’ deposition, Epstein’s lawyers filed a motion seeking to narrow a demand for original logs beginning in January 1998 to a shorter period beginning in August 2002. That filing documents the request. It does not prove the court granted it. The available production has not yielded the full 2009 Rodgers transcript. EFTA00205442, EFTA00159483, and the enclosed motion at EFTA02761680 document distinct parts of this history. epstein-data.com

Rodgers gave a deposition in June 2016 in Giuffre v. Maxwell. A separate 2018 proceeding issued a notice for a videotaped deposition, but a notice alone does not establish that it occurred. In 2020, Rodgers submitted a sworn declaration in response to another civil subpoena in lieu of appearing for a deposition. These records should never be compressed into a single unspecified “Rodgers deposition.”

His detailed February 2020 FBI interview took place with counsel under a proffer agreement. An agent’s interview summary is a record of what he told investigators. His December 2021 answers were sworn trial testimony subject to cross examination. epstein-data.com

Compensation, Tuition, and Legal Representation

Epstein’s payroll analysis shows Rodgers’ annual salary at $165,000 in 2004, $160,000 in 2005, and $165,000 again in 2006. A later arrangement combined a $50,000 base with payments for flying and travel days. In January 2014 correspondence, accountant Richard Kahn said Rodgers preferred that arrangement to Epstein’s proposed $130,000 annual salary. The base figure by itself is therefore not his total compensation. epstein-data.com

Under cross examination, Rodgers confirmed that Epstein paid his daughter’s private high school and college tuition. He said Epstein offered educational support to employees and did not ask him for something in exchange for that benefit. The payment matters when assessing the financial relationship, but it does not establish that Rodgers knowingly assisted abuse or testified falsely. upload.wikimedia.org

Rodgers said someone in Epstein’s circle directed him to call attorney Darren Indyke when investigators approached. A contemporaneous prosecutor’s note says Epstein was paying for Rodgers’ attorney. Rodgers also told the FBI that no one instructed him to conceal information from law enforcement. Bruce Lyons attended the 2006 FBI interview; Bruce Reinhart appears in later litigation records. They are different attorneys. epstein-data.com

The $50,000 Transfer and the Trust

A financial analysis released as EFTA01681865 identifies a July 11, 2018 wire of $50,000 from Epstein to Rodgers. Its authors report that the wire details called it a “Loan” and that they had not identified a repayment wire from Rodgers to Epstein. Their wording establishes the limit: the review did not find such a wire. It does not establish the terms of the loan, its final balance, or whether repayment happened another way. epstein-data.com

The Jeffrey E. Epstein 2019 Trust separately names “DAVID ROGERS” among employees covered by a provision concerning financial obligations they might owe Epstein at his death. That provision is relevant alongside the 2018 transfer, but the documents do not, on their face, expressly match the clause to that particular wire or prove its balance remained outstanding. Rodgers later told agents he did not know if he was in Epstein’s will. He referred to a will; the cited instrument is a trust. epstein-data.com

Aircraft Business and a Possible Qatar Position

A 2012 email about a proposed sale of Epstein’s Boeing 727 to a buyer in Qatar mentioned the possibility that Rodgers could join the buyer’s flight department. It was a proposal intended to make the aircraft sale more attractive. The correspondence does not show that Rodgers accepted a position or worked in Qatar. Epstein Files

Sleuth Heather Ashley’s financial network research points to court material listing Rodgers and Visoski as credit card holders through an Epstein aviation entity. A company credit card is consistent with flight department operations. Its existence alone does not establish personal ownership of the company or the purpose of particular charges. The underlying account and transaction records would be needed for those claims. theheatherashley.substack.com

After Epstein’s Arrest

Records reviewed by Epstein Data place Rodgers at Teterboro when Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019. Investigators approached him there, and he sought counsel before answering questions. He later supplied information in 2020 and prepared for trial testimony in 2021.

A July 2021 trial preparation record describes Rodgers as retired and says his Epstein employment ran from 1991 through 2019. The public records reviewed for this article do not establish a subsequent aviation employer. epstein-data.com

What the Record Does and Does Not Establish

Rodgers is a consequential witness because he created and explained records that can be compared with survivor accounts, customs information, aircraft records, calendars, and other evidence. His long employment, compensation, and handling of manifests merit scrutiny. They do not themselves prove participation in Epstein’s sexual abuse.

No verified, separate sexual misconduct allegation or unrelated criminal case against this David Rodgers emerged from the records reviewed here. Several unrelated people share his name, including professionals in other fields. A search result attached only to “David Rodgers” must be matched to the pilot through independent identifiers before it belongs in his profile.

The record is also incomplete. His personal log did not cover flights he did not work, company manifests followed a different custody path, and some later passenger records omit names. An absence from one log is not proof that someone never traveled; an appearance in a log is not an accusation of wrongdoing. epstein-data.com

Evidence Appearances

  • EFTA00159180: Rodgers’ seventeen page February 2020 FBI interview covering career, aircraft, passengers, records, and legal contacts.
  • EFTA00269585: Record of Rodgers’ August 2006 FBI interview.
  • EFTA00159712: Visoski’s 2020 FBI interview, including his account of passenger name recording and earlier work with Rodgers.
  • EFTA00159178: Agreement associated with Rodgers’ 2020 proffer interview.
  • EFTA00159197: Rodgers’ declaration under penalty of perjury explaining his logbook entries.
  • EFTA00159199: July 2021 trial preparation record describing Rodgers’ prior career and retirement.
  • EFTA00159483: Visoski deposition referring to the logbook obtained at Rodgers’ 2009 deposition.
  • EFTA00205442: Palm Beach civil docket documenting deposition notices.
  • EFTA02761680: Later court filing containing the 2009 motion about the pilots’ depositions and requested log production.
  • EFTA01247021: Larry Morrison deposition describing Rodgers and Visoski’s earlier Columbus aviation work.
  • EFTA00021675: Aircraft paperwork bearing Rodgers’ chief pilot signature.
  • EFTA01204656: Aviation payroll and benefits analysis.
  • EFTA01943201: January 2014 correspondence about Rodgers’ compensation.
  • EFTA01681865: Financial analysis identifying the July 2018 $50,000 wire labeled “Loan.”
  • EFTA00098341: Epstein’s 2019 trust and its provision naming David Rogers.
  • EFTA02846460: Public flight log exhibit associated with United States v. Maxwell.

Questions for Investigators

  • Which original company manifests survive for flights outside Rodgers’ personal log, and who has custody of them?
  • Can dated log pages establish precisely when names stopped appearing in Rodgers’ personal book, company manifests, and other flight sheets?
  • What documents explain the instructions Visoski attributed to Epstein around 2010 or 2011?
  • What were the terms and final disposition of the $50,000 transfer identified in the 2018 wire analysis?
  • Which customs, passport, aircraft, and ground transport records can independently identify passengers recorded only by initials or descriptions?
  • Where is the complete transcript of Rodgers’ October 2009 deposition, and what original logs were produced in response to the competing discovery requests?

Sources

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