TEAM
Nickname: Aviators
Colors: red/blue
Founded: 2005
RINK
SSA McKnight Hockey Center
423 Fox Chapel Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
The Pittsburgh Aviators Hockey Association was founded in 2005 and joined the PAHL the same year. The team formed after the Airport Ice Arena in Moon Township lost its youth program to another rink in 2001 and needed a PAHL organization as a tenant after trying to house other types of hockey programs for a few seasons. The Aviators nickname came in relation to the arena's name and its proximity to the Pittsburgh International Airport.
The Airport Ice Arena closed in 2016, leaving the club without a home. No other rink in the area needed an anchor youth program, so the Aviators were essentially nomads for a few seasons. Their teams made use of available ice slots at the Lemieux Sports Complex, SSA McKnight Hockey Center, RMU Island Sports Center, Baierl Ice Complex, and Pittsburgh Ice Arena. In 2020, the Aviators temporarily settled into the Alpha Ice Complex in Harmarville for all of its home games. That renewed stability led to some growth within their organization in the years to follow. The solidified program then moved to the McKnight Hockey Center on the campus of Shady Side Academy in 2024, finally giving the Aviators a home of its own and a place to continue to build.