Aviation Career Enrichment

What Aviation Career Enrichment does

Aviation Career Enrichment (ACE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded November 22, 1980 by Julius J. Alexander, Jr. and headquartered at Atlanta Fulton County Airport-Brown Field in Atlanta, Georgia. The organization delivers aviation education through two core programs: the ACE Weekend Academy, a Saturday ground school for youth ages 9-18 priced at $140/month, and the ACE Adult Flight Training program providing one-on-one instruction with Certified Flight Instructors starting at $170/lesson. Training spans Private Pilot through CFI/CFII certifications under FAA Part 61. ACE explicitly targets youth from underrepresented backgrounds, founded after the founder was denied an airline pilot career due to racial discrimination in the late 1960s.

The training infrastructure comprises a fleet of seven aircraft including Technologically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) with all-glass cockpit avionics, supplemented by multiple flight simulators ranging from standard gauges to advanced glass panels. Scheduling and billing run on FlightCircle; student records and FAA-regulated training logs are managed in Airtable; donations are processed via Zeffy. Instruction is delivered by volunteer FAA-certified pilots, mechanics, and instructors — many themselves ACE alumni who went on to major-airline careers. The organization has trained over 200 pilots to first solo, with 40 alumni currently serving as captains and first officers at major carriers including Delta Air Lines.

The business model blends recurring youth tuition, usage-based adult flight training at $194-$237/hour for dual instruction, transactional merchandise and gift card sales through the ACE Swag Shop, and donations. Distribution is exclusively domestic through direct website enrollment, on-site Saturday classes, and discovery flights at the Atlanta airport. Demand materially exceeds capacity — the academy runs three classes in double Saturday sessions with a 300+ student waitlist — while supply is constrained by the seven-aircraft fleet, volunteer instructor base, and ongoing recovery from a third flood at the Aviation Circle headquarters in March 2026. Captain Patrick Alexander, Sr. (former Delta B-757-767 Captain and the founder's son) leads the organization as President/CEO after succeeding his father in 2021; founder Julius Alexander passed away September 11, 2024.

Name

Aviation Career Enrichment

Legal name

Aviation Career Enrichment

Website

https://flyace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aviation Career Enrichment (ACE) is an Atlanta-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing FAA Part 61 flight training to youth ages 9-18 via Saturday ground school and to adults through one-on-one instruction, addressing limited aviation career access for underrepresented aspiring pilots.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flight Training Services

NAICS

Flight Training (611512)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Aviation Pilot & Crew Staffing/Training Services (THABAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)

Keywords

• Aviation education
• Flight training
• Youth aviation academy
• Pilot certification
• Ground school

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Youth Academy Tuition: Monthly tuition of $140/mo for students ages 9-18 attending the ACE Weekend Academy ground school. Flight lessons are charged separately.
2. Adult Flight Training: Flight lessons starting at $170/lesson for adults 18+, with one-on-one instruction from Certified Flight Instructors. CFI fees are separate.
3. Merchandise Sales: Swag shop selling flight lessons gift cards ($75-$200), uniforms, textbooks, pilot logbooks, and training materials.
4. Donations: Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supported through donations via Zeffy platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aviation Career Enrichment (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) flight school operating the ACE Weekend Academy, a Saturday ground school program for youth ages 9-18 at $140/month, and an ACE Adult Flight Training program providing one-on-one FAA Part 61 flight instruction starting at $170/lesson toward Private Pilot, Instrument, Commercial, CFI and CFII certifications. The organization also offers discovery flights, simulator training, and a merchandise store selling branded apparel and pilot supplies.

