Fairmont native son General Frank K. Everest inducted into the WV Aviation Hall of Fame

Aug. 27—FAIRMONT — West Virginia aviation is usually defined by the name Chuck Yeager, but a Fairmont pilot was even faster.

Frank K. Everest Jr. has been in the National Aviation Hall of Fame since 1989, but he was never inducted into West Virginia's aviation hall of fame, curated by the WV Airport Managers Association.

At the local level, Everest Drive in downtown Fairmont and its bridge is named in his honor, but Fairmont Mayor Tom Mainella noticed that Everest wasn't listed on the state hall of fame and nominated Everest for just before the COVID-19 shut down began. The addition of Everest was approved, but the formal induction was put on hold due to the pandemic until just a few weeks ago when, Everest was officially inducted.

Everest was born in Fairmont in 1920 and lived a long and storied life before passing away in 2004 at the age of 84.

He served in World War II and joined the Air Force as a pilot cadet in 1941. He flew tours around both the European and Pacific theaters throughout the war and completed 67 combat missions before his plane was shot down and he was taken as a prisoner of war in Japan in 1945.

After the war, he opted to stay in the service as a test pilot.

While Yeager is known for breaking the sound barrier, Everest is known for being a test pilot for Bell's X series of aircrafts, similar to those that Yeager flew to establish his record in 1947. The two pilots were close contemporaries in the test program.

It wasn't until 1953 that Everest would accomplish a record of his own by flying a Bell F-100A at 755.149 miles per hour.

He would only get faster. In the following years, Everest flew a Bell X-1B at Mach 2.3, which is 2.3 times the speed of sound, he then later reached Mach 2.9, attaining a speed record of 1,957 miles per hour. This feat earned him the title of "Fastest Man Alive."

"There's a rich history of aviation in Fairmont," Mainella said. "There are a lot of people in that Hall of Fame who are distinguished aviators, several of them are from Fairmont."

Everest now joins the likes of Fairmont pilots like George "Spanky" Roberts, Samuel Frankman and Rose Agnes Rolls Cousins to be counted among the state's honored aviators.

After his stint as a test pilot, Everest traveled around the world as a flight commander in Germany and Libya and then finally back in the U.S. in Louisiana in 1961.

He continued his command work around the states and even had a stint in the early 1970s where he flew combat missions in Southeast Asia before finally retiring in 1973 with 19 military honors and over 9,000 hours of flight time.

The Marion County Historical Society has been pushing for more recognition for several veteran pilots around the county, including Rose Cousins. The society's president, Dora Kay Grubb, said these people and their accomplishments are important for the community.

"We've had some really wonderful pilots that have come from here in Fairmont and are nationally known," Grubb said. "It doesn't matter your race your gender or if you're from a small town no one has heard of. These folks have done amazing things and they deserve to be recognized.

Reach David Kirk at 304-367-2522 or by email at dkirk@timeswv.com.