Airborne Hiring

[womanpilot73]

What is WGA, global OPS center?

WGA is Western Global Airlines, a part 121 Supplemental cargo operation. Global Ops Center is under the airline umbrella, which employs the flight followers (all who are licensed dispatchers).

 

[jaydog]

In regards to WGA, the company, Global Ops Center, is under the same umbrella as the airline and owned by the same owner. It's not the traditional "contract dispatch" as one would think of contract dispatch.[/Q

This. There's also other issues I see need to be overcome. I for instance have a hard time keeping up with one airlines manuals, policies, Op Specs, and other changes. Combining multiple carriers policies and procedures seems like a recipe for a violation.. Every carrier I've worked for has had different procedures for addressing the same issues. SO, either you need to have your contract personnel on one certificate (customer) or risk the DO's job and airlines certificate. I don't think a contractor would be as likely to say "NO!" when pushed. I relate it to former carriers who use lowest bidder for contract maintenance, and almost never had a plane come out of a heavy check in better shape than it went in. There was no "skin in the game" for them.



You say you are dispatching to a domestic/flag standard, but then laud how much other stuff you can do at work and not have responsibility for what decisions you make. This may come off as an insult, but I don't want that attitude in the person planning the flight my mother is on. I have more freedom at a full 121 domestic/flag carrier that I did at a supplemental carrier. If i want an alternate, i put one on. 1-2-3 (or in our case 1-1-2) rule be damned. But I have a reason for it. That was the toughest change going from a supplemental world to a domestic/flag. it felt weird at first, but the more i did it, the more liked it.... Now, it's weather I don't have to monitor or Notams I don't have to read. That is a definite plus with over 30 flights working at a time.

Like i said, I'm an control freak and a little OCD. I like the operational control aspect. I like taking the responsibility of my decisions and standing behind them when questioned. I make mistakes, and learn.

And lastly, keep in mind that at a supplemental operation, you make be shifting the responsibility to the DO, but you are still exercising the rights and privileges of your FAA certificate. The FAA can (and will.. seen it) take certificate action against you if they feel a situation warrants it.

Tha'ts my $.02

This. There's also other issues I see need to be overcome. I for instance have a hard time keeping up with one airlines manuals, policies, Op Specs, and other changes. Combining multiple carriers policies and procedures seems like a recipe for a violation.. Every carrier I've worked for has had different procedures for addressing the same issues. SO, either you need to have your contract personnel on one certificate (customer) or risk the DO's job and airlines certificate. I don't think a contractor would be as likely to say "NO!" when pushed. I relate it to former carriers who use lowest bidder for contract maintenance, and almost never had a plane come out of a heavy check in better shape than it went in. There was no "skin in the game" for them.



You say you are dispatching to a domestic/flag standard, but then laud how much other stuff you can do at work and not have responsibility for what decisions you make. This may come off as an insult, but I don't want that attitude in the person planning the flight my mother is on. I have more freedom at a full 121 domestic/flag carrier that I did at a supplemental carrier. If i want an alternate, i put one on. 1-2-3 (or in our case 1-1-2) rule be damned. But I have a reason for it. That was the toughest change going from a supplemental world to a domestic/flag. it felt weird at first, but the more i did it, the more liked it.... Now, it's weather I don't have to monitor or Notams I don't have to read. That is a definite plus with over 30 flights working at a time.

Like i said, I'm an control freak and a little OCD. I like the operational control aspect. I like taking the responsibility of my decisions and standing behind them when questioned. I make mistakes, and learn.

And lastly, keep in mind that at a supplemental operation, you make be shifting the responsibility to the DO, but you are still exercising the rights and privileges of your FAA certificate. The FAA can (and will.. seen it) take certificate action against you if they feel a situation warrants it.

Tha'ts my $.02

This. There's also other issues I see need to be overcome. I for instance have a hard time keeping up with one airlines manuals, policies, Op Specs, and other changes. Combining multiple carriers policies and procedures seems like a recipe for a violation.. Every carrier I've worked for has had different procedures for addressing the same issues. SO, either you need to have your contract personnel on one certificate (customer) or risk the DO's job and airlines certificate. I don't think a contractor would be as likely to say "NO!" when pushed. I relate it to former carriers who use lowest bidder for contract maintenance, and almost never had a plane come out of a heavy check in better shape than it went in. There was no "skin in the game" for them.



You say you are dispatching to a domestic/flag standard, but then laud how much other stuff you can do at work and not have responsibility for what decisions you make. This may come off as an insult, but I don't want that attitude in the person planning the flight my mother is on. I have more freedom at a full 121 domestic/flag carrier that I did at a supplemental carrier. If i want an alternate, i put one on. 1-2-3 (or in our case 1-1-2) rule be damned. But I have a reason for it. That was the toughest change going from a supplemental world to a domestic/flag. it felt weird at first, but the more i did it, the more liked it.... Now, it's weather I don't have to monitor or Notams I don't have to read. That is a definite plus with over 30 flights working at a time.

