Ace Aerobatic School is a specialty flight training operation based at Franklin County Airport (KUOS) on the campus of Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. The school specializes in spin training, aerobatics, and unusual attitude recovery, and is operated by Catherine Cavagnaro — one of the most credentialed flight instructors in general aviation. Cavagnaro holds ATP (ASEL), Commercial Pilot (ASES, AMEL, glider), and Flight Instructor (ASE, AME, instrument) certificates, serves as a Designated Pilot Examiner for the Nashville FSDO, and is a lead FAA Safety Team representative. She is the 2020 National FAA Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year — the first woman to achieve both that distinction and the 2018 National FAASTeam Representative of the Year award. In 2018 she was inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame, and in 2022 into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame. In her academic role, she is Professor of Mathematics at Sewanee: The University of the South, with a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, where she has applied aerodynamics and spin mechanics as practical applications for courses in differential equations and mathematical modeling.   Ace Aerobatic School's lineage traces directly to William K. Kershner, the legendary aerobatics instructor and aviation author who trained more than 500 pilots in spin techniques and authored five flight training manuals, one of which sold over a million copies. Kershner was the original owner of Ace Aerobatic School at KUOS and trained Cavagnaro personally. When Kershner passed away in 2007, his Cessna 152 Aerobat (N7557L) was donated to the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, where it remains on display. Cavagnaro carried the school forward from where Kershner left it, and in doing so broke his record for consecutive flat spins — Kershner held 25 turns; Cavagnaro extended the record to 60 consecutive turns, filming the results to document that spin recovery technique does not change regardless of the number of turns.   Cavagnaro became a CFI in 2001 and from 2004 to 2008 served as a test pilot, spin demonstration pilot, researcher, and visiting professor of aviation systems at the University of Tennessee Space Institute, where she contributed to icing research on a NASA-owned de Havilland Twin Otter and configured a variable-stability Navion to replicate degraded icing handling characteristics. She writes the monthly "Flying Smart" column for AOPA Pilot Magazine, covering topics in safety, proficiency, and the science of flight, and speaks nationally for the FAA, AOPA, the American Bonanza Society, NAFI, and other aviation organizations.   Ace Aerobatic School offers spin instruction, aerobatic training, and unusual attitude recovery training for students and licensed pilots from across the U.S. and internationally. As a DPE for the Nashville FSDO, Cavagnaro also conducts FAA practical exams on-site at KUOS for Private Pilot ASEL, Commercial Pilot ASEL, Flight Instructor ASEL, and Instrument Rating (for those certificates).

Home Airport(s)

Located approximately one mile east of the Sewanee central business district in Franklin County, Tennessee, atop the Cumberland Plateau, on the grounds of Sewanee: The University of the South. The ICAO identifier KUOS reflects its proximity to the University of the South. Owned by Franklin County. The airport covers 70 acres at an estimated elevation of approximately 1,953 ft MSL — one of the highest-elevation GA airports in Tennessee. Uncontrolled; UNICOM 122.8 MHz. Approach​/​departure service from Memphis ARTCC (ZME). No control tower. Deer on and in the vicinity of the runway are noted in NOTAMs and are an operational consideration. Franklin County Airport was the home airport of William K. Kershner throughout his career.   Runway: Runway 07​/​25 — 3,700 ft × 50 ft (sole runway; asphalt; PAPI; uncontrolled; left traffic)   For aerobatic training, KUOS offers an exceptional environment. The Cumberland Plateau setting provides unobstructed practice airspace over a relatively unpopulated plateau landscape with good terrain clearance above the valley floors below — critical for aerobatic maneuvers that require altitude buffers. At nearly 2,000 ft MSL elevation, density altitude is a real but manageable factor that introduces students to high-elevation performance considerations. The surrounding area is spectacularly scenic, with forested ridgelines, the Tennessee Valley visible in the distance, and the historic Sewanee campus directly adjacent. The airport's quiet, low-traffic environment means aerobatic departure and practice area access is unhurried, and the short runway demands precision takeoff and landing technique that benefits all students. Nearby Chattanooga and Tullahoma Regional Airport provide cross-country routing options for students looking to combine aerobatic training with broader flight experience.

Fleet and Facilities

Ace Aerobatic School operates a single training aircraft: Cessna 152 Aerobat ("Wilbur") — The Aerobat variant of the Cessna 152 is certified for aerobatic flight in the utility category, including spins, loops, rolls, and related maneuvers. It features an inverted fuel and oil system, four-point harnesses, and structural reinforcement beyond the standard 152. "Wilbur" is a direct spiritual successor to Kershner's famous Aerobat (now at Udvar-Hazy) and is used for all spin, aerobatic, and unusual attitude recovery instruction at the school.   Facilities at 262 Airport Road include on-field instruction space. As a DPE, Cavagnaro uses the airport facilities for FAA practical exams.

Hours of Operation

Ace Aerobatic School operates by appointment only. Scheduling is coordinated directly with Catherine Cavagnaro. The school attracts students from across the country and internationally, and some students combine training with family visits to the Sewanee area, given the region's scenic character and the University of the South's attractive campus environment.

Additional Notes

Ace Aerobatic School is not a flight school in the conventional sense — it does not offer primary flight training, instrument courses, or career pilot programs. It is a specialty operation centered on one of the most safety-critical and least-taught skills in general aviation: spin recognition and recovery, and the broader category of unusual attitude recovery training. Spin-related accidents and loss-of-control incidents continue to account for a significant share of fatal GA accidents, yet formal spin training beyond the CFI spin endorsement requirement is rarely pursued by practicing pilots. Cavagnaro has built a national reputation specifically around making this training accessible, demystified, and genuinely useful.   The school's connection to Kershner's legacy gives it a historical depth that few GA training operations can claim. Kershner's Aerobat hanging in the Udvar-Hazy Museum, with a photo of him in the right seat about to enter another spin, is one of the more evocative aviation artifacts in the country — and Cavagnaro's continued operation of the same school, with an aircraft that is nearly identical twin to that museum piece, makes KUOS a genuinely meaningful destination for pilots who understand that lineage.   As a DPE for the Nashville FSDO conducting practical exams on-site, Cavagnaro also provides a checkride resource that makes KUOS a practical destination for pilots in the region who need practical tests for Private ASEL, Commercial ASEL, CFI ASEL, or Instrument Rating — combining aerobatic training with checkride availability in a single visit.