Question about Dispatch School

ghostjet

ghostjet

Well-Known Member
Hey everybody, long time fan of this forum, first time poster. I'm thinking about making a career change (news/medical video production background) to flight dispatching. (Considering Jeppesen) I have no aviation experience, aside from a lifelong love and enthusiasm for it. I've noticed that experience isn't a prerequisite for obtaining certification, but I'm wondering if it's realistic. I'm 39 years old, (living in Philly, used to live in Denver) with a college degree in Broadcast Journalism and honestly have not been in any kind of rigorous school setting for almost 15 years.

I guess my question is, how difficult will the material be to absorb and master for someone with zero experience and so far removed from academics? I should mention though that I subscribe to Air & Space mag, read constantly about aviation, (just finished Cockpit Confidential), and listen to LiveATC often to relax while lying in bed. Safe to say I'm an avgeek, just not sure if that'll help me in school though. I don't want to spend the money only to find I'm out of my league.

Thanks for reading and I apologize if this post is miscategorized or redundant.
 
It can be done with no aviation experience. You might just have to study more and ask more questions than your peers who might have experience. I can tell you that in my class (not Jeppesen) there were 4 people with no aviation experience (some have never even flown in a plane!) and only 2 of them finished the class. The other 2 dropped out, 1 kid was a video gamer that didn't study and the other guy didn't ask enough questions to learn what he didn't know. You will have to study and read more than your peers..don't be afraid to ask questions or stay after/come early class for more help. Also, the 2 that did finished the class all got hired at the former regional airline I worked for, passed training and seemed to do a great job. So it can be done and you can be successful.
 
Yes it can be done and there are plenty of students out that have done it.

I will say this from watching the students that were having trouble understanding the material. The instructors are there for you, anytime of day - including their days off. You have to be willing to put in the effort needed. It may be easier than you think, then again you might find a root canal more enjoyable than the course.

Generally most people have problems with weather as it is the most complicated. Regulations are just that overall pretty straight forward but BORING as hell. The ATC system and aircraft charicteristics/performance will be the most interesting. This is all my opinion

Personally if you have any common sense, can do basic math and can generally see how piece A relates to piece B, you should do fine.

Best of Luck.
 
As my other colleagues have alluded to, it is very do able, but you will need to be very proactive. Of course this is an excellent resource for those questions or concepts that seen to allude you, but certainly don't be afraid to be "that guy" in class who seems to constantly ask questions.

For people who just start to look into this they almost always are overwhelmed by the amount of material, but you know the old saying about how you eat an elephant...
 
It can most definitely be done. We had one in my class who didn't pass the first time but went back and now is licensed. I know plenty of others who passed the first time through. You just have to study hard and don't be timid about asking questions, staying after class, and leaning on your fellow students who may already work in operations. We had a few guys in our class at Jeppesen who already worked in dispatch in their home countries, so they were actually invaluable resources to many of us. Just know regardless of your background, you'll all be fed from the same firehose, and probably at some point wonder, "what the hell am I doing???", but if you put forth max effort, you'll do just fine. Best of luck to you!
 
Yep. I had no aviation experience prior to Dx school (other than a ton of FSX/and personal reading and general interest :P) and did pretty well in the class. There were some in my class from overseas already working Dx and other airline jobs but still had trouble with the stuff. One of theguys failed his written twice but still kept plugging away, got tutoring and eventually passed, and is working as a Dxer now in his home country.

Everyone else has given good advice already. Just study and stay with it, and you'll do fine. The fact that you're personally enthusiastic about aviation will make the material easier to learn and absorb. At least that's how it was for me.

(Another Jepp grad)
 
Just got home from my first day at Jepp. Out of 25 there is one guy with zero knowledge.
One "stat" the FAA examiner pointed out in class was that the guys that are "zero timers" avg a 92% on the written.
Better than most.
My personal thoughts....
Why? What do you know about the job and what it entails? Do you really want that? Try to visit a dispatch center. It is somewhat difficult to get a tour, but folks have done it. You can get the feel of what actually goes on. ( well,sort of) This forum will also give you a feel for what goes on!!! Holy cow and then some!
There is a lot to deal with in the class as the others have pointed out. I spent a month just prepping at home before the class. Maybe I wasted my time, maybe not. But it is a ball buster even after the first day. It is exactly as others have told (warned ) me. But I love flying and l have always been around aircraft. I shoulda done this years ago.
I have a buddy at AA who after ramping for 5 years,got into DXing and hated it, now he is the big ramp boss in Miami for AA. He loves it. Plus he has a crazy good schedule and $$$. I bring that up, simply to point out that A. Dxing, it aint for everyone, B. there are other airline jobs.(that can be fun and a good fit).
So don't mind me. I have yet to spend even one day dispatching, but I will spend the days I've got left dispatching!!
 
