Wings over Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh International Airport (IATA: PIT, ICAO: KPIT, FAA LID: PIT), formerly Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, is a civil-military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. About 10 miles (15 km) west of downtown Pittsburgh, it is the primary international airport serving the Greater Pittsburgh Region as well as adjacent areas in West Virginia and Ohio. The airport is owned and operated by the Allegheny County Airport Authority and offers passenger flights to destinations throughout North America and Europe. PIT has four runways and covers 10,000 acres (40 km2).First opened in 1952, the airport was initially served by five airlines and became a small hub for Trans World Airlines for over two decades. The airport underwent a massive $1 billion rebuilding and expansion which was largely designed to US Airways' specification so it could become one of their major hubs. Completed in 1992, the new airport was one of the most innovative in the world, dubbed the "airport of the future" by the New York Times, and helped to pioneer modern airport design with its X-shape to reduce distance between gates, underground tram to transport passengers around the airport, and array of shopping options, all of which were cutting-edge at the time. Traffic peaked at 20 million passengers in the late 1990s, and US Air peaked at 542 flights and 11,995 employees at the airport in 2001, and the airport was an important pillar of the Pittsburgh economy. However, the downturn in air travel immediately after September 11 attacks badly harmed US Airways' financial state. US Air declared chapter 11 bankruptcy twice in a row, and abandoned Pittsburgh as a hub in 2004, eliminating thousands of jobs and nearly bankrupting the airport itself, which was built largely to suit US Airways' needs. However, US Air's diminished capacity at Pittsburgh opened the door for other airlines to expand operations and better serve local Pittsburgh-area passengers rather than focus on connecting passengers. The airport experienced a resurgence in the 2010s, doubling the number of carriers to 16 as the Allegheny County Airport Authority has aggressively courted airlines and lobbied for new passenger routes. Southwest Airlines has increased its presence at the airport in recent years, overtaking American Airlines (which US Airways acquired and merged with) as the largest carrier in terms of passengers. The airport is also a hub for regional carrier Southern Airways Express. Cargo operations have increased at the airport in recent years.In 2017, the airport became the first in the country to reopen access to the post-security terminal for individuals who are not flying, as long as they can pass through security, after the federal government lifted restrictions put in place after 9/11.In 2021, the airport became the first in the world with its own microgrid, which provides power to the entire airport with natural gas and solar power.The airport is currently undergoing a $1.39 billion renovation which will include a new terminal for check-in, security, and baggage claim adjacent to the gates. The renovation will eliminate the need for the tram and increase the number of parking spaces. Officials emphasized that the renovations would make the airport more suited to Pittsburgh, rather than to US Airways. First announced in 2017 and delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the renovation resumed in 2021 and is now projected to open in 2025. The project will not use any local tax dollars, and airlines will pay most of the costs.

AirMall USA was a developer and manager of retail, food and beverage concessions at various US airports, with a major presence at Pittsburgh International Airport. In 2014 AirMall was acquired by the German Fraport Group, which continued the airport concession operations.

Moon Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 27,261 at the 2020 census. Located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, the township is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and is home to Pittsburgh International Airport.

The Brain Injury Research Institute (BIRI) is a center for the study of traumatic brain injuries and their prevention that was founded in 2002.Its founding members include: Julian E. Bailes, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University School of Medicine and former NFL and current NCAA team physician; Bennet Omalu, M.D., forensic neuropathologist, who is the Chief Medical Examiner for San Joaquin County, California, and Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Davis; and Robert P. Fitzsimmons, Senior Partner at Fitzsimmons Law Offices, in Wheeling, West Virginia.The Institute has established a brain and tissue bank. It now houses 20 brains for future research.Bennet Omalu was the first to identify chronic brain damage as a factor in the deaths of some National Football League players. He discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of Pro Football Hall of Fame player Mike Webster in 2002. Webster's son, Garrett Webster, is BIRI's administrator & player liaison. Omalu participated in former NFL player Junior Seau's autopsy after the latter's 2012 suicide.

On April 1, 1956, a Martin 4-0-4, registration #N40403, operating as TWA Flight 400, crashed on takeoff from Greater Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). Twenty-two of the 36 people aboard the aircraft, including one crewmember, perished in the evening crash on Easter Sunday.Flight 400 was to be an eastbound IFR flight from Pittsburgh to Newark International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey, with scheduled stops in eastern Pennsylvania at Harrisburg, Reading, and Allentown. On this particular flight, the first officer was in the left seat, as he was being line-checked by the captain; both pilots survived.

Joe Walton Stadium is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose stadium that is located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It is home to the Robert Morris University Colonials football team and men's and women's lacrosse team.

Charles L. Sewall Center, commonly referred to as the Sewall Center, and nicknamed "The Chuck" was a 3,056-seat multi-purpose arena in the Pittsburgh suburb of Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was home to the Robert Morris Colonials men's and women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball team from 1985 until 2017. The Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament was held there four times. The inaugural game was held on November 30, 1985, when Robert Morris lost to Duquesne 80-65. The building, named for the university's president from 1967 to 1989, replaced the John Jay Center in 1985. Robert Morris University announced plans to either renovate and expand or build a brand new arena for Colonials basketball in 2010. On January 19, 2017, the University announced that the Sewall Center would be torn down to make way for its replacement, the UPMC Events Center, a 140,000 square foot building with a 4,000 seat arena. The Sewall Center held its last event, a volleyball tournament, on September 15-16, 2017, after which demolition started.

UPMC Events Center is an indoor arena located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Moon, Pennsylvania as a part of Robert Morris University, replacing the old Charles L. Sewall Center. The UPMC Events Center is the new home of the Robert Morris Colonials men's and women's (NCAA) Division I basketball and women's volleyball teams. The UPMC Events Center was originally scheduled to open in January 2019. However, it later opened in May 2019 after the men's basketball team announced all of their 2018-19 games would be played at the North Athletic Complex on campus. In 2013, a survey was conducted to see if a new sporting and athletic center would be wanted for the university and in 2016, the survey results concluded in an overwhelming favor for the construction of a new sports center. Bob Dylan and Pierce the Veil are the only acts that have performed at the arena more than once.

Carnot-Moon is a census-designated place (CDP) in central Moon Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,151 at the 2020 census.

The North Athletic Complex is a softball and soccer venue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Robert Morris Colonials softball and soccer teams of the NCAA Division I Northeast Conference. The venue has a capacity of 500.The student recreation and fitness center is also located at the North Athletic Complex.

Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the American revolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 bachelor's degree programs and 35 master's and doctoral programs. Most students are from the Pittsburgh area, while 16 percent of freshmen in 2018 were from outside Pennsylvania.

The John Jay Center is an athletic facility on the campus of Robert Morris University in the Pittsburgh suburb of Moon Township, PA. Built in 1968, it features a capacity of 1,000 spectators. It was the primary campus indoor athletic venue until the Charles L. Sewall Center opened for the 1985-1986 season. The Colonials men's basketball team played their first game as an NCAA Division I team at the center on November 30, 1976, a win over Delaware State. It was the home arena for the first two Robert Morris teams to play in the NCAA tournament (in 1982 and 1983). The Northeast Conference men's basketball championship tournament was held in the center in 1991. Today it is used for intramural sports but does maintain office space as well. By 2015 there were discussions about converting the building for academic use if and when RMU builds a new arena to replace the Sewall Center as the school's primary athletic facility.