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WHEELING -- An aviation program is about to take flight at West Liberty University, and the public is invited to the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport Saturday to learn more.
WLU and Marshall University are jointly hosting an "Aviation Day" event set from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the airport. Beginning this fall, the two schools will jointly offer an aviation program through WLU.
"We are excited to host Aviation Day, a unique opportunity to experience the thrill of aviation," said WLU Provost Cathy Monteroso. "The event is designed to inspire and educate the community about the wonder of flight.
"The event will be a great way to jump-start West Liberty's aviation program and visitors can learn more about the career opportunities in aviation," she added.
The event is open to the general public and to those who might be interested in enrolling in the aviation program.
Once started, the program will train students to be commercial airline pilots, corporate pilots, cargo pilots. flight instructors and aerospace operations managers.
The idea to start a program at WLU came about as the nation faces a need for more trained airplane pilots.
It is estimated that over the next two decades, 143,000 new pilots will need to be made ready to fly commercial airliners to meet the demand for air travel, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics cited by WLU.
The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers was $202,180 as of May 2021. The median annual wage for commercial pilots was $99,640, according to the information.
On May 8, WLU received approval from its accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, to offer a joint aviation program with Marshall University. The approval is the final step in the process to offer the program, and WLU now can begin registering students for the program this fall.
In April, Ohio County commissioners approved the allocation of $400,000 in uncommitted American Rescue Plan Funds to begin plans for an "educational space" at the airport. The room will be constructed on the second floor of the main terminal, and will be utilized by students enrolling in the aviation program at WLU.
Among those from Marshall expected to attend Saturday's event are Chief Aviation Operations Officer Nancy Ritter, as well as flight and ground instructors. State-of-the-art aviation equipment will be available to see.