FAA to launch youth aviation education program for summer 2022

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it is launching its Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy Schools for summer 2022.

Along with the Organization of Black Aviation Professionals (OBAP), the FAA co-sponsors the yearly program aimed at elementary, middle and high school students who are interested in aviation and aerospace. 

Under the program, students can engage in a wide range of aviation career exploration and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) experiences.

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Students can also do the following:

• Lessons in flight planning, aviation history and the physics of flight

• Field trips to aviation-related sites

• Instruction on aircraft design and maintenance

• Flight simulations and, in some locations, flights in aircraft

The FAA and OBAP began their partnership in 1992. The program began with two ACE Academies reaching 41 students. In 1994, the organization supported 17 academies, reaching more than 400 students. There are currently over 30 ACE Academies and more than 30,000 youths engaged.

“The aerospace community wants the best, brightest, and most diverse group of people from all walks of life and programs like the ACE Academies play an important role in making that happen by connecting young people to potential careers in aviation,” FAA Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims said in a statement. 

A list of schools supported by the Aviation Career Program can be found here.