CRW Girls in Aviation Day Returns September 19 Free

West Virginia International Yeager Airport is bringing Girls in Aviation Day back on Saturday, September 19, 2026, as a free family event at the Marshall University Bill Noe Flight School.

If you want aircraft displays, simulators, and STEM tables without buying tickets in advance, put the morning on the calendar and register at the door.

What CRW published for September 19

West Virginia International Yeager Airport’s event notice says Girls in Aviation Day returns on Saturday, September 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Marshall University Bill Noe Flight School on the airport campus.

Admission is free.

Registration happens on arrival rather than through a paid ticket platform, which keeps the planning bar low for families and school groups.

The airport lists aircraft on display, flight simulators, hands-on STEM activities, interactive exhibits, meet-and-greets with aviation professionals, career and education tables, giveaways, and other family-friendly activities.

While the day is designed to inspire girls and young women toward aviation and aerospace careers, CRW states everyone is welcome. Bring boys, parents, grandparents, and younger siblings if the household wants a shared morning at the flight school.

The street address in the notice is 600 Eagle Mountain Road, Charleston, WV 25311. That is the same airport complex travelers use for airline flights, so treat parking and security access rules as airport-campus rules, not a downtown festival sidewalk.

How this local day fits the national Girls in Aviation Day calendar

Women in Aviation International marks the 12th Annual Girls in Aviation Day on September 19, 2026, as a worldwide day of local events open to everyone. WAI’s program page explains that the first GIAD in 2015 drew 32 events and about 3,200 participants, and that the annual day has grown since, so CRW’s September 19 window matches that national date rather than inventing a one-off local holiday. That national framing matters for travelers comparing cities: if you cannot make Charleston, WAI’s find-your-local-event tools can surface other September 19 sites, and if you can make CRW, the airport’s free door registration is the local action rather than a WAI conference badge. CRW also links a Facebook event page for updates on activities and participating organizations in the week before September 19.

What to plan before you drive to Eagle Mountain Road

Block three hours, not a five-minute photo stop, because the published window is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and simulators and aircraft lines move slowly when multiple families arrive at the same time. Arrive closer to the opening if you care about aircraft photo light and shorter simulator queues, while midday arrivals still work for exhibits and career tables with denser crowds after local sports practices end. Pack water, sunscreen, and closed-toe shoes if outdoor aircraft viewing is on the ramp or apron edges, since flight schools still operate near active airport movement areas even on event days. If your group includes very young children, decide in advance who stays with the stroller while another adult joins a simulator line.

Free events still have practical capacity limits on popular booths.

Travelers already using CRW for a same-day flight should not assume event parking equals short-term terminal parking. Separate the aviation-day visit from a departure bank unless you have verified both timings and parking products.

Deep Arrival’s airline carry-on size chart is useful only if you are combining the event with an actual flight that day. For the free morning alone, leave large luggage at home and bring a small day bag.

If weather or airport operations force a last-minute change, recheck flycrw.com and the Facebook event before you leave. Do not invent a rain location the airport has not announced.

Vendors, schools, and career tables

CRW is soliciting aviation organizations, STEM partners, educational institutions, and community groups as vendors or exhibitors. A Google Form link sits on the airport page for organizations that want booth space.

That vendor call is separate from guest registration.

Families do not need to fill the exhibitor form to attend free as visitors.

Schools and clubs planning a group visit should still confirm whether the flight school wants a headcount email, even when the public message says door registration. A coach bus that arrives without a heads-up can create parking and marshalling friction on a shared airport campus.

Career seekers should bring questions that fit a three-hour fair: training pathways, age minimums for flight training, scholarship names, and how to join a next open house. Do not expect a full hiring interview on the event floor.

International visitors who fly into the United States before a West Virginia trip can treat the day as an optional cultural stop, not a required airport process. Deep Arrival’s British Airways guide is only relevant if your long-haul carrier into the U.S. is BA before a domestic connection toward Charleston.

Why a free airport STEM morning still needs a plan

Free does not mean zero logistics. Eagle Mountain Road is an airport access road, and a cluster of family cars can stack up when multiple events or flight banks overlap.

Set a meeting point outside the flight school entrance in case phone service dips when hundreds of people load maps at once. Write the flight school name on a paper note for younger guests who may not remember “Bill Noe” under noise and excitement.

If you are traveling from out of town, book lodging that allows an early Saturday departure rather than a late Friday night that leaves everyone exhausted at 10 a.m. A three-hour event rewards alert kids more than tired ones.

Mark Saturday, September 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., drive to the Bill Noe Flight School at CRW, and register free at the door.