ATLANTA, July 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and the Organization of Black Airline Pilots (OBAP) today celebrate the 10th anniversary "Dream Flight" that will transport young aviation students on a visit to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington, D.C.

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Delta co-sponsors OBAP's Aviation Career Education (ACE) camp, two, week-long summer programs for teenagers who have an interest in pursuing careers in aviation. The intensive camps, held primarily at Delta's World Headquarters in Atlanta, teaches students aviation history, aerodynamics, meteorology, navigation and flight simulator orientation with qualified flight instructors. Select graduates from ACE Camp are invited back the following year to participate in Flight Line, an in-depth seminar that focuses specifically on pilot training, including allowing students to perform solo flights during their week-long training. Delta also is in its 10th year of supporting ACE camps in Minneapolis.

As part of the final week of training, all camp students are transported on the "Dream Flight" to a daylong field trip at a major aviation facility. Past trips have included visits to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla.; the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio; and the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"Delta is proud to continue its longstanding partnership with OBAP through our support of the Dream Flight, ACE Camps and Flight Line," said Stephen Dickson, Delta's senior vice president - Flight Operations. "We see the commitment of time, resources and facilities as an invaluable investment in promoting aviation education and interest."

Delta donated a Boeing 757 aircraft for the trip, which will carry more than 150 aviation students -- many of whom are taking their first commercial flight. Students will be guided on a tour of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center which houses numerous aviation artifacts including the space shuttle Enterprise; the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world; and the Boeing B-29 Enola Gay.

Delta and OBAP have introduced thousands of students to careers in aviation, four of whom have gone on to become commercial pilots. On Friday, students from the ACE and Flight Line camps will take part in the 2009 graduation ceremonies held at Delta's Atlanta Training Center.

Delta Air Lines is the world's No. 1 airline. From its hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam and Tokyo-Narita, Delta, its Northwest subsidiary and Delta Connection carriers offer service to 382 destinations in 69 countries and serves more than 170 million passengers each year. Delta's marketing alliances allow customers to earn and redeem either SkyMiles or WorldPerks on more than 16,000 daily flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta's more than 70,000 employees worldwide are reshaping the aviation industry as the only U.S. airline to offer a full global network. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and flight status at delta.com.

SOURCE Delta Air Lines

SOURCE: Delta Air Lines

Web site: http://www.delta.com/