School records show that Gibson was destined to be a draughtsman however, in 1934 he successfully passed the RAAF entrance examination. He graduated as a commissioned pilot in 1935.

During WWII he served in Britain and the Pacific. In 1940 he won the Distinguished Flying Cross when he sank a German submarine whilst flying as captain of a Sunderland flying boat.

Gibson's involvement in the first RAAF U-Boat sinking of WW2 in 1940 is covered here.

Gibson flew a rescue mission in 1954 when a RAAF Dakota DC3 crashed in the Australian Alps. Details of the resuce featured in the Autumn 2000 newsletter of the Australian National Parks. You can read a more detailed account here.

It was whilst serving as the Director of Air, Melbourne in 1955 that Gibson was appointed as aide de camp to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - a three year appointment.