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Click here for the ACE Camp
video
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ace Camp Public Relations
Contact: Aissa
Holliday
email:
a1holliday@aol.com
Phone: 404-840-1806
or
Diane Larche'
email:
diane@larchecommunications.com
Phone: 404-273-3227
Media
Events for the Organization
of Black Airline Pilots, Atlanta
Flight Line,
Ace Camp and Dream Flight sponsored
by Delta Air Lines
ATLANTA
(April 1, 2008) — The
Organization of Black Airline
Pilots (OBAP) in partnership
with Delta Air Lines (NYSC:DAL),
invites the media to cover the
Atlanta Flight Line and ACE
Camps. These events will deliver
several exciting opportunities
to cover
free
educational aviation experiences
to youth. The Atlanta Flight
Line Camp begins on July 7,
2008 through the July 18, 2008,
with an additional week, July
21, 2008 through July 25, 2008
scheduled in case of inclimate
weather. The camp will be held
at The Falcon Aviation Academy
located at Falcon Field in Peachtree
City, Ga.
Ten (10) students
will receive 15 hours of flight
training at the Atlanta Flight
Line Camp with a goal to solo
at the end of the 15 hours.
This opportunity provides compelling
stories about successful youths
in aviation education camps.
There are two more Aviation
Career Education (ACE) Camps
available for students. ACE
Camp 1 starts July 14, 2008
and continues through July18,
2008, and ACE Camp 2 starts
July 21, 2008 and continues
through July 25, 2008. Both
camps are held at the Delta
World Headquarters in Atlanta,
Georgia. Representatives from
the media are invited to cover
the two, week-long summer ACE
Camps as well as the Atlanta
Flight Line Camp, both in their
eighth (8th) year.
The two (2)
ACE Camps are open to all youth
ages 14 to 18 and are held July14-18,
2008 and July 21-25, 2008 respectively.
The objectives
for the OBAP ACE Camps are to
teach, inspire, and provide
an opportunity for youth to
discover many careers in aviation.
Activities include: Delta Pilot
simulator & Flight Attendant
training, flight lessons in
a Cessna aircraft (at Fulton
County Airport by Aviation Career
Enrichment, Inc.), field trips
to various aviation facilities,
guest speakers including the
world renowned Tuskegee Airmen,
and a host of other exciting
events.
To be selected
for the two-week Atlanta Flight
Line Camp, the students must
have at least participated,
completed and graduated from
the ACE Camp during the previous
year. Camp directors choose
students from their camps who
excel and show interest in aviation.
Competition is very challenging
as 60 students compete for 10
slots. Students also must complete
an intense interview and academic
performance evaluation.
Atlanta Flight
Line students will receive 15
hours of flight training from
an FAA certified flight instructor.
Students who successfully pass
all training and exams are qualified
to solo an airplane; (solo-
to fly an airplane alone without
the guidance of an instructor.)
The camp is sponsored by Delta
Air Lines in an effort to bridge
the education gap for aspiring
future pilots.
Delta Air Lines
and the entire aviation industry
will always need aviation professionals
who have a passion for their
careers. The youth in our community
who have an interest in aviation
careers should have an opportunity
to learn how to reach their
career goals, learn social skills,
understand team building, and
identify with responsibility.
OBAP, with the assistance of
Delta Air Lines and other aviation
industry volunteers, help create
future aviation professionals
and community leaders. With
this Partnership, OBAP and Delta
Air Lines are able to improve
the percentage of commercial
pilots among African Americans
and women.
The 70 students
age 14 through 18 who participate
in one of the three Atlanta
camps (ACE Camp 1 & 2 and Flight
Line), are given the opportunity
to fly aboard a Delta Air Lines
jet called, the Delta “Dream
Flight.” Other local aviation
camps such as EAA's Young Eagles,
Civil Air Patrol, NBCFAE ACE
Camp, Aviation Career Enrichment,
Atlanta Public Schools, etc
also participate. Delta Air
Lines donates one of its jets
(B757-200) to OBAP for this
event as well as 2 flight crews
and Flight Attendants amongst
other operational necessities.
In the past the Delta “Dream
Flight” has flown to Washington
D.C. to visit the Smithsonian:
National Air and Space Museum
and The Steven Udvar-Hazy Center.
