Jan. 3—FAIRMONT — Fairmont State University’s Aviation Center of Excellence got a $2 million boost Thursday from West Virginia’s outgoing governor.
Jim Justice presented the funds in the form of a super-sized mock check to Kathleen Jinty, chair of the university’s board of governors. The funds will be used to purchase two new plans, a used Cessna, a new engine and engine rebuilds for current planes. The funds will also allow the program to “expand enrollment, creating long-term stability and a stronger aerospace workforce for the future,” states a press release from the Governor’s Office.
“This investment is about setting Fairmont State University, its students, and our entire state on a flight pattern to success,” Justice said. “By growing this program, we’re not just adding planes and equipment—we’re improving the foundation of West Virginia’s aerospace industry and creating incredible opportunities for our young people. This will have a lasting impact on the school, the region, and our state’s workforce for years to come. When we invest in our students, we invest in a stronger, brighter future for all of West Virginia.”
Housed in Fairmont State’s College of Business and Aviation, the program offers two bachelor’s degree options one in professional flight and one in aviation management.
Students in the professional flight option have the opportunity to gain a bachelor’s in Aviation Management “with an emphasis on business in aviation while simultaneously completing the flight hours and training required to obtain their private, instrument, and commercial ratings,” according to program literature.
Graduates of the aviation management have an array of career options ranging from airport management, air traffic control, airline management, to airport security, among others.
Joel Kirk, chief flight instructor with the Fairmont State aviation technology program, came onboard at the university in April 2017 after a career as a military pilot.
“It’s been one of the most rewarding years of my life, and it’s been an incredible life so that’s saying a lot,” Kirk said in a previous interview. “It’s for the legacy. It’s for not pulling up the rope of one of the greatest careers I feel the world has to offer. Here in West Virginia, it’s a fleeting opportunity for a lot of our kids that comes out of the coal mines and the fields.”
Kirk said flying is a passion and the job is merely a by-product of that passion.
“I’m a little biased here, but I don’t think there is any greater career on the planet. The program sells itself,” Kirk said.