Will Provide Training In High Altitude Recovery Operations

Delta Connection Academy entered into an exclusive agreement with Southern AeroMedical Institute (SAMI) to develop and implement a training program incorporating the physiological training associated with high altitude operations in combination with computer-based simulation training in high altitude recovery operations.

The program will also have the added value of recent integration of simulated ATC, achieving what is anticipated be seen as the new "gold standard" in high altitude physiological training, according to SAMI. The curriculum, the partners report, enhances safety in the air for the flying public by achieving a more efficient, higher quality training for pilots and flight attendants.

This "first of its kind" program in the US will be operated at the SAMI campus in Melbourne, FL, by Founder and SAMI Medical Director Dr. Paul Buza, who is also a board certified neurologist and FAA Aviation Medical Examiner.

Although the program will initially only be offered to Delta Connection Academy students, the partners are looking toward the future. With the joint development of computer-based training and the release of a book specifically focused on high altitude training in aviation, Delta Connection Academy and SAMI will market the training program directly to both regional and major airlines 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. 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," said Director of Flight Standards, Program Development, and Chief Pilot for Delta Connection Academy Richard Morris. "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."

Added Dr. Buza, "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."

"I'm happy with our new partnership and look forward to future program and training development in other related areas," said Dr. Buza.

The highly-specialized Southern AeroMedical Institute in Melbourne, FL, boasts a high altitude chamber designed to closely match most jet configurations to achieve realistic scenarios in the rare event of a cabin depressurization.

With a chamber that is 32 feet long, 10 feet in diameter, and weighs 77,000 pounds, its tubular shape is configured to match fuselage design of most regional jets. Integration of cockpits matched with wireless ATC simulation allows flight missions to be conducted and captured on video for post-flight analysis.

FMI: www.deltaconnectionacademy.com , www.sami-unitedstates.com