{"id":25888,"date":"2023-06-19T22:37:03","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T22:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=25888"},"modified":"2023-06-19T22:37:04","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T22:37:04","slug":"west-virginia-aviation-hall-of-fame-located-at-ncwv-airport-announces-honorees-for-class-of-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/state-news\/west-virginia\/west-virginia-aviation-hall-of-fame-located-at-ncwv-airport-announces-honorees-for-class-of-2023\/%20","title":{"rendered":"West Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame, Located at NCWV Airport, Announces Honorees for Class of 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The West Virginia Airport Managers Association has announced the selection of two new inductees into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wvama.org\/index.php\/wv-aviation-hall-of-fame\/overview\/\">West Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame<\/a>. Thomas R. Cochran, Director of Raleigh County Memorial Airport in Beckley, WV, and Perry E. Dillon formerly of Elkins, WV, were selected to join this esteemed group after careful review and consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas (Tom) R. Cochran began his aviation career as an\naircraft mechanic for Trans World Airlines in Washington DC before returning to\nWest Virginia in 1971. It was here Tom\u2019s true influence took shape as he guided\nRaleigh County Memorial Airport\u2019s path forward. With his foresight and\ncollaborative approach, Tom not only ensured the airport flourished, but that\nthe region did as well. His commitment to economic diversification led to\ncorporate hangar and industrial park developments, partnerships with higher\neducation institutions providing a pathway for training for those seeking\npositions in aerospace technology, and passenger experience upgrades. His\ninfluence on aviation in southern West Virginia is unmatched to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perry E. Dillon was a dedicated commercial airline pilot,\nlaunching his career at Lake Central Airlines in 1964 after overcoming many\nobstacles in his pursuit of his dream. His successful career as a pilot spanned\n38 years. His legacy continues today as Perry was a founding member of the\nElkins Pilots Club as well as the club\u2019s first instructor; allowing others to\nearn their wings and experience the joy of aviation. Mr. Dillion will be\ninducted posthumously, having passed away in 2021 at the age of 84.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom and Perry will be formally inducted during a special\nceremony on July 31, 2023, at the Canaan Valley Resort in Davis, West Virginia,\nbeginning at 5:30 pm. Tickets to the event can be purchased for $60 by\ncontacting: info@wvama.org<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The West Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame honors pioneers and\nleaders in the aviation industry who have made significant contributions to\naviation in the state of West Virginia. The West Virginia Airport Managers\nAssociation also sponsors the West Virginia Aviation Wall of Valor, which\nhonors living persons or those who gave their lives in aviation actions where\nthey exhibited valor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No nominations for the WV Aviation Wall of Valor were\nreceived in 2023. Since its inception in 2014, the West Virginia Aviation Hall\nof Fame has inducted 21 individuals. The West Virginia Aviation Wall of Valor,\nformed in 2018, currently has six members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Formal viewing galleries are located at the North Central\nWest Virginia Airport (CKB) in Bridgeport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The West Virginia Airport Managers Association has announced the selection of two new inductees into the West Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame. Thomas R. Cochran, Director of Raleigh County Memorial Airport in Beckley, WV, and Perry E. Dillon formerly of Elkins, WV, were selected to join this esteemed group after careful review and consideration. Thomas [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-west-virginia"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25888"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25889,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25888\/revisions\/25889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}