Aviation Career Education Academies

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The Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy Grant Program supports aerospace and aviation workforce development in North Carolina with grants of up to $5,000 per airport annually for public airports that host aerospace and aviation career-focused summer academies for middle and high school students.

Applications are accepted in the fall for academies offered the following summer. 

North Carolina’s program aligns with the Federal Aviation Administration's ACE Academy program​, which seeks to provide young people the opportunity to explore and pursue the many rewarding careers available in the aviation sector.

2025 North Carolina ACE Academies 

Table Caption

​ Airport	​Location	​Contact
​Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport	​3900 Paul J. Helms Drive Monroe	​Malcolm Weeks (704) 282-4730 mweeks@monroenc.org
​Curtis L. Brown Jr. Airfield	​466 Airport Road, Elizabethtown	​Russell Worley (910) 874-3719 rworley@elizabethtownnc.gov
​Fayetteville Regional Airport	​400 Airport Road, Suite 1 Fayetteville	​Deontae Watson (910) 433-1623 deontaewatson@fayettevillenc.gov
​Henderson-Oxford Airport	​6514 Airport Road  Oxford	​James N. Brown, Jr.  (252) 738-3520 brownj@vgcc.edu
​Kinston Regional Jetport	​2780 Jetport Road, Kinston	​Amanda Conner (919) 618-2051 aconner1@ncdot.gov
​Laurinburg-Maxton Airport	​16701 Airport Road Maxton	​Seth Hatchell (910) 844-5081 shatchell@lmairport.com
​Northeastern Regional Airport	​113 Airport Drive Edenton	​Corey Gooden (336) 306-8145 corey.gooden@edenton.nc.gov
​Smith Reynolds Airport	​Forsyth Tech Mazie S. Woodruff Aviation Technology Lab, 2739 Aviation Drive, Winston-Salem	​Alexandria Shaw  (336) 306-8145 shawaceacademy@gmail.com​
​Statesville Regional Airport	​238 Airport Road  Statesville	​John M. Ferguson  (704) 873-1111 jferguson@statesvillenc.net
​Triangle North Executive Airport	​440 Airport Road Louisburg	​James N. Brown, Jr.  (252) 738-3520 brownj@vgcc.edu​
​Washington Warren Airport	​200 Airport Road Washington	​Al Powell (609) 412-9743 beaufortcountypal@hotmail.com ​
​​Wilmington International Airport	​1740 Airport Blvd. Suite 12 Wilmington	​Matt Johnson (910) 341-4333 ext. 1015 mjohnson@flyilm.com

Related

• 

  2024 NCDOT Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy Grant Program Annual Report

  PDF • 2MB • October 2, 2024
• 

  NCDOT Aviation ACE Academy Program Overview

  PDF • 1MB • October 7, 2024
• 

  2025 NCDOT Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy Application

  Applications are now being accepted through Nov. 15 for 2025 NCDOT ACE Academy Grant Program funding.

  PDF • 1MB • September 30, 2024

Contact

Haven Bailey

NCDOT Division of Aviation
Workforce Initiative Program Coordinator

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Last updated Apr. 25, 2025