Have you ever gazed upward and watched as a mammoth jet was about to fly over you at low level, and your curiosity about how something THAT BIG can fly?  ACE Academy can help you understand how that happens. As part of the ACE Academy schedule you will learn about basic aerodynamics and what makes aircraft fly. Then, later in the week, security permitting, you will board an Air National Guard Maineiacs KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft and actually observe a high altitude refueling mission! (possibly an F18, F16, KC10, or a C5!) 

During ACE Academy week you will takeoff and land more times in one week than you have ever dreamed of! The first day of camp the entire group will travel to a local airport and hop into the right seat of a Swift, RV8, or a C172, or maybe even a BE58 twin engine Baron! The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has a nationwide program called the Young Eagles, where local EAA pilots volunteer to take students up on an orientation flight and explain how the aircraft controls work, and then after becoming airborne, lets the student fly the aircraft! EAA pilots have requirements set by the FAA that in order to fly ACE Academy students (or any student) they must have at least 500 hours of flight time and have a current medical certificate. SAFETY is #1 in aviation, and during our camp we stress safety every day - on the ground and in the air. 

Aviation is such a wide and diverse avocation that it is impossible to cover everything in one week, however we fill each day with a varied schedule so the 'fun factor" needle is pinned! 

Ever wanted to fly in a helicopter? ACE Academy students are fortunate to have access to some cool military choppers, and get ready to strap in and lift off in a UH60 Blackhawk from the Maine Army Guard. This flight will blow you away as they fly from Bangor to their practice area and return, at altitudes below 1000 feet! 

SEAPLANES!  Yes, ACE Academy has expanded their program to include a FULL DAY of floatplane flying that includes some expert hangar discussions on safety, maintenance of floats, cables, special operating tactics and aircraft capabilities. Then, get ready for some awesome flights in C172, C180, C185, and possibly even a ride on the only twin engine Apache certified by the FAA!  Volunteer pilots from the Western Maine Flyers/ EAA 1520,  Maine Aeronautical Association, KT Aviation, Naples Seaplane Service, and many others want to share their time, aircraft and knowledge with you and help guide you to a seaplane rating someday! This day is topped off with a great BBQ where students and pilots mingle and get to know each other, share stories of how they started flying, and quite possibly make some lifelong friendships and maybe even start networking for future job opportunities! 

 ACE Academy is very fortunate to have as Assistant Director David Turner from Mansfield, Massachusetts, who volunteers to fly his vintage 1946 Swift, a 2-seater aerobatic tail-dragger aircraft!  David has been with the ACE Camp program 5 years now and he loves to help young students take their first steps of flight in his aircraft. 

Since 9/11, as you are aware, security has been very tight in aviation. However, ACE Academy students are very fortunate to be an excepted group able to fly in military aircraft, and we are also authorized to visit FAA air traffic control facilities at Bangor airport.  ACE students and staff are escorted through both the Control Tower and Radar facilities, as well as Maintenance sections, and provided an informative and interesting briefing on how aircraft arrive and depart the Bangor airport.  

Schedule activities also include tours of local small airports, Bangor International Airport, aviation museums, aircraft repair businesses, aerial photography operations, NASA Challenger Learning Center, and Air and Army National Guard bases! Students also will create, build and launch their own model rockets!  

Bar Harbor is a very busy airport in the summertime, and ACE students will visit the action and observe operations at Columbia Aviation, Maine Coastal Flight Center, Acadia Air Tours, and the Civil Air Patrol. Then, they will put their notebooks down and enjoy an awesome hike on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. If weather permits, we hope to go to Sand Beach for a swim!  (This camp is a blast! Where was this when I was growing up???) 

ACE campers will learn teamwork and leadership skills through group sessions and role playing scenarios, meet and speak directly with expert commercial aviation pilots, military KC-135 and UH60/OH58 pilots and crew members, FAA  air traffic controllers and maintenance technicians, and possible celebrity pilots! 
(last year singer Jimmy Buffett spoke to the students in Bar Harbor!)

Make GOOD Choices!  ACE Academy students will receive critical drug and alcohol abuse information and the negative effects any offense can have on future employment opportunities and any FAA medical exams. Drugs/alcohol and aviation don't mix.

Recreation is a must!   Students will have ample time after dinner each night to play in the gym, or have scrimmages against each other in volleyball, soccer, or softball. They also can just hang out if they choose.
 
Most importantly, students will learn NOW what they will need in the future for educational courses, and help them decide which direction they want to go in aviation.   Aviation Career Education. That's what it's all about.  Come and join us for an unforgettable week that may change your life forever!

TO APPLY FOR THE BANGOR ACE CAMP, CLICK ON THE BANGOR APPLICATION LINK AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE, FILL IN ALL INFORMATION AND CLICK "SUBMIT".
YOU WILL BE CONTACTED AS SOON AS REGISTRATION OPENS.  THANK YOU!!