Flights over Detroit in private airplanes, tours of an airport control tower and aircraft maintenance hangars, model glider competition, classes in the theory of flight and the history of aviation. It's all part of the Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy centered at Wayne State University, July 12-16. About 20 students, mostly from schools in Detroit, will be participating in the program, which is in its 12th year at WSU.

Aimed at encouraging 8th-10th graders to consider careers in aviation, the ACE Academy includes introductory classes in weather and navigation, tours of an airport fire station and the Tuskegee Airmen Museum, a model rocket demonstration and more.

The program is coordinated by Academic College Enrichment Services at Wayne State. Several organizations cooperate with the university in sponsorship, including the Federal Aviation Administration, Tuskegee Airmen, Organization of Black Airline Pilots, Black Pilots of America and National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees. The ACE program was started by the FAA and is held in various areas of the country where local organizers and co-sponsoring groups are available.

The highlight for most of the ACE Academy participants in Detroit next week will be flights over the city from Detroit City Airport on Wednesday, July 14. (Flights will depart from the main terminal, 10 a.m.-noon and 1:15-2:30 pm.) Airplanes used for the "orientation flights" are owned and operated by members of the sponsoring organizations, who volunteer to assist in the program.

"From the comments we've received from participating students and sponsoring organizations over the years, we know that the ACE Academy is providing an enjoyable opportunity for teenagers to learn about the many different types of aviation careers" says William J. Robinson Jr., a director in WSU's Academic College Enrichment Services. "This background is useful for them as they enter a stage in life where they often start thinking about career fields."

Robinson noted that the sponsoring organizations, particularly the FAA and the Tuskegee Airmen, have been loyal and enthusiastic partners with the university. "They have been generous with their personal time as well as their airplanes and they also help to cover some of the program costs," he says.

Students in the Wayne State program are nominated by teachers or one of the sponsoring organizations. Participants receive a certificate at the end of the week during a graduation and closing ceremony.