The Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY) held its third annual Aviation Career Education “Ace” Academy on Aug. 5 and 6. A North Carolina Department of Transportation grant
and donated time and materials from speakers, pilots and tenants at FAY made this the most successful year of the program.
“This program continues to excel each year,” said Interim Airport Director Deontae Watson in a press release. “Bringing aviation to the next generation is not only rewarding, but also inspiring. We are in the presence of future private, commercial, and military pilots.”
Thirty-Five students from across the region, ranging in ages from 11 to 17- years old experienced “Discovery Flights” held by Cape Fear Aviation and Raleigh Professional Flight School. Some students were even able to fly the plane with guidance from a certified flight instructor. Their flight time was logged and will be counted as training hours to gain a pilot’s license.
The ACE students were also exposed to different facets of aviation, and potential career opportunities. Piedmont Airlines spoke with students about the pilot shortage impacting the country and how they could gain their license to be a part of the next generation of pilots. Other institutions such as Civil Air Patrol, the NCDOT Division of Aviation, and the Sierra Nevada Company participated in the two-day program.
If awarded the NCDOT grant again in 2025, applications for the next ACE Academy would be projected to open on FlyFay.com in May of 2025.
At center, Chancellor Darrell T. Allison and Juanette Council, Ed.D., vice chancellor for student affairs, cut the ribbon to celebrate the grand reopening of Fayetteville State University's newly renovated Spaulding Building, joined by campus leaders
FCEDC has officially moved its staff and operations to 611 W. Russell St. The 35,800- square-foot center was previously home to Homemakers Furniture and Interiors. Renovations began in the fall of 2025 and are expected to be completed in the next six to eight months. Currently, FCEDC staff are working within an open 7,500-square-foot floor plan as initial improvements progress.
Inset: Systel’s first corporate headquarters was a small rental house turned office on Fort Bragg Road in Fayetteville in 1981. Large photo: The company’s new corporate headquarters reflects years of growth into a multi-million dollar company that pr
