21 things Dispatchers wish their pilots knew.

It's generally one percent of pilots that are the problem, the remaining 99% are fine. Our company is actually reaching out to pilots to have them shadow us here in dispatch, which is awesome. They can actually see our workload and how much we deal with.
 
I thought of one under the "out of our control" category: if the station you are flying out of does not have the latest charts available for you because tech pubs didn't deliver them yet or they haven't been distributed yet, there is nothing I can do to get them to magically appear there. Even if it's a hub. If it happens during business hours I *may* be able to call a chief pilot, but it's quite unlikely that I can, by use of the phone, get you what you are missing. If it's an approach plate you are missing, I may be able to fax it, time and workload permitting. If it's an enroute fold-out chart, though - you're on your own. Insulting me will not increase my ability (or desire) to go the "extra mile" to help with your chart problem.
 
manniax said:
I thought of one under the "out of our control" category: if the station you are flying out of does not have the latest charts available for you because tech pubs didn't deliver them yet or they haven't been distributed yet, there is nothing I can do to get them to magically appear there. Even if it's a hub. If it happens during business hours I *may* be able to call a chief pilot, but it's quite unlikely that I can, by use of the phone, get you what you are missing. If it's an approach plate you are missing, I may be able to fax it, time and workload permitting. If it's an enroute fold-out chart, though - you're on your own. Insulting me will not increase my ability (or desire) to go the "extra mile" to help with your chart problem.
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You lazy ass!
 
Awesome post Krystal. Whenever I get to fly at a company big enough to have dispatchers, I'll remember this topic.
 
Krystal said:
20: Youd be surpised how far a simple "Thank You" will get you. No need for fanfare, ticker tape or steak dinners. (Ok, MAYBE steak dinners!) After we've spent the past 5 hours bending over backwards, starving with our frozen dinner 3 feet away and done the pee-pee dance at our desk for the better part of our shift, a phone call to say thanks makes our entire night
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THIS!! "Thank You" seems like it can smooth over the worst conversations. It's also just the polite thing to do.
 
FXMXC said:
Maybe you as a dispatcher need to sit a shift with MX control as well.
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I've sat right next to them for years - and I know that on a bad day, they are having the same amount of fun that we are. Only disagreements I have with the maintenance side is whether to allow a plane to operate with restricting placards - I do the best I can, but I generally am pretty hesitant to add a no-ice placard on for ETOPS flights.
 
I sit in the same room as MX control (along with crew scheduling and AOG.) The SOC is small enough where we can easily tell when one of the other groups is having a bad day.
 
manniax said:
I've sat right next to them for years - and I know that on a bad day, they are having the same amount of fun that we are. Only disagreements I have with the maintenance side is whether to allow a plane to operate with restricting placards - I do the best I can, but I generally am pretty hesitant to add a no-ice placard on for ETOPS flights.
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Well I suppose thats true most companies they all sit together. They are one floor above us at my company and they tend to dog us pretty good from what I hear. Would be nice if they could spend some time with us just to show them that we are not their to ruin their day.
 
Ive never had an ill word to say about mXC. I dont know what you're dispatchers are like but Ive never met a 121 dispatcher who didnt respect MX
 
Even us ramp guys have a ton of respect for MX controller guys. I am suprised how much stuff they get away with some of the MEL's on these planes, but once the autopilot messes up... the pilots will write up everything that they see and ground the plane till the autopilot works again. I even have respect for dispatchers too with all of the BS you guys put up with. I plan to become one, but I got promoted at my job so I have to hold of on the license for a bit and save to cash for it.
 
dark_reaper said:
lol, thanks and the last three pubs I was a "Well Qualified" candidate.
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I missed qualifications for PUBNAT 8 by 2 months and figured oh well at least I'll be able to put in for 9 the following January.... and we know how that went haha. So as much as I was against going to CTI for it (I was on the waiting list for CCBC for 18 months after HS until PUBNAT started and I told them I was no longer interested). Kicking myself now. But I think I'm finally gonna bite the bullet and just go get the damn crappy BS degree. All my good friends are now either at facilities or in OKC. Very close friend just passed his PV @ Academy yesterday and is on his way to ROW ATCT now.
 
I thought about trying to continue with the ATC stuff, butI am returning for school for InfoSec, I thought about the CTI program, but I said to heck of it and go another route. I still plan on getting my ADX license, just looking into a good Distance Learning program.
 
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