June 30, 04:35, 2016.

THE CHRONICLE

Middle school students got to pilot planes on their final day of the Jim Shaw Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy at Smith Reynolds Airport on Friday, June 24.

ACE Academy introduced middle school students last week and high school students this week to career possibilities in aviation. Airport Commissioner Jim Shaw started the local academy six years ago. It’s one of several aviation summer camps held around the state, sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Aviation. Read more..

June 07, 12:20, 2018.

Jim Shaw’s ACE (Aviation Career Education) Academy is partnering with Forsyth Technical Community College for expanded offerings in the future.

The summer camp teaches young people about aviation and potential careers in that field. This year’s camp will have its opening ceremony at 8 a.m. at Smith Reynolds Airport on Liberty Street and will then be held at Ibraham Elementary School, 5036 Old Walkertown Road. The camp will take place for middle school students from June 18-22 and for high school students from June 25-28 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for all students.

The camp features field trips, a flight simulator, a look at aircraft construction and the opportunity to fly an aircraft with an experienced pilot.

Next year, the camp will be held at Forsyth Tech as part of a new partnership. Plans are, in addition to the regular camp, ACE Academy will hold monthly meetings for students on aviation topics. ACE founder and airport commissioner Jim Shaw said he hopes to have 100 students from all over the county at the meetings. Read more...

6:38 PM EDT Jul 13, 2021

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —

This week, dozens of middle school students in the Winston-Salem area are learning about the world of aviation.

Jim Shaw's Aviation Career Education Academy, also known as ACE Academy, is in its 12th year at Smith Reynolds Airport.

Read more...

July 27, 05:38 2023

More than a dozen local high school students had the opportunity of a lifetime last week. They got the chance to co-pilot a single-engine airplane and take a flight around the city. 

The 10-minute flights around the city were the culmination of the Jim Shaw Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy Summer Camp. 

Since 2011, the Jim Shaw ACE Academy, a week-long summer camp for middle and high school students, has introduced local youth to career possibilities in aviation. This year, the camp was held at the Forsyth Tech Maize Woodruff Aviation Technology Lab. Throughout the week campers had the opportunity to fly drones, work on aircrafts, take field trips to aviation-centric businesses, practice in a flight simulator, and fly in a plane with an experienced pilot. Students also attended courses on financial literacy led by Piedmont Credit Union. Read more....

Dec 29, 2020

From his work revitalizing downtown to starting an aviation and aeronautics summer camp, Jim Shaw was a fixture in the city.

Since the founding of the Jim Shaw Aviation Center Education Academy at Smith Reynolds Airport in 2010, Shaw raised thousands of dollars each year to keep fees low for campers and give local students hands-on aviation experience. Read more...

BY TAYLOR NEUMAN WINSTON-SALEM

PUBLISHED 3:00 PM ET JUL. 20, 2021

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A summer camp is helping dozens of middle and high school students in the Winston-Salem area pilot an interest in aviation. 

What You Need to Know 

• ACE Academy is in its 12th year at Smith Reynolds Airport 
• Oliver Wyman predicts a global shortage of around 60,000 pilots by the end of the decade 
• At ACE, the school hopes to inspire a next generation of flyers

Jim Shaw's Aviation Career Education Academy, also known as ACE Academy, is in its 12th year at Smith Reynolds Airport. According to camp leaders, the U.S. airline industry is facing a pilot shortage. Their hope is to help inspire young children to one day pursue a career in piloting and to help aid future shortages. Read more...