Product overview

Aviation Career Enrichment (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization operating as a flight school with a multi-product educational portfolio. The core offerings include the ACE Weekend Academy, a structured Saturday ground school for youth ages 9-18 priced at $140/month, and the ACE Adult Flight Training program with individual lessons starting at $170. Flight training programs span from Private Pilot through CFI/CFII certifications, with dual instruction ranging from $194-$210/hour for youth and $221-$237/hour for adults. The company also operates an ACE Swag Shop selling branded merchandise and training supplies including the Gleim Deluxe Private Pilot Kit, and offers Discovery Flights and Simulator Training as supplementary services. All scheduling and billing is managed through FlightCircle integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACE Weekend Academy Structured Saturday ground school program for youth ages 9-18 that teaches aviation fundamentals. Operates September through May each year with monthly tuition of $140. Flight lessons are not included with monthly tuition.
• ACE Adult Flight Training One-on-one flight training with a Certified Flight Instructor for students 18 years and older. Flight lessons start at $170 per lesson with instructor fees charged separately.
• Private Pilot Training FAA Part 61 flight training program leading to Private Pilot Certificate. Minimum 40 flight hours required; national average is 60-70 hours.
• Instrument Rating Training Advanced flight training for instrument flight rules navigation and procedures leading to an Instrument Rating.
• Commercial Single Engine Training Commercial pilot training for single-engine aircraft operations leading to a Commercial Pilot certificate.
• CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) Training Flight instructor certification training program preparing students to become Certified Flight Instructors.
• CFII (Certified Flight Instructor - Instrument) Training Instrument flight instructor certification training program for CFIs seeking to add the instrument airplane rating.
• Discovery Flights Introductory flight experiences for interested youth and adults including facility tours. Booked through FlightCircle portal with fees charged at scheduling.
• Simulator Training Flight simulator training providing additional practice at reduced cost. ACE simulators have different hardware packages from standard gauges to advanced glass panels.
• ACE Swag Shop Online merchandise store selling ACE branded apparel including uniforms, jackets, golf shirts, hats, windbreakers, and pilot supplies.
• ACE Flight Lessons Gift Card Gift cards available in denominations from $75 to $200 to support student flight training. Funds credited to enrolled ACE Weekend Academy student.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 pilots trained to first solo by founder Julius Alexander
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FlightCirclecoreTechnology or IntegrationACE uses FlightCircle for scheduling and billing of flight lessons. Students book discovery flights and manage appointments through the FlightCircle portal.
• Aviation Corporations & Youth OrganizationsminorOthersACE has provided training and aerospace activities through affiliations with aviation corporations and aviation camps sponsored by other youth organizations.
• Emma Darnell Aviation Museum & Conference CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTemporary location for ACE Weekend Academy classes during facility restoration after flooding. Formerly Aviation Community Cultural Center, now part of Fulton County Arts & Culture.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• FlightSafety International: FlightSafety International is a global aviation training leader offering pilot training, simulator-based instruction, and crew certification for commercial, business, and military operators. It is a broad incumbent in the aviation training market and is comparable in that it sells pilot-certification instruction, though it focuses on advanced/simulator-based training for professional crews rather than introductory youth programs.
• CAE: CAE is one of the world's largest aviation training companies, operating a global network of flight training centers and full-flight simulators for airline crews. It is a broad incumbent comparable to ACE in delivering pilot training services, but at vastly greater scale and at the professional/airline-crew segment.
• AOPA Foundation - You Can Fly: AOPA's You Can Fly program funds flight training scholarships, high-school aviation science curricula, and discovery flights. It is a broad-incumbent peer to ACE in the youth-aviation-pipeline space, operating as a national association rather than a single flight school but addressing the same need for access to pilot training.
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: Embry-Riddle is the largest fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offering four-year degrees with integrated flight training. It is a broad incumbent in aviation education, comparable to ACE in producing certified pilots, though at the collegiate level and with a vastly larger and more formal institution.

Direct peers

• ATP Flight School: ATP Flight School is one of the largest FAA Part 141 flight training networks in the U.S., offering private pilot through airline transport pilot certification. ATP is a direct for-profit comparator in flight training products and certifications, though at vastly greater scale and without the youth-focused or nonprofit mission.
• Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program: Civil Air Patrol's Cadet Program is a U.S. Air Force Auxiliary youth program that includes orientation flights, aerospace education, and a structured cadet pipeline to pilot training. It is comparable to ACE in serving youth 12-21 with aviation exposure and structured advancement, but at much greater scale and with a military-adjacent curriculum.
• Sporty's Academy: Sporty's Academy is a long-running Part 141 flight training school affiliated with Sporty's Pilot Shop, offering private pilot through CFI programs. It is a direct flight-training peer with comparable product offerings (private, instrument, commercial) and a similar brand-led, community-reputation model.
• Tuskegee NEXT: Tuskegee NEXT is a nonprofit that provides aviation career exposure and pilot training to underrepresented youth, with a direct cadet pathway focus. It is the closest mission-aligned peer to ACE, both in target population (minority youth pursuing aviation) and in training-from-zero-to-pilot model.
• EAA Young Eagles: EAA's Young Eagles program introduces youth to aviation through free discovery flights and is the most recognized youth-aviation introductory program in the U.S. ACE's Discovery Flights and Weekend Academy overlap directly with Young Eagles' youth-engagement mission, though Young Eagles is broader in reach and shallower in depth.
• Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP): OBAP runs the ACE (Aerospace Career Education) Academy and other youth aviation programs targeting underrepresented minorities. It is a strong mission peer to ACE, addressing the same diversity-in-aviation problem, though OBAP operates more as a national association than a single flight school.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FlyACEATL
• Facebookfacebook.com/ACEAtlanta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aviation-career-enrichment-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Aviation Career Enrichment