Flyover Flyer

Major Sarah Kociuba ’12 didn’t consider herself a pioneer when she arrived at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri in 2017 for her training as a bomber pilot.

“Where are all the girls?” she asked.

“You’re it,” came the reply.

As a mentor to young women across the country, including ROTC members at her alma mater, Kociuba is striving to ensure the pilots of the future won’t need to ask that question.

She knew that flying the B-2 Spirit was an elite, sought-after assignment. The jet had mesmerized her ever since she witnessed a flyover at the Tournament of Roses parade at the age of 11. 

But she didn’t know that she was slated to become only the eighth woman to pilot a B-2. “It hadn’t occurred to me that I would show up to my unit and be the only woman in the squadron,” she said.

She didn’t let that stop her. “If you are a good pilot, that usually settled the question,” Kociuba said. “These guys are the best of the best, and 99% of the time I didn’t run into any problems.”

Indeed, she excelled to such an extent that she was selected to pilot the lead plane in the traditional fighter jet flyover at Super Bowl LV in 2021. Her participation in the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Dayton, she said, provided the tools she needed to thrive in such a competitive environment. 

“Everyone talks about UD as such a great, supportive community that it’s almost a cliché,” she said. “But it’s true.”

Inspired by her father and two uncles who flew private planes, Kociuba always yearned to fly. It wasn’t until her second week at UD, when she approached the ROTC booth at a fair featuring campus organizations, that she learned how to make it happen. 

“They explained the path to becoming a pilot, and a light switch went on,” she said.

She wouldn’t trade her UD experience for anything — even the prestigious Air Force Academy attended by her husband and many of her friends. “I didn’t find it difficult to balance normal college life and ROTC,” she said. “We wore our uniforms one day a week, and everyone was very supportive and asked lots of questions.”

As an undergraduate, Kociuba was introduced to Col. Jack Sine ’90, who remains her mentor to this day. “I knew that my pilot training was going to be a huge transition from college life because Jack prepared me for that,” she said. “There was a steep learning curve, and it was tough at times. But I just dug in my heels and put in the work.”

“It is the way the culture is set up that you are part of a village. I started out as an introvert, but at UD I learned how to overcome that and to be effective with people.”

Sine said UD prepared them well for the challenges of an Air Force career: “The social skills that you learn at UD are invaluable. It is the way the culture is set up that you are part of a village. I started out as an introvert, but at UD I learned how to overcome that and to be effective with people. That’s critical in aviation because it involves so much teamwork and communication.”

When Kociuba arrived at Whiteman for her B-2 training, she endured a solitary existence at first.  

“I had left behind my friends, family and support group and quickly realized it was just me and the dog,” she said.

Eventually, she met her husband, Maj. William Adair IV, at Whiteman, as well her best friend, Maj. Lauren Kolod. “We met in the women’s bathroom on my second day at Whiteman, and we have been best friends ever since,” Kolod said. “She was in the pipeline before me, and I went to her with all my questions. She was so top-notch; she was a good example to follow.”

In April, Kociuba began a new career in Houston as a commercial pilot for Southwest Airlines. (Her husband is a pilot for United Airlines.) She continues to mentor young women aspiring to become pilots, whether speaking to ROTC members at UD or inviting new pilots to join the group chat for female B-2 pilots. “We sure miss her at Whiteman,” Kolod said. “I still call her for advice.”

Back in 2021 Kociuba accepted her most high-profile assignment yet — leading the flyover formation for the Super Bowl. It was nerve-wracking, she confessed, even though by that time she had logged more than 90 combat missions and more than 1,700 flying hours. 

“The mission required weeks of mission planning,” she recalled. “Each aircraft — the B-1, B-2 and B-52 — took off from their respective bases and we rendezvoused, as a formation, just off the coast of Florida. During the final minutes leading up to the flyover, the time over target changed three times. It required each bomber to be incredibly dynamic, and in the end the formation hit the timing to the second.”

Her longtime mentor had no doubts that she would pull it off. “Of course, she nailed it,” Sine said. “But beforehand I couldn’t resist teasing her that nobody is watching, and no one will notice if you screw up.”

Nor is Sine surprised that Kociuba will continue to serve in the Air Force Reserves, even as she launches her new career as a commercial pilot. 

“She ended up flying a B-2, which is very dangerous and requires excruciating focus,” he said. “But she raised her hand and said, ‘I want to do this for my country.’

“She ended up flying a B-2, which is very dangerous and requires excruciating focus. But she raised her hand and said, ‘I want to do this for my country.’”

“She is very personable and very interested in contributing to society, not just taking. I believe in my heart of hearts that there is a quintessential Flyer, and Sarah is it.” 

Photos by Terri Glanger Photography