Fairmont State Student Achieves a WV Aviation "First'

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. - A Fairmont State University student and female pilot was honored Friday morning for becoming the first woman in West Virginia to complete her Private Pilot Single Engine Land Rating through the university. 

Victoria Grace was recognized during a ceremony with Senator Shelley Moore Capito(R) at the North Central West Virginia Airport. 

“Victoria is a trailblazer for women in aviation in West Virginia,” said Capito. “As the first woman senator from West Virginia, it is exciting to have Victoria be a part of a population underrepresented by women. She is going to be a great role model for future generations,” Capito said. 

Grace completed the certification through West Virginia’s only Part 141 flight school, which is operated by Fairmont State University.  A Part 141 school is overseen by the FAA and qualifies graduates for reduced training time toward certification upgrades. 

“It’s a very humbling experience to be part of a program that is making a huge impact on our state,” said Grace. “I just got lucky being the first female pilot but I plan to make a mark on this program. After I graduate I want to be the first female flight instructor in University history,” Grace said. 

There is a worldwide pilot shortage and efforts are being made to find new pilots from demographic groups that have traditionally not yielded large numbers of pilots, according to Fairmont State officials. 

“Aviation is a great industry for men and women. We need more pilots in general but we specifically need more women pilots," Grace said. 

“Fairmont State is making efforts to reach more women to consider aviation as a career,” said Joel Kirk, Chief Pilot and Director of Fairmont State’s Aviation Center of Excellence. “We are proud that women like Victoria are leading the way at the entry level of the career field.  This exciting industry has a tremendous number of seats to fill and we are happy to see that women are getting more involved in the greatest career on earth,” Kirk said.  

Fairmont State University is the only four-year institution in the state that offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Technology with three options: Aviation Administration Professional Flight, Aviation Administration – Management and Aviation Maintenance Management.