Like i said, I'm an control freak and a little OCD. I like the operational control aspect. I like taking the responsibility of my decisions and standing behind them when questioned. I make mistakes, and learn.

And lastly, keep in mind that at a supplemental operation, you make be shifting the responsibility to the DO, but you are still exercising the rights and privileges of your FAA certificate. The FAA can (and will.. seen it) take certificate action against you if they feel a situation warrants it.

Tha'ts my $.02

First off I pay attention to everything that is going on in my shift even when I am doing something else. I did it at Pinnacle when I worked there. It's called situation at awareness. If it isn't something you can do then don't so it. But when you have only 2 flights on a given day I will not just sit there and stare at my screen.

Look I work as safely as I did when I worked at Pinnacle and maybe more so. I take pride in what I do and take care of things when they arise. So even though I do things to fill the boredom doesn't mean I can't work safely or am not aware of what is going on. But again if you feel that you can't then that's your call.

Look I'm not here to debate with anyone about what I do at work or not. I just gave much needed advice to someone asking for it.

We can debate what we do or don't do during dispatch shifts on another thread.

I'm going to log off this post. If anyone has anymore questions about the job postings then PM me otherwise great discussions and you all have a great rest of the week and be safe .

 

[womanpilot73]

Wow... Triple quoted the same post. I didn't even know you could do that!

And why the heck was I quoted here?? Haha...

 

[Avgirl]

First off I pay attention to everything that is going on in my shift even when I am doing something else. I did it at Pinnacle when I worked there. It's called situation at awareness. If it isn't something you can do then don't so it. But when you have only 2 flights on a given day I will not just sit there and stare at my screen.

Look I work as safely as I did when I worked at Pinnacle and maybe more so. I take pride in what I do and take care of things when they arise. So even though I do things to fill the boredom doesn't mean I can't work safely or am not aware of what is going on. But again if you feel that you can't then that's your call.

Look I'm not here to debate with anyone about what I do at work or not. I just gave much needed advice to someone asking for it.

We can debate what we do or don't do during dispatch shifts on another thread.

I'm going to log off this post. If anyone has anymore questions about the job postings then PM me otherwise great discussions and you all have a great rest of the week and be safe .

Sorry if you felt attacked, but for the record, I don't question your work ethic at all, nor do I feel because you don't have the dispatcher title that you are any less important. We can all learn from each other.

 

[TN-DX]

We aren't dispatchers because we don't have operational control. The DO and the pilot have operational control.

As a Flight Follower for a Supplemental Carrier I will correct one thing. The DO has Operational Control AND responsibility and he/she delegates the Operational Control but NOT the responsibility as previously stated. 121 flag/domestic the DO will delegate BOTH to the DX versus only the Operational Control to a FF(or anyone in any title for that matter) of a 121 Supp carrier as stated in FAR 121.537

I have worked for both Domestic/Flag and Supp and most places do treat you a FF the same just minus the responsibility aspect.

 

[Clrd2land]

Wow this thread grew quickly! I gotta defend jaydog here for a second. He is absolutely on the same level as all of the greatest dispatchers Ive ever worked with. One of the things that make a dispatcher great is that they care about their passengers and/or boxes and doing everything within their power to make sure that flight gets to where it needs to go and keeping it out of the headline news stories. He cares. Yes, some of us came from Flag/Domestic carriers. However, just because a reg says we dont have certain authorities doesn't mean it is treated differently as every other airliner in the skies over our planet. Don't let the definition of flight follower make it appear as if Amazon's and DHL's boxes are gonna fall out of the sky. ATI does alot of passenger/combi flying for the military. We have veterans in our group, and I promise you we as a group handle those military flights, and all flights, with as much TLC as anyone else.

Having said that, Im going back to the contracted flight following issue. I have voted against it in another life and would do it again. Just because I don't agree with a policy or procedure doesn't mean that I don't still have the responsibility of doing my job duties responsibly and respectfully. I also care about the image of the 2 airlines we represent and will not go into "the why's" here. I think that one of the reasons why ABX and ATI can have one group as contracted flight followers is because we operate in the same building. There are differences between ops specs and type of a/c equipment, but similar enough. Flight followers work only one airline during a given shift and it sounds like the FAA will keep it that way to avoid too much confusion between one flight and the next.

I hope this helps somewhat. But again. Apply. Interview. Ask alot of questions. Sit with a flight follower. If it isn't for you, you can always say no.