TaxiBack said:
Just got home from my first day at Jepp. Out of 25 there is one guy with zero knowledge.
One "stat" the FAA examiner pointed out in class was that the guys that are "zero timers" avg a 92% on the written.
Better than most.
My personal thoughts....
Why? What do you know about the job and what it entails? Do you really want that? Try to visit a dispatch center. It is somewhat difficult to get a tour, but folks have done it. You can get the feel of what actually goes on. ( well,sort of) This forum will also give you a feel for what goes on!!! Holy cow and then some!
There is a lot to deal with in the class as the others have pointed out. I spent a month just prepping at home before the class. Maybe I wasted my time, maybe not. But it is a ball buster even after the first day. It is exactly as others have told (warned ) me. But I love flying and l have always been around aircraft. I shoulda done this years ago.
I have a buddy at AA who after ramping for 5 years,got into DXing and hated it, now he is the big ramp boss in Miami for AA. He loves it. Plus he has a crazy good schedule and $$$. I bring that up, simply to point out that A. Dxing, it aint for everyone, B. there are other airline jobs.(that can be fun and a good fit).
So don't mind me. I have yet to spend even one day dispatching, but I will spend the days I've got left dispatching!!
Click to expand...

In some cases its easier for someone with no experience to learn new material vs someone who has a lot of aviation experience and is set it their ways and/or bad habits.

Btw 2012 jeppsen almuni here :)
 
ghostjet said:
Hey everybody, long time fan of this forum, first time poster. I'm thinking about making a career change (news/medical video production background) to flight dispatching. (Considering Jeppesen) I have no aviation experience, aside from a lifelong love and enthusiasm for it. I've noticed that experience isn't a prerequisite for obtaining certification, but I'm wondering if it's realistic. I'm 39 years old, (living in Philly, used to live in Denver) with a college degree in Broadcast Journalism and honestly have not been in any kind of rigorous school setting for almost 15 years.

I guess my question is, how difficult will the material be to absorb and master for someone with zero experience and so far removed from academics? I should mention though that I subscribe to Air & Space mag, read constantly about aviation, (just finished Cockpit Confidential), and listen to LiveATC often to relax while lying in bed. Safe to say I'm an avgeek, just not sure if that'll help me in school though. I don't want to spend the money only to find I'm out of my league.

Thanks for reading and I apologize if this post is miscategorized or redundant.
Click to expand...

Personally I think it all depends on the person. Yes its hard, yes its alot of info to study in such a short time frame. but if you love aviation and willing to learn, I believe You'll do perfectly fine in the classroom. My class had a few people your age and even older. We had people with no aviation experience and people with commercial pilots licenses.
Everyone that actually took the time to study and put in the work, passed the class. A few people had a hard time but still passed the class. The people who failed just didnt give 110% and towards the end of the class you could tell they wasnt gonna pass.
 
TaxiBack said:
Just got home from my first day at Jepp. Out of 25 there is one guy with zero knowledge. One "stat" the FAA examiner pointed out in class was that the guys that are "zero timers" avg a 92% on the written. Better than most. My personal thoughts.... Why? What do you know about the job and what it entails? Do you really want that? Try to visit a dispatch center. It is somewhat difficult to get a tour, but folks have done it. You can get the feel of what actually goes on. ( well,sort of) This forum will also give you a feel for what goes on!!! Holy cow and then some! There is a lot to deal with in the class as the others have pointed out. I spent a month just prepping at home before the class. Maybe I wasted my time, maybe not. But it is a ball buster even after the first day. It is exactly as others have told (warned ) me. But I love flying and l have always been around aircraft. I shoulda done this years ago. I have a buddy at AA who after ramping for 5 years,got into DXing and hated it, now he is the big ramp boss in Miami for AA. He loves it. Plus he has a crazy good schedule and $$$. I bring that up, simply to point out that A. Dxing, it aint for everyone, B. there are other airline jobs.(that can be fun and a good fit). So don't mind me. I have yet to spend even one day dispatching, but I will spend the days I've got left dispatching!!
Click to expand...

