This month, Delta celebrated 25 years of its DREAM flight — giving 145 aspiring aviators the opportunity to travel with and learn from a variety of current industry leaders. Since its founding in 2000, this special charter flight — hosted in partnership with the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) — has carried students ages 13 to 18 to aviation-themed destinations to explore the endless opportunities available in aerospace. By allowing young people to see themselves in a vast array of roles, such as flight crews, pilots, gate agents and flight dispatchers, the DREAM flight creates a runway to possibilities in aviation.
For the first time, the DREAM flight landed in Merritt Island, FL, where the students had a day filled with activities at the Kennedy Space Center. The programming included facility tours, interactive experiences and a Delta panel discussion with a pilot, flight attendant and corporate leaders from Brand Experience, Communications and Legal who shared insights on the range of careers available, both in the air and on the ground.
“Helping others soar is part of Delta’s DNA, and that’s what makes this flight so special,” said Kurt Ford, Managing Director of Flight Training at Delta. “By connecting students to aviation leaders, the DREAM Flight allows students to envision futures they might never have imagined and helps shape the future of our industry.” This month, Delta celebrated 25 years of its DREAM flight — giving 145 aspiring aviators the opportunity to travel with and learn from a variety of current industry leaders.
The vision that made the DREAM flight a reality
In 1973, newly hired Delta pilot and U.S. Air Force veteran, John Bailey, would often fly round robin charters around Boston for terminally ill children. Inspired by the spirit and purpose of these flights, he envisioned creating a similar opportunity for children who could aspire to become future pilots.
Twenty-five years later, Bailey proposed bringing a week-long aviation exposure program for teenagers to the Delta campus and pitched his long-held dream of a circle trip flight for participating students and other community flight organizations to end the session.
The following year, 1999, the first OBAP Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy camps were held at Delta headquarters, welcoming 45 students. As Bailey and his colleagues planned for the program’s second year, he received “the call” from Charlie Tutt, a senior leader in Flight Operations. His flight for children had finally been approved — on two conditions. First, it would not be a round robin flight; it needed to travel to an educational destination that would extend the students’ learning. And second… “You have to have that plane home by 6:30 p.m.”
In July 2000, the inaugural DREAM Flight took off for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., with Bailey as its pilot. He and his Delta and OBAP colleagues hosted 150 kids from Atlanta City Schools and aviation-themed camps in an unforgettable flight that arrived back in Atlanta — on time.
Delta’s commitment to helping aviation careers take flight
Delta’s DREAM flight represents Delta’s commitment to exposing students from underrepresented groups to the world of aviation, as part of a broader effort to clear the runway for the best, most qualified future talent.
The ongoing partnership between Delta and OBAP has given more than 4,000 youth immersive learning opportunities to better understand pathways to aviation careers. The primary goal remains to grow students’ interest in aviation through fun and educational opportunities while pairing them with mentors.
In addition to participants of the OBAP ACE Academy, this year Delta invited students from Atlanta-area schools and STEM organizations, including Morrow High School, Kindezi School, Rex Mill Middle, Elite Scholars Academy, Tuskegee Airmen and Aviation Career Enrichment. A group of volunteers with a variety of diverse backgrounds attended to engage with the students throughout the day, sharing their personal journeys within Delta.
DREAM Flight is just one of the many initiatives Delta has to expand and develop its talent pipeline and hire the best and brightest employees. Earlier this fall, DELTA hosted its tenth annual WING (Women Inspiring the Next Generation) Flight, which flew 130 young women from Atlanta to Florida’s Space Coast in celebration of Girls in Aviation Day.
