Photo By R.J. Oriez | Maj. Sarah Kociuba, 393rd Bomb Squadron pilot, visits with Air Force ROTC cadets of...... read more read more
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WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – A crop of aspiring aviators recently got a chance to hear from an Air Force pilot who’s flown over some big venues in her career.
Maj. Sarah Kociuba, 393rd Bomb Squadron pilot, flew a T-38 Talon jet here Nov. 15 from her home station of Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, to meet with local Air Force ROTC cadets from Wright State University and University of Dayton.
It was also a homecoming for her. Ten years ago, she was an ROTC cadet at UD.
“It feels like yesterday that I was here, excited to go fly one day,” Kociuba said. “It’s pretty cool to see the next generation of young pilots.”
The 2012 political science graduate has spent the last five years flying the B-2 Spirit Bomber and is now an instructor pilot for the aircraft. Last February, she piloted the B-2 that led the flyover at the start of the Super Bowl.
“Wright State and UD formed my early years of passion for flying,” Kociuba said. “It means a lot to come back and see all the new cadets, see the generation that’s going to be taking over for me eventually.”
The 27 cadets who met her on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base flightline got the opportunity to look over the supersonic training jet she flew in and talk with the Cleveland native.
Cadets Chris Davis and Noah Lehman got advice on how to make it through pilot training.
“It just gives you the inspiration that anything’s possible,” Davis said. “She was in our shoes less than 10 years ago, and now she’s flying the jets flying over the Super Bowl.”
Maj. Jonathan Navarra, Air Force ROTC Detachment 643 operations officer at Wright State, sees Kociuba’s visit as a great asset.
“It helps to provide our cadets with an opportunity to talk to someone who sat in the same exact seats only a few years prior and definitely provides (them) perspective of the cadet life cycle, from being a cadet to an active-duty member doing great things for our Air Force,” Navarra said.
After the cadets had their chance to check out the Talon aircraft, the group moved into a hangar for a Q&A period with Kociuba. Later, she traveled to the Wright State and UD campuses to visit with ROTC students there.
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.23.2021 17:14 |
| Story ID: | 409942 |
| Location: | WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO, US |
| Hometown: | CLEVELAND, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 212 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