In 2007, the camp participants
flew to the Wright Patterson
Air Force Base Museum; National
Museum of the United States
Air Force in Dayton, OH. The
2008 Delta “Dream Flight” destination
will be The NASA Johnson Space
Center in Houston, TX. Limited
seats may be available for members
of the media to fly on the “Delta
Dream Flight” to Houston this
year.
Finally, representatives
from the media are invited to
cover the 2008 Atlanta Flight
Line and ACE Camp Graduation
Ceremony on July 25, 2008 at
Delta Air Lines Headquarters
starting at 4:00 p.m. to 6:30
p.m. Graduation presenters include
Delta management, OBAP Board
members, and Atlanta elected
officials.
Event
Dates
- OBAP Flight Line Camp..............July
7 – 25, 2008
Falcon
Field Peachtree City, GA
- ACE Camp #1..........................July
14 – 18, 2008
Delta
Headquarters
- ACE Camp #2.........................
July 21 – 25, 2008
Delta
Headquarters
- "Delta Dream Flight".................July
23, 2008
- ACE Camps Graduation.............July
25, 2008
ACE Camps
Founded in 1989 by OBAP, Aviation
Career Education (ACE) camps
have provided more than 2,400
youth with comprehensive training
in various aviation disciplines.
The partnership with Delta Air
Lines includes two one-week
camps with 30 students in each
camp. The students are provided
lessons in aviation history,
aerodynamics, meteorology, navigation,
flight training and simulator
orientation with FAA qualified
flight instructors, and much
more.
Hosted at the Delta Air Lines’
World Headquarters in Atlanta,
GA., the ACE Camp curriculum
includes presentations by aviation
pioneers such as the Tuskegee
Airmen and volunteer aviation
professionals from a wide range
of industry careers. Students
will also take special field
trips and conduct a “Discovery
Flight,” where students actually
receive hands-on flight training
with a certified FAA Flight
Instructor.
Flight Line Camp
Delta Air Lines began its sponsorship
of the Atlanta Flight Line Camp
in 2001 to provide a free, flight
training camp for a select group
of qualified ACE Camp students.
Students selected for the camp
are guided in their aviation
adventure by OBAP and Delta
Air Lines volunteers at Falcon
Aviation Academy at Falcon Field
in Peachtree City, Ga. The Atlanta
Flight Line camp participants
receive 15 hours of flight training
and related aviation instruction
from FAA certified flight instructors.
The OBAP - Delta
Air Lines Partnership
OBAP and Delta Air Lines have
collaborated on the ACE Camp
initiative to increase the aviation
industry’s overall diversity,
as well as improving the number
of women pilots in the commercial
aviation industry. “Delta has
provided vital support with
their sponsorship of the ACE
Camps and various other OBAP
activities. Without Delta’s
support many of our ACE Camp
participants would not be exposed
to the exciting opportunities
in aviation. According to the
current statistics less than
five percent of pilots in the
commercial aviation industry
are women or African American.
We are working with Delta Air
Lines to improve those statistics,”
said Karl Minter, OBAP National
President.
OBAP is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit
organization and was founded
in 1976 by Ben Thomas, an African-American
pilot to increase the number
of African-American pilots and
women employed by major U.S.
airlines. The mission of OBAP
is to prepare young people to
realize a successful future
in aviation through educational
opportunities, mentoring, and
aviation projects. For more
information visit
www.acecamps.org and
www.obap.org.
Delta Air Lines operates
service to more destinations
than any global airline. We
offer flights to 481 destinations
in 105 countries on Delta, Delta
Shuttle®, the Delta Connection®
carriers, and our Worldwide
Partners®. With more than 60
new international routes added
in the last year, Delta is adding
international flights at a faster
rate than any other major U.S.
airline and is a leader across
the Atlantic with flights to
32 trans-Atlantic destinations.
To Latin America and the
Caribbean, Delta offers more
than 600 weekly flights to 58
destinations.
Delta's marketing alliances
also allow customers to earn
and redeem SkyMiles on nearly
15,000 flights offered by
SkyTeam®
and other
partners. Delta is a founding
member of SkyTeam, a global
airline alliance that provides
customers with extensive worldwide
destinations, flights, and services.
Including its SkyTeam and worldwide
codeshare partners, Delta offers
flights to 462 worldwide destinations
in 98 countries.
Delta is a Delaware corporation
headquartered in
Atlanta, Georgia.
Delta is subject to government
regulation under the Federal
Aviation Act of 1958, as amended,
as well as many other federal,
state, and foreign laws.
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