I have a friend who does some fun work simulating disasters for hospitals, law enforcement, and the military. I’ll help out from time to time. I’ve been the guy who takes a mass transit train hostage and I’m the guy who the police shoot in some of the firearms training simulators. It can be a lot of fun, but the result is that various groups are prepared for very serious work.

Practice and being prepared is part of safety and safety is priority one. This is something you hear often at Delta. As part of an effort to allow the employees in our area to learn more about other parts of Delta, we recently had a tour of the Flight Simulators and the Flight Attendant training areas where were able to see some of the safety preparedness firsthand.

We were able to visit the Pilot Training Services area which houses the flight simulators. It’s amazing how realistic it is to be sitting in the pilot seat. When you look out the windshield of the plane you see a realistic projection of the concourse building wall and even the breezeway if you lean forward and look to the left. From the outside the simulators look like something out of a good Sci Fi movie and it’s clear the program has the latest technology. The repeated messaged you hear in Pilot Training Services is their commitment to quality and safety with the goal being to provide most time efficient and the maximum hands-on experience for pilots. It’s one of those places where you wish you could hang out all the time.

One of the areas we visited in the Flight Attendant training section had its own simulator where they train flight attendants to evacuate planes quickly and safely. We walked into the simulator, which is a simulated plane on hydraulic lifts, and took our seats just like we would if we were flying somewhere. Once the simulation started, the entire plane moved and sounded like it was taxiing to the runway and taking off. Of course, this being an evacuation simulator, something has to happen to cause the evacuation. I’ll sum it up to say that you’re in the simulator long enough for it to become more real feeling than you would think, the theatrical smoke and lights help, and sliding down the emergency slide was a whole lot of fun. It was a really high energy and fun time,  and the crew got a lot of cheers from our team for being so great.

One of the things I didn’t know until the tour is that we have a team who leases out the flight simulator time for non-Delta pilot training, and the Flight Attendant training is open to the public.

Pilots can rent time in the simulators. If you’re pilot qualified to train in a large jet simulator, here’s the contact info:

• Email: dal.pilottrngsvcs@delta.com

As for the Flight Attendant training, there are also a few offerings:

They have a full menu of options for any group needing leadership and professional development/skill building training. Classes include leadership skills, mentoring and coaching, and performance feedback courses for managers. They also offer a great course called “Road Warrior” training, which is designed for the frequent traveler or people who are uneasy with air travel. It was described to me as a great team-building course, where participants learn the ins-and-outs of airline safety, in-flight crew training, travel health, and security.

If you’d like more information on this, contact Anita Johnson at:

• Email: anita.w.johnson@delta.com

Check out more pictures here.

David Moses

delta.com