Dispatch Aptitude?

bilbolinski said:
To add some concrete info from someone who actually finds themselves in a 121 dispatch position, I have to unfortunately agree with Luigi and Stanimal - IMO I honestly don't feel like this is the gig for your friend. It reminds me of someone I know that made it to through school, training and once they got to OJT it was just a handful and they dropped out within 2 days. Sad, but just like anything else it's not for everyone.
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Are there any jobs my friend could do that would prepare him for dispatching? One that would teach how to handle stress, conflict, etc.? Also, if given enough time dispatching, would pretty much anyone eventually learn how to be a good DXer even if their personality is not perfect for dispatching?
 
Pilot121 said:
Are there any jobs my friend could do that would prepare him for dispatching? One that would teach how to handle stress, conflict, etc.? Also, if given enough time dispatching, would pretty much anyone eventually learn how to be a good DXer even if their personality is not perfect for dispatching?
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Please don't take this the wrong way, but you seem pretty insistent that there must be some way your friend could become a dispatcher. We only have what you've told us about him to make up our minds about that, of course...but based on those statements from you, the general consensus in this thread so far has been no, it would be very difficult for him to become a dispatcher.

Given all the challenges he would face, another career field is likely a better choice than something with unpredictable periods of stress like dispatching often has. He may well be able to make it through school, but I think he would have real issues dealing with a bad weather day dispatching when there are diversions, delays, equipment swaps, etc. nonstop. Also, the stress level where many people start their careers (regional airlines) tends to be higher than at major airlines (more flights to plan per dispatcher, fewer resources such as a dedicated position dealing with ATC, etc.)

There are of course many people that are dispatchers whose personality might not be ideal for the job (I have worked with some people before that likely had Asperger's) but I would say that long-term success in this career field with your friend's issues would be the exception rather than the rule.

As far as other types of jobs that would prepare him for dispatching...working in station operations might help some, but those jobs are normally filled from within, after someone has worked at the station as a ramper or gate agent. Load planning might be another option, but again, it's normally not an entry-level job. There are also positions like United's Dispatch Support Coordinator, but even though that doesn't technically require a license, United normally only hires people for that with both a license and dispatch experience.

Before your friend spends thousands of dollars getting his license, he should take a realistic look at what the job entails. Enthusiasm for the career field is great, but I think he'd be less disappointed than if he spent the money for school and then never get hired, or to get hired somewhere but not make it through initial dispatch training after moving somewhere for the job.
 
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Flagship_dxer said:
While not every pilot does this or thinks this, many think dispatchers are lazy, incompetent and out to make life difficult for them. Some of it is justified based on things that some dispatchers have done but a lot of it comes down to most pilots not having any understanding as to what a dispatcher does when working.

Even if a pilot has a well reasoned argument for why he does not like what you are doing, you as a dispatcher need to stand up for your work. You might give him what he wants but you also need to let him know that you didnt simply release a flight blindly.

Dispatchers can also be extremely busy and in those busy times, you can get minor stuff that comes up. Sometimes you need to quickly find ways to get the small stuff off the phone so you can focus on the bigger issues that you have. Prioritizing things is a vital part of a dispatcher's job. Dispatch work is extremely fast paced.

"Highly sensitive" is also a bad thing. Dispatch offices are in general not the most politically correct of places. You will also deal with a lot of different work groups and many different personalities. This is not a good job if you are highly sensitive.
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Boy is this true.

Back in Agust I dispatched a flight DFW-CAE.

Well there was a line of storms rolling through GA and the Carolinas. Looking at the TAF and fusion I could see giving my Captain. CLT as an alt would be best. As at his eta the storms would be east of CLT. and more than likely rolling right into CAE.

He ACARS me and all he said was...geez...its nice to know my alternate wx is worse than my destination.

I said captain CLT is getting pounded now...but looking at the TAF AND my radar...those storms will roll through right around your time of arrival. CLT will be behind that line and it is legal.

After 10 minutes....

ACARS: Challenge accepted.

