ACE Academy provides students with hands-on aviation industry experience

By Stephanie Meador, posted Aug 7, 2023 on BizFayetteville.com

CFI Elayne Humphrey celebrating a successful flight with a camper - Photo from GFBJ

The Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY) is hosting its 2nd Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy, a summer aviation education program for middle and high school students who are interested in aviation and aerospace career fields. The program provides students with a wide range of aviation career exploration experiences aiming to encourage students to continue pursuing aviation-related careers.

The program also aligns with federal ACE Academies to provide:

Lessons in flight planning, aviation history and the physics of flight
Hands-on drone piloting
Instruction on aircraft design and maintenance
Flight simulations and, in some locations, flights in aircraft

FAY secured a $3,000 grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Division of Aviation to support ACE Academy and is a part of 10 public airports hosting an ACE Academy program in North Carolina.

Elayne Humphrey is one of the flight instructors for the camp. Despite knowing that she wanted to fly by the age of 13, she didn’t have the opportunity to do anything like the ACE Academy when she was younger. Humphrey shared that she enjoys “seeing the smiles” as she helps these kids learn about the many different career paths available within the field of aviation.

FAY and the NCDOT Division of Aviation partnered with several companies to make the ACE Academy an insightful experience, including:

All American Aviation Services, LLC
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC)
Signature Flight Support
Civil Air Patrol
Federal Aviation Administration
RS&H
Delta Air Lines
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Cape Fear Aviation

These community sponsorships make the camp free for participants, including meals.

“In recent years, airline and airport managers have sought to address the effects of fewer airline pilots despite a growing demand for air travel,” said Fayetteville Airport Director Dr. Toney Coleman in a press release. “The greatest impact has been on air carrier service to regional airports like Fayetteville. The Fayetteville Regional Airport is pleased to collaborate with NCDOT in this effort by introducing students from lower-socioeconomic areas and others to the aerospace talent pipeline. Maintenance of the regional pilot pipeline and the existence of FAY are intertwined.”

Dr. Coleman went on to say “If we can get 10 percent of the students who show up to actually go into aviation, I think that would be a good return on this investment. But if it’s greater than that, that’s okay as well.”

This year, 41 students from Cumberland County Schools are participating in the two-day camp.

Kaedyn Lewis, an 11th grader participating in the camp, shared that this is one of the first aviation related programs he’s been able to attend. He shared that his career goals are to be a mechanical engineer and a drone pilot.

Camper Cameron Mitchell, a 7th grader, is interested in Air Traffic Control. He shared that his cousin works in ATC and that has inspired his own interest in it. Mitchell said the discovery flight was “a really cool experience” and he is also looking forward to the flight simulator portion of the camp.

“The most that I get from working with the kids is the realization, and seeing in their faces and in their communication, that they’ve got hopes and aspirations. The fact that they are dreaming is worth the effort,” concluded Dr. Coleman.

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