FYI the first two weeks are a breeze. It's at week three that the real roller coaster begins, so hold on for the ride! Have fun and good luck ;-)
 
Wow, I've got to say you guys -and gals- are awesome. I didn't expect so many thorough replies. Thank you! Definitely a good sign to see how close knit and supportive the DX community can be. Alright, I feel confident and ready. Based on all my research here and elsewhere, I think this is definitely what I want, and I'm going to dive in 100%. I know I'll need to do at least a month or two of prep before I start, and I'm ready for that. I remember some of you recommending reviewing weather, aviation terminology etc and also hitting the online ADX test prep software hard. As soon as I get it , I'll be all over it. Anything else? What about when I'm there, (I guess this is for Jepp alumni), did you study pretty much solo every night, or mostly with groups? Any realistic free time on the weekends, or is it just eat, sleep and study? (I just love Colorado, wondering if I'll be able to enjoy any of it during this adventure) And I'm assuming you guys stayed at the nearby extended stay hotels they contract with, any recommendations regarding them? Thanks again really, you've all been a huge help.
 
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The responses above are great, and Jeppesen would encourage you to continue getting real world feedback. One aspect we would like to mention is that if you need more time to process all of the information provided in the course then you can come back to the class over and over again - at no additional charge. The initial course is the minimum hours required by the FAA, however Jeppesen wants to provide all graduates with the opportunity to go through the program multiple times if desired.

If you have the opportunity to visit Jeppesen please do, you can watch a class in action, get a tour of the facility, see the tools which a dispatcher uses on the job, and ask questions in person. If not please feel free to give us a call anytime. We can provide you with a 3-D avatar tour of our online classroom called the Jeppesen Virtual Learning Environment. We can also send you facility guides with pictures, more information about the career, and much more.

Good luck!

Jeppesen Academy
www.jeppesen.com/faadispatcher
jeppesenacademy@jeppesen.com
303-328-4641
 
ghostjet said:
Wow, I've got to say you guys -and gals- are awesome. I didn't expect so many thorough replies. Thank you! Definitely a good sign to see how close knit and supportive the DX community can be. Alright, I feel confident and ready. Based on all my research here and elsewhere, I think this is definitely what I want, and I'm going to dive in 100%. I know I'll need to do at least a month or two of prep before I start, and I'm ready for that. I remember some of you recommending reviewing weather, aviation terminology etc and also hitting the online ADX test prep software hard. As soon as I get it , I'll be all over it. Anything else? What about when I'm there, (I guess this is for Jepp alumni), did you study pretty much solo every night, or mostly with groups? Any realistic free time on the weekends, or is it just eat, sleep and study? (I just love Colorado, wondering if I'll be able to enjoy any of it during this adventure) And I'm assuming you guys stayed at the nearby extended stay hotels they contract with, any recommendations regarding them? Thanks again really, you've all been a huge help.
Click to expand...

I ask jeremy at jeppesen send me the "flight bag" early, so that i could pre-study everything in the course outline. I got my flight bag approx 4 months before my class date, so i could read through everything at my own pace. Like anything else in this world, the better you can plan ahead, the easier things will be when the real thing comes around.
As for studying in groups, that will depend on your fellow students. Our class got along pretty well and we had students from 8 different contries and 4 different US states. 22 out of the 25 students all stayed at the same extended stay hotel (jeppesen set it up) so it was easy for everyone to study at night/weekends.
As for "free time" thats gonna be up to you and/or your study groups. Personally i made it a point to squeeze in some free time just to give my brain a small break. Plus im from hawaii and we dont have everything the mainland offers, so i did plan to explore a little. The weekend AFTER we took the ATP written myself and 2 other studients drove up to Mt Rushmore and back. Just fyi it took is 17 hours total.. IMO it was not worth the drive, but hey.. Atleast i can cross Mt Rushmore off the bucket list. Hehe
They do offer a international flight planning class (ETOPS). That class is offered the week AFTER the regular dispatch class is over. This class is NOT required, but IMO it does give your resume a good boost. I know my bosses have hired no experiences guys because when asked general ETOPS questions, the person was able to answer it. Again its NOT required and some people will tell you its not worth it, but IMO it help me land my job :)
The area the school is located in, is fairly nice if you ask me. Theres a huge walmart very close by and a bunch of places to eat.
Good luck and i hope you enjoy the jeppesen school.. Btw their lunch room is AWESOME and fairly priced.
Jeppesen c/o 2012 (may/june)
 

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ghostjet said:
Wow, I've got to say you guys -and gals- are awesome. I didn't expect so many thorough replies. Thank you! Definitely a good sign to see how close knit and supportive the DX community can be. Alright, I feel confident and ready. Based on all my research here and elsewhere, I think this is definitely what I want, and I'm going to dive in 100%. I know I'll need to do at least a month or two of prep before I start, and I'm ready for that. I remember some of you recommending reviewing weather, aviation terminology etc and also hitting the online ADX test prep software hard. As soon as I get it , I'll be all over it. Anything else? What about when I'm there, (I guess this is for Jepp alumni), did you study pretty much solo every night, or mostly with groups? Any realistic free time on the weekends, or is it just eat, sleep and study? (I just love Colorado, wondering if I'll be able to enjoy any of it during this adventure) And I'm assuming you guys stayed at the nearby extended stay hotels they contract with, any recommendations regarding them? Thanks again really, you've all been a huge help.
Click to expand...

