BRANDON DUBUISSON: From the race track to the runway

As a four-year-old boy growing up in Atlanta, Brandon Dubuisson decided he wanted to be a bird when he grew up. A few years later he realized that it wasn’t possible to become a bird, so he then set his sights on being a pilot. That little boys’ dream came true when he was offered an Air Force ROTC scholarship to Baylor University.

Almost 14 years after college graduation, Major Dubuisson has been all over the world – most recently travelling to the Antarctica as part of the 304th Expedition Airlift Squadron in Operation Deep Freeze (ODF), a joint operation by the U.S. military to deliver scientists and equipment to the continent. The six-week mission consisted of 10 flights from Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo Station, a United States Antarctic research station.

“The 2020-2021 ODF season marks the 61st Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty and the 65th year of military dedication, ingenuity and labor in support of the Antarctic mission,” said Col. Jamielyn Thompson, JTF-SFA deputy commander, in the official Air Force press release. “Each season presents new challenges, and this year was no different as we took special precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while also providing transportation and logistics to the U.S. Antarctic Program and the National Science Foundation.”

“We staged out of Christchurch, New Zealand, and flew to Antarctica from there,” Brandon said. “There is no COVID there – it’s pretty interesting, like normal life for a while. We had to do a two-week quarantine, but they don’t call it that. We stayed at a hotel in government sponsored isolation. They tested us on day three and day 12, then we were released to go to our hotel.”

“New Zealand versus America – it’s small; there are two big islands, North and South - we were on South, which feels really small. It definitely has similarities to Hawaii, but it’s not as tropical or warm. People were very, very nice; I’d say even more than most Americans. They were very welcoming,” he said. “They were pretty surprised to see us. Because of COVID, we were the only tourists around. The food was great. The whole island is less effected by technology and change. There are more small mom-and-pop stores; it’s got a beach town feel.”

Although they were free to sightsee without masks, they still donned them during the flight missions as a precaution. Even though the pandemic had reduced the human presence in Antarctica, medical care is sparse for the smaller population. While the American bases remained COVID-free, in December there were 58 confirmed cases on the Chilean base, after the completion of Brandon’s time.

The southernmost continent covers an area of 5.4 million square miles and includes the South Pole. In most years (before COVID) the population of the entire country was less than 4,000 humans, with most of those in the U.S. bases of McMurdo Station on the coast of Ross Island, and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Several other countries also have bases at different locations there. The only wildlife consists of various penguin and bird species, seals, whales and a few insects.

In accordance with the Antarctic Treaty which was signed in 1959, no country may own any part of the area below the 60-degree South Latitude line, including all ice shelves and islands. The Treaty was put in place to ensure “in the interests of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord.”

“It’s really interesting because all these countries can build a shelter or base and occupy it, but if they ever leave it – for even one day – someone else can move in and claim it,” Brandon explained. “And there is no military activity there, except for the ships and planes that bring scientists and equipment to the research centers.”

Before the mission, Brandon had to learn how to land the heavy C-17 Globemaster III on the runway made of ice. “The plane is the most diverse Air Force cargo aircraft, and the largest to land there. We are so heavy we take off at 580,000 lbs, and land at just under 300,000 lbs after burning all the fuel. When we are full we are almost half gas. We can haul a lot – helicopters and any equipment they may need, plus most of the personnel as well,” he explained. “The actual landing is not a lot different as far as mechanics go, but it’s more of just learning to plan for bad scenarios. They have a crew that does nothing but take care of the runway. Once, while we were there, it cracked so we had to wait for them to repair it.”

The seasons there are opposite from us – our winter is their summer – so the missions are scheduled around that. The runway at McMurdo can start to melt if the temperature rises too high in the summer (the temperature there ranges from -58F to 46F). The continent doubles in size in winter when it freezes.

“Flying from Christchurch at dawn, over the ocean, the sky is nice and clear, with no ambient light so you have a good view of the stars,” Brandon said. “Coming into McMurdo, the aerial view looks like a big city. They have yearround medical and science personal, but this year it’s down to about 450 from about 1,200 due to COVID. I was told there are Southern lights, same as the Northern lights over Alaska, which I’ve seen. We didn’t go far enough South to see them, though.”

Something else Brandon was looking for also failed to appear – the penguins. The only wildlife on the continent are varieties of penguin, seals, and a few insects; and not a one did he see.

“Penguins don’t really come out this time of year where we were and there aren’t so many seals there, either. Sometimes we get lucky and see the big Emperor penguins, but we didn’t this time,” he said. “I was looking down hoping to see if it was like The March of the Penguins or Happy Feet.”

As far as the cargo he was transporting, Brandon knew it had something to do with the ongoing scientific studies being done at the bottom of the world. “I don’t know that I can definitively say the main reason the scientists are there, but when I went to the Antarctica Museum at Christchurch I watched a short video that made it seem like a significant portion of their research was directed at global warming and wildlife studies,” he said.

While all that cargo does seem pretty interesting, it can’t beat the $3.5 billion payload he carried earlier last year. “In February 2020 I transported the Mars Rover that was launched in July,” he said, grinning ear to ear. “I picked it up in California and flew it to the launch site in Florida. I had made plans with some of the guys from NASA to fly back to Cape Canaveral for the launch, but COVID halted those plans. That was my most expensive cargo.”

Brandon, who switched from active to reserve status about 18 months ago, lives in Seattle with wife Sarah, who is an RN, daughter Vail, and new puppy Ranger. Before graduating with honors from Atlanta High School in 2003 he was a member of the record-setting Cross Country and track teams.

The change in status, after 12 years of active duty and several deployments, gave him the opportunity to do a different kind of flying as a pilot for Southwest Airlines. As a commercial pilot, he enjoys the benefit of free or discounted travel for he and his family. He enjoyed being able to fly his parents, Vicki and Donald Dubuisson, along with niece Presley and nephew Michael, to visit him in Seattle. He comes home about once a year; the most recent visit was for his dad’s funeral last summer.

He has been to every continent, other than Australia, and favors European travel for the food; and he loves going to Hawaii.

“The coolest place I’ve ever been is Seychelles Island off Northern Africa. It’s a popular tropical destination for Europeans, but hard to get to from America due to all the layovers,” he explains.

“It’s owned by France, and there is a big Creole presence there. The food reminds me of Louisiana. That’s definitely one place I have to take Sarah.”

Switching from military cargo to commercial flying has some similarities he says, but also some stark differences.

“The C-17 is three times the size of the commercial 737, which weighs 110-130,000 lbs compared to the C-17; the length and width are a lot smaller also,” he said. “Crazy enough, the C-17 is a lot easier to fly – technically and physically; not more advanced - just different. They are both made by Boeing, but flying passengers is different than cargo – there’s a customer service aspect - you keep your landing soft when there are people on board.”

No matter where he goes, Brandon takes a little bit of Cass County with him. “I have memories of the great people I grew up with – mentors, friends, family – like Coach [Gordon] Pynes, who I stay in touch with, and all the others that influenced my life,” he said, adding “my church, my peer groups – great men and women. I attribute any success I have to those people who taught me how to be a good person and how to pursue my goals. At least I try to be a good person, anyway.”

And just like the little boy that everyone called “Dubie,” he flashes that same big toothy grin that lights up his whole face as he waves goodbye.

Then he’s off to fly somewhere else – just like the bird he once dreamed of being.