Flight Category:
VFR
Pressure:
29.92 inHg
Temperature:
10.2 °C
Visibility:
10+ Mi
Wind:
5.8 MPH (5 KT)
Since 1938, the Moore family has been training pilots at Beaver County Airport and beyond. From barnstorming beginnings to modern glass cockpits, our legacy is built on safety, family, and a love of flight.
Long before Beaver County Airport existed, local aviators were already taking to the skies over Western Pennsylvania.
The region’s first airport was Patterson Heights Airport, which opened in 1919 on Fallston Hill—where the Beaver Valley Golf Club sits today. The short plateau runway earned a reputation among pilots: landing there was “like landing on a carrier deck.” One building from that original airport still stands along Darlington Road, serving as a maintenance building for the golf course—the original concrete block hangar, a quiet reminder of where it all began.
In 1927, local aviation pioneer Aloysius J. “Wish” Moore and Harley Neil founded Conway Airport, which would become the premier early airport in our area, operating until 1961.
On May 18, 1938, the first bag of mail was flown out of Conway Airport to Butler County Airport—a milestone moment for aviation in our region.
In 1938, Wish Moore opened Moore Aviation at Conway Airport, operating as a flight school and charter service. His passion for flying was matched only by his dedication to teaching others the joy and skill of aviation.
When Patterson Heights Airport needed new leadership in 1941, Wish stepped up as manager, moving Moore Aviation to that location. He ran the airport until its closing in 1957.
In 1953, Moore Aviation made its final move to Beaver County Airport—where we remain today, continuing the tradition Wish started nearly a century ago.
Wish Moore passed away in 1968, but the school he built lived on through his children.
After Wish’s passing in 1968, his daughter Kathryn took over Moore Aviation. Her dedication to the school was legendary—she never missed a day of work, coming in on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and every day in between. For Kathryn, Moore Aviation wasn’t just a business; it was her life’s work and her father’s legacy.
Wish took his son Paul for his first airplane ride at age 10, and the aviation bug bit hard. By 1929, when his father started Conway Airport, young Paul was doing everything from washing airplanes to maintaining aircraft—anything for a chance to go flying.
Paul soloed on his 16th birthday in 1941 and went on to build an extraordinary career as a pilot for United Airlines. When he retired in 1985, Paul held top seniority among all United pilots. But retirement didn’t mean slowing down—he returned to Moore Aviation as a full-time instructor, passing on decades of experience to the next generation of aviators.
Today, Moore Aviation remains a family business, now operated by Kathryn’s nephews Thomas and Terry Moore.
The aviation bug runs strong in this generation too. Terry became a pilot for US Airways, while Tom earned his private pilot certificate and served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force Reserves for more than 25 years.
Together, they continue the Moore family mission: training safe, skilled pilots with the same dedication and personal attention that Wish Moore brought to his students in 1938.
Moore Aviation alumni can be found at every major airline in the country. From US Airways to American, United to UPS, our graduates have gone on to distinguished careers in commercial aviation, the military, and the FAA.
Our FAA Certified Flight Instructors have 100+ years of combined flight experience. We operate the largest and most diverse fleet in Western Pennsylvania, with aircraft newer than 90% of the national flight school average.
From Wish Moore’s first students at Conway Airport to today’s aspiring airline pilots, our mission remains the same: taking training to new heights with safety as our number one priority.
Schedule a discovery flight and experience the same passion for flying that has driven the Moore family for four generations.
Thank you to everyone who continues to trust us with their flight training journey.