One thing you can do to prepare is just be ready to take the written when you get there. It's one less thing to worry about. I can tell you that I was pretty much ready to take the written day one, but still ate, slept and breathed the course for the entire 5 weeks. The only break I took was before the third week started, a group of us took a Saturday and went up to the mountains and hiked around. If you want to do something like that, the only time will be on one of the first two weekends. After that, it's non-stop. I slept maybe 4-5 hours a night if I was lucky. Class all day, dinner with classmates back at the hotel and study groups till bed time. Do your best to get in a productive study group. There were a few groups that were productive at drinking, not so much at studying. ;-) The extended stay hotels that Jepp is contracted with were actually pretty good. Full kitchens in each room so the group I spent the most time with cooked together each night and then hit the books. Let me know if you have any other questions...happy to help!
 
Keola said:
I ask jeremy at jeppesen send me the "flight bag" early, so that i could pre-study everything in the course outline. I got my flight bag approx 4 months before my class date, so i could read through everything at my own pace. Like anything else in this world, the better you can plan ahead, the easier things will be when the real thing comes around. As for studying in groups, that will depend on your fellow students. Our class got along pretty well and we had students from 8 different contries and 4 different US states. 22 out of the 25 students all stayed at the same extended stay hotel (jeppesen set it up) so it was easy for everyone to study at night/weekends. As for "free time" thats gonna be up to you and/or your study groups. Personally i made it a point to squeeze in some free time just to give my brain a small break. Plus im from hawaii and we dont have everything the mainland offers, so i did plan to explore a little. The weekend AFTER we took the ATP written myself and 2 other studients drove up to Mt Rushmore and back. Just fyi it took is 17 hours total.. IMO it was not worth the drive, but hey.. Atleast i can cross Mt Rushmore off the bucket list. Hehe They do offer a international flight planning class (ETOPS). That class is offered the week AFTER the regular dispatch class is over. This class is NOT required, but IMO it does give your resume a good boost. I know my bosses have hired no experiences guys because when asked general ETOPS questions, the person was able to answer it. Again its NOT required and some people will tell you its not worth it, but IMO it help me land my job :) The area the school is located in, is fairly nice if you ask me. Theres a huge walmart very close by and a bunch of places to eat. Good luck and i hope you enjoy the jeppesen school.. Btw their lunch room is AWESOME and fairly priced. Jeppesen c/o 2012 (may/june)
Click to expand...

Hey Keola! Posted our pic...nice ;-) Btw...thought you guys were nuts to take the time for that drive to Mt Rushmore!

He's right though... Get that flight bag as early as you can. School deposit is required but I had mine within a few days of making it. Don't be shy about emailing Jeremy questions either. He was awesome about always getting back to me within 24 hours, if not the same day. I'm sure I drove him nuts with all of my questions but he always helped me with whatever I needed.
 
BoilerOps said:
Nah Rydge is involved with that cake...
Click to expand...

So...judging by your avatar, you might know Charlie H, Dr.Tom C, Mitch G., Larry G. ?

I was just in LAF attending the funeral of Capt. Jerry Goldman. You might not know of him but he was a pivotal figure in the Av Tech program in the DC3/6/9 era.

We didn't have cake but we did have some of Capt. Goldman's left over whiskey. He would've approved. We'll miss him desperately...almost as desperately as he missed his beloved Sylvia in his final years. People came from as far as England to honor him...and with good reason.

If you're a PU product, you come from a justifiably proud bloodline. :cool:
 
Yep, know all of the above. Although I never knew him I was saddened to hear of Capt. Goldman's passing :-(
 
BoilerOps said:
Yep, know all of the above. Although I never knew him I was saddened to hear of Capt. Goldman's passing :-(
Click to expand...
Thanks.

I made an earlier trip to visit him in hospice at Westminster Village. Not sure he knew I was there (he was in really tough shape) but I talked to him good bit. Kinda one sided.

Dr. Tom C's wife, K, is a saint. Looked after him over the last couple of years. Makes Mother Teresa look negligent.

I guess we all reach a point where we start losing the important people. My son, Captain Kabul, knew Sylvia and Capt. Goldman VERY well and visited him before he took the big dive.

It's a stage-of-life issue, I guess. Tough any way you slice it.

I guess I'll adjust...

Oh, and by the way, he had a dispatcher license. He said he hated "...cranking out all those stupid problems..." to get the license. He had every license the FAA issued.
 
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