Try this, found it in the sticky at the top of the technical thread....
a. In order to allow the auto-updater to work, you will need to right-click on the Aces High start up ICON, then select "Run as administrator" from the menu. This will allow the game to connect to the auto-updater and download and install the patches. DO NOT use this option all the time to run the game or your configuration settings could get lost.