Houses 747-400, MD-11 Simulators

This week, cargo shipping giant UPS officially opened its newest flight training facility, a 27,000-square-foot center here that will reduce the time spent away from home for training pilots based in Anchorage, AK.

Housing two flight simulators, classrooms and offices, the facility is the second such pilot training center in the UPS network and will be in operation approximately 20 hours each day. Established to support all phases of flight training, the new facility will make it unnecessary for Anchorage-based pilots to fly to Louisville for training. The UPS Airlines and its main global Worldport hub are located in Louisville.

"Anchorage is ideally positioned to be our gateway to Asia," said UPS Airline President Bob Lekites. "With growing small package and freight volume and expanding services in that region, we are excited about the potential continued growth in this city."

In December 2006, UPS made Anchorage the home of a new pilot domicile. Currently, 402 crewmembers are based here and that number is expected to increase to 438 by year’s end. Thirty-five employees, including training instructors, simulator technicians and administrative staff, are based at the new training facility.

The Anchorage Flight Training Facility was built in a converted hangar located at the south end of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. It houses UPS’s only 747-400 flight simulator along with its second MD-11 simulator. Both of those aircraft are used to provide the long-range international lift necessary for UPS to maintain its global reach.

UPS Airlines is the ninth-largest airline in the world, operating 265 aircraft that feature some of the industry's most advanced in-flight technology. By offering customers a global portfolio for shipping air freight, UPS’s express and international air solutions help businesses expand globally. UPS air operations are headquartered in Louisville and encompass more than 1,900 flight segments each day serving more than 800 airports around the world.

FMI: www.ups.com