So, you’re interested in becoming an Aircraft Dispatcher…
check out your future career!
Academy College can help you achieve your goals through our Aircraft Dispatch Resident or Correspondence Courses.
What’s the job all about?
An Aircraft Dispatcher is a licensed airman certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who shares responsibility with the captain for the safety and operational control of flights.
Both the aircraft dispatcher and the airline captain are held jointly responsible for the safety of the flight. In cooperation with the pilot, the dispatcher furnishes a flight plan that enables the aircraft to arrive at its destination on schedule with the maximum payload and the least operating cost. The dispatcher considers en route and destination weather, winds aloft, alternate destinations, fuel required, altitudes, and traffic flow. The dispatcher’s signature, along with that of the pilot, releases the aircraft for flight. The dispatcher maintains a constant watch on all flights dispatched, and is responsible in joint agreement with the airline captain for flight planning, route and altitude selection, fuel load requirements, aircraft legality and complying with FAA regulations. The dispatcher is the go-between for the pilot and ground service personnel, and keeps all personnel concerned with the flight informed about its status.
A dispatcher must be familiar with all relevant information regarding a given flight, just as the pilot in command must. Unlike the pilot, the dispatcher may have responsibility for many flights during their work day. In addition, the dispatcher must consider specifics such as the exact aircraft to be used. For example, are there maintenance issues that may combine with en route weather conditions to affect the safe operation of the flight? If so, a different flight routing, lower altitude, more fuel on board, flight delay, etc. may be required to ensure safety. Only after all these considerations are accounted for will the dispatcher and the captain take joint responsibility for the flight by signing the dispatch release in the aircraft logbook.
The FAA mandates strict training requirements for dispatchers in which the airlines must comply with. Aircraft Dispatchers are required to complete extensive training to earn an Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate. Aircraft Dispatcher Certificates are awarded to those individuals that have completed an FAA approved part 65 dispatch training program and successfully passed both a comprehensive written Aircraft Dispatch ADX exam as well as an FAA oral examination.
Academy College offers an FAA approved, part 65, twelve-week Aircraft Dispatcher training course with a history of successfully guiding students through both the ADX and oral exams!
What type of skills do I need to be successful in this career?
- Written and oral communication skills
- Logical reasoning skills
- Analytical skills
- Quick response ability
- Visual perception
- Recall and memorization ability
- Knowledge for learning
What’s the job market like?
Aircraft dispatcher positions can be found within the airlines around the world. Large freight carriers like UPS, FedEx and Airborne also hire aircraft dispatchers. Dispatchers can move into this position from jobs as dispatch clerks, junior flight dispatchers, radio operators, meteorologists, or station managers. Promotion is from within.
According to 2010 reports from the US Department of labor, flight dispatcher jobs are expected to grow at a rate of 12 percent from 2008 to 2018. The demand for skilled flight dispatchers is growing as air travel continues to become safer and cheaper and increases in frequency as the preferred method of getting from point A to point B. This is due to the increase in international business travel requirements and in consumers who have the means to travel more often to see family members who live in distant regions.
There is an increased demand for flight dispatchers to manage commercial shipping flights to deliver goods around the globe.
What type of earnings should I expect?
PayScale.com reports that flight dispatchers with 1-4 years experience make between $31,000 and $46,000, and those with more than five years experience earn between $40,000 and $92,000 per year. AvJobs.com reports that the highest paid dispatchers can earn $110,000 per year. According to Careers.StateUniversity.com, flight dispatcher salaries vary depending on the dispatcher’s experience, size of the operation, location, and size of airport. Starting salaries can be as low as $20,000 per year and top out at over $100,000 annually.
Other flight dispatcher benefits may include health insurance, life insurance, retirement plans, and travel benefits (if airline employed) for you and your immediate family, including free or reduced airfares and discounts at major hotels. Another possible benefit of working for an airline is being able to ride in the cockpit jumpseat. Dispatchers are required to fly in the jumpseat at least five hours per year as part of their recurrent training, but dispatchers are also allowed to fly in the jumpseat on their own airline, and most other airlines, anywhere, anytime the jumpseat is available.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, [accessed November 10, 2011] [http://www.bls.gov/oco/]; Ehow.com; Dispatcher.org; Stateuniversity.com
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