On December 13, 1933, Beulah McCown became one of the first female pilots in West Virginia to receive her flying license. She earned her commercial pilot’s license a few months later. Beulah married her instructor and leader of the state Board of Aeronautics, Hubert Stark, in 1939

In the late 1930s, Beulah Stark performed air shows across the country. She also helped found the West Virginia chapter of The Ninety-Nines, a national organization that supports women in aviation through mentoring, networking, and scholarships. In 1935, she and her brother started a business called Mountain State Air Service. The company sold and repaired planes, offered commercial air services, and took aerial photographs. The company lasted only three years.

When World War II started, Beulah joined the Civil Air Patrol, where she taught adults and high schoolers how to fly. After her father died in 1948, she quit active flying to take over the family’s slaughterhouse in Charleston, although she remained active in the Pilot Club and the American Business Women’s Association.