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!  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 career field 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 this year to have an opportunity to see the Texas Flying Legend Museum's vintage warbirds at Wiscasset airport during camp week! These rare and pristine-conditioned classics will takeoff and land for the ACE students giving them an unforgettable show!! These aircraft made a huge impact in WWII and helped to secure our freedom we enjoy today. ACE students will get to see these up close and also chat with the pilots and mechanics who fly them today, and meet some who flew them in battle!  

Assistant Director David Turner from Mansfield, Massachusetts, volunteers every year 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 in flight in his aircraft. Hard to tell whose smile is bigger - Dave's or the students!  

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!  

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! 
(In 2011, 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 exercise, swim, try the Scouts obstacle and rope training course, 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 WHEN YOUR APPLICATION IS RECEIVED.