The Organization of Black Airline Pilots (OBAP) in partnership with Delta Air Lines (NYSC:DAL), invites the public to and greet youth who aspire to careers in aviation as they return from NASA and Houston on the Delta Dream Flight.

An OBAP member and teen camp participant is scheduled to appear on WAGA Fox 5's Good Day Atlanta on Monday, July 21 at 7:10 a.m. to share experiences and highlights from the camps thus far and anticipated experiences for the Delta Dream Flight to NASA in Houston on Wednesday, July 23.

ACE Camp 2 starts July 21, 2008 and continues through July 25, 2008. This camp is being held at the Delta World Headquarters in Atlanta, Ace Camp 1 was held July 14-18. Both camps are open to youth ages 14 to 18.

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.

Atlanta Flight Line Camp was held July 7-18. 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.

The 2008 Atlanta Flight Line and ACE Camp Graduation Ceremony will be held 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.

• ACE Camp #2......................... July 21 – 25, 2008
  Delta Headquarters
• "Delta Dream Flight".................July 23, 2008
   
• ACE Camps Graduation.............July 25, 2008
  1021 N. Outer Loop Rd.
  Atlanta, GA 30354-->

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.