Delta Connection Academy

Securing the Flight Line

SANFORD, Fla. August 26, 2008 - - There is always one thing you can count on; Mother Nature is rarely predictable. As Tropical Storm Fay made her curve towards Florida, more than 350 miles inland Delta Connection Academy was preparing personnel and aircraft to weather whatever Fay had to offer.

Initially forecasted to come ashore around Tampa Bay, Fay decided to make an abrupt turn to the east coming in just south of Naples and making a direct beeline straight for central Florida.

"In the case of Fay, the decision was made quickly not to evacuate and focus on protecting the fleet" said John O'Brien, Chief Operating Officer for Delta Connection Academy. "In my nine years with the Academy, we have gone through this about eight times, evacuated three times, and never had an injury. Our emergency plan works well."

The Academy relocated approximately 60 aircraft inside four hangers, two of which were volunteered by the Orlando/Sanford International Airport. More than 250 students and CFI's were sent home and did not fly for five days as Fay stalled off the coast of Titusville, roughly 30 miles east of Sanford.

"Our first priority is safety of our students" said O'Brien. "With such an unpredictable storm we did not want to take any chances. As the famous saying goes- I would rather be on the ground wishing I was in the air rather than in the air wishing I was on the ground."

Hurricane season runs through November 1 and forecasters once again predict an active season.

Delta Connection Academy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, operates a fleet of more than 96 aircraft, including the latest in technically

advanced aircraft with its fleet of 34 new Cirrus SR-20 G2 aircraft and its Level 3 Advanced Aircraft Training Devices and Level 6 Flight Training Devices. The Academy has trained students from 90 different countries and has placed pilots with more than 30 airlines including, but not limited to, all Delta Connection carriers, American Eagle Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines and Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines. In addition to its main campus at the Orlando/Sanford International Airport, the Academy is the flight-training partner for three colleges and universities across the United States and has a total enrollment of more than 750 flight students. For more information about Delta Connection Academy, call 1.800.U.CAN.FLY or visit www.DeltaConnectionAcademy.com.