UD grad led Super Bowl bomber flyover

Kociuba led a trio of bombers over Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in a B-2 Spirit.

Although the flyover was seen for only a few seconds, Kociuba and the other pilots flew for nearly eight hours and spent weeks preparing. Kociuba is one of just 10 woman pilots of the B-2 in the country. She is the first female pilot to lead a Super Bowl flyover, according to Airways Magazine.

Kociuba has flown over 90 combat missions and has more than 1,700 flying hours. UD recognized her in a tweet on Sunday morning, congratulating the pilot on her achievements.

She was able to attend the University of Dayton and become an Air Force officer through a cooperative agreement with Wright State University’s Department of Aerospace Studies. Wright State is the home of Detachment 643 and the host site the AFROTC program.

She is originally from Cleveland. In her first year at UD, she studied to be a doctor, but then decided that flying was her passion.

Now, Kociuba is a B-2 Instructor Pilot and Wing Scheduler, stationed in Missouri. As an instructor pilot she is responsible for training B-2 pilots into combat-ready and mission-capable aviators to “support worldwide conventional and nuclear capabilities at a moment’s notice,” according to a biography released by the U.S. Air Force. She is chief of wing scheduling.

She has served over nine years of active duty in various positions. Before being stationed in Missouri, she earned her pilot wings at Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training in Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi.

Kociuba has also been awarded the Air Force Commendation Metal and an Air Force medal with one oak leaf cluster. She is a 2018 distinguished graduate from squadron officer school. She was promoted to captain in 2016.