CLARKSBURG – Harrison County Schools has been partnering with Pierpont Aviation Programs for the last four years to bring Aviation career presentations to all 8th, 11th and 12th grade students. Dr. Brad Gilbert, Senior Professor and Director of Aviation Technology, and his team from the Pierpont Aviation Maintenance Program will be talking with students about the aviation career opportunities available for them here in Harrison County.
On Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, Dr. Gilbert and his team will be speaking to 11th and 12th grade students at Robert C. Byrd HS at 9:30 a.m. then at United HS at 12:30.
Students are invited on a field trip to the Pierpont hangar and facility at Robert C. Byrd National Aerospace Center in Bridgeport. They tour the facility and hangar and get a close-up view of the airplanes. They will also participate in a hands-on sheet metal activity related to aviation. Students are able to view the general area that houses the airport and aviation companies, like MHIRJ, Pratt & Whitney, Aurora Flight Sciences, Lockheed Martin, and several others.
This years-long, countywide aviation career exploration in our middle and high schools has made a difference. Pierpont Aviation has been waitlisted for two years now and is building another hangar and a larger training facility! They have 130 students currently enrolled, with the capacity to grow it to 230 students in the new facility named Pierpont Aviation Technology Center. Groundbreaking is Sept. 30.
This is huge as the aviation industry in our area continues to seek employees for many unfilled positions. Pierpont C&TC and Harrison County Schools are making a difference for our students and their future families!
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Geraldine Beckett, CTE Liaison Specialist, Harrison County Schools, at 304-326-7387, or at geraldine.beckett@k12.wv.us