Renovations make the Endeavor Learning Center the best in the business

The Endeavor Learning Center, or ELC, located in Minneapolis, MN, is the new home for all Endeavor crew training programs. The Inflight and Flight Ops training classes were previously held in the Endeavor C Tower, but now, all new hire and continuous qualification (recurrent) flight attendant and pilot training classes will take place in the ELC.

It took over 18 months to renovate and develop the 35,000 square feet of office and classroom space. With the enhancement and expansion of the Learning Center now complete, it is officially the largest CRJ training facility in the world.

INFLIGHT TRAINING

For the Inflight department, one addition to the Learning Center was the installment of the new cabin trainer. In October 2022, the cabin trainer, nicknamed Amelia, was installed into the ELC and Endeavor-branded to become the showpiece of Endeavor’s Inflight Learning Programs.

The name Amelia is in honor of Amelia Earhart, an American aviation pioneer and the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Amelia’s tail number, N532AE, is a fictional number in honor of her namesake: Amelia Earhart’s history-changing flight took place in May 1932.

The cabin trainer is a brand-new piece of equipment that will revolutionize new hire and recurrent training programs for Endeavor Air flight attendants.

It is a refurbished CRJ-700 aircraft built specifically for the purpose of hands-on training. Endeavor flight attendants will be able to use the space to practice equipment drills, evacuations, and other safety procedures in an actual cabin environment.

All Endeavor flight attendants will have the opportunity to experience the new cabin trainer as part of their CQ
(formerly known as IRT, or recurrent training).

The cabin trainer will now be fully outfitted to meet the Endeavor and Delta standard, including branding, galley, and emergency equipment, functioning lights, and even a smoke machine to simulate fire emergencies.

FLIGHT OPS TRAINING

For the Flight Ops training department, there are now eight CRJ-900 simulators, all dedicated to Endeavor Air pilots. Two of these simulators were just recently installed. One was an existing sim that was refurbished, and the other is a brand-new sim that was shipped from Copenhagen and installed in the Learning Center.

By the end of the month, there will be seven non-motion flight training devices (FTDs). Three are brand new and are in the process of being approved by the FAA; they will be used as Endeavor’s primary training devices. The older FTDs will be available as self-study resources for pilots.

Eric Allen, Director of Flight Ops Training, is looking forward to having all the training events consolidated into a single location.

“Over the last several years, Endeavor’s ground and simulator training has been spread out between the C-Tower, local conference centers, CAE Eagan, CAE Phoenix and even Copenhagen,” Eric said. “The new facility also provides increased opportunities for interaction and joint learning activities with other departments.”

In addition to the new simulators and classrooms, the OCC Dark Site is now also located in the ELC to ensure business continuity in case of an emergency.

COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE

These renovations and additions are all significant investments into Endeavor’s future.

“The new facility shows Delta’s commitment to Endeavor’s future,” Eric said. “And in turn, Endeavor has committed the resources to helping out crewmembers become successful in training, but more importantly, in the safety and the proficiency out on the line.”