Exclusive Partnership Will Focus On High Altitude Training

Aero-News has learned Delta Air Lines' training subsidiary Delta Connection Academy recently entered into an exclusive agreement with the Southern AeroMedical Institute (SAMI) to develop and operate a training program for pilots and flight attendants in high altitude recovery operations, in the rare event of a cabin depressurization.

The training program is the first of its kind in the United States incorporating the physiological training associated with high altitude operations in combination with computer based simulation training. To enhance the training even further is the recent and successful integration of simulated air traffic control (ATC) thereby achieving what is hoped will be seen as the new "gold standard" in high altitude physiological training. The course curriculum achieves a more efficient, higher quality training for pilots and flight attendants enhancing safety in the air for the flying public.

The course will be operated at the SAMI campus in Melbourne, FL by SAMI founder and Medical Director Dr. Paul Buza. Buza is also a board certified neurologist and FAA Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).

The program will initially be offered exclusively to Delta Connection Academy students, but with the joint development of computer based training (CBT) and the publishing of a book specifically focused on high altitude training in aviation, the partnership is looking to the future by marketing the training directly to both the regional and major airlines in an attempt to enhance US aviation travel as well as the flying public as a whole.

"The course has been designed to make our graduates the safest and best trained pilots in the industry," says Richard Morris – Director of Flight Standards, Program Development and Chief Pilot for Delta Connection Academy. "The majority of our graduates fly directly for one of many regional airlines with whom we have guaranteed interview agreements, and it behooves us to ensure that we are providing our airline partners with the best pilots that we possibly can. This course will give pilots and flight attendants the knowledge required to identify the onset of hypoxia and take the necessary action required to save lives."

"At SAMI we have strived for many years to change the way that training is conducted on this extremely important subject, and the partnership with Delta Connection Academy has created the first major foothold in the industry, and their belief in the program has allowed us to develop a program that is unparalleled in the market place today," states Dr. Buza.

Delta Connection Academy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, operates a fleet of more than 110 aircraft, including the latest in technically advanced aircraft with its fleet of 50 new Cirrus SR20 G2 aircraft and its seven level 6 Aerosim Technologies Flight Training Devices. The Academy has trained students from 89 different countries and has placed pilots with 26 airlines including, but not limited to, all Delta Connection carriers, American Eagle Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines and Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines.

FMI: www.deltaconnectionacademy.com, www.samiunitedstates.com