I said captain...I'm not trying to challenge you...but I also didn't blindly cut your release and sent you out into storms. At night no less with giving you an option if you need to bail. Or somewhere I didn't feel safe.

He got in minutes before the storm hit.
 
I agree with all that's been written. To add, a day may be 99% routine, but you have to be ready to deal with what is unexpected and time critical during that last 1%. You never know who is going to be on the other end of the phone or what the next ACARS message may say. To deal with a situation that you've never encountered, requires swift and immediate response. You cannot get stressed and give up.

Also, line checks will be tough if you do not like being watched work.
 
Pilot121 said:
Are there any jobs my friend could do that would prepare him for dispatching? One that would teach how to handle stress, conflict, etc.? Also, if given enough time dispatching, would pretty much anyone eventually learn how to be a good DXer even if their personality is not perfect for dispatching?
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Yes. Be a dispatcher in the trucking industry. If you can handle those personalities and that stress you can handle anything the airlines will throw at you.
 
Flying Saluki said:
As a former special educator, I won't tell someone what they can't or shouldn't do, because I've seen too many examples of people succeeding where everyone thought they'd fail. However, there are certain personality traits and characteristics that are found in the successful dispatcher. Among them are:
the ability to multi-task;
the ability to stay calm and focused during abnormal or emergency;
the ability to sift through large amounts of information and cull out what's relevant;
the ability to communicate clearly and concisely;
the ability to say "No" when everyone else is saying "Yes", and;
the strength of character to make a decision and stand by it.

I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones that come to mind.

As far as "quick decision making" goes; all decisions made during normal operations are made jointly by the Captain and the Dispatcher. If there is time for the Captain and Dispatcher to consult with one another, it probably does not require a "quick" decision. In a real emergency situation, the Captain is probably going to make an independent decision, and tell the Dispatcher about it later. Put another way: If you've only got 10 seconds to make a decision, it probably won't be your decision to make. If you've got 10 minutes to make a decision, there's no problem.

I think a better way to describe it is the ability to take quick action; to understand what is required in a given scenario, and act appropriately. I think the ability to do that comes as much from experience as personality.

There's also Dispatch Resource Management (DRM) to consider. If something's happening, the dispatcher should be asking the other dispatchers in the room for help, and they should be willing and able to provide it.

Al that said. I suggest that your friend arrange to spend some time in an airline SOC so he can make his own decision. Ideally he should make multiple visits to multiple locations because every airline, and every day, is different.

Good luck!
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FS,

I just came from the dentist's office, where I read the Nov. 14, 2016 issue of Sports Illustrated. I don't normally read SI unless it's in a waiting area. Anyway, they had a very INTERESTING article about ASD kids and sports. Did you know that there's a UFC fighter with ASD? It's true! His name is John (Doomsday) Howard, who's renowned for his laser like focus; he never loses concentration in a fight. There's a top, Swedish goalie, Linus Soderstrom, who was diagnosed with Aspergers and ADHD. He's played for a top hockey league in Sweden, and the NY Islanders hold his draft rights, having made him a fourth round pick; that would be the NHL team that won four Stanley Cups back in the day. Is that to say that the OP's friend could be a dispatcher? No, but it IS to say that someone with ASD can perform at a high level.
 
I agree with folks that would say the dealing with multiple personalities is probably the biggest thing we as aircraft dispatchers have to deal with because we interact with the flight crews,(I am sure all of us have a list of captains we do not like dispatching or talking too and a list of those we would love to see on the release everyday) OCC or in our case OSC management (high and low) scheduling supervisors, MTX controllers, station personal (airport operations, gate agents etc.) ATC (local tower controllers, TMU, Traffic Management Unit, and flight data personal) and our fellow dispatchers and still be able to make decisions and be flexible but still stand our ground because we and the captain have been given the power to exercise operational control over the flights that the airline wishes to operate. I have found after doing this job for coming up on six years now that following the rules of dispatch is, at the regional level at least, fairly easy once you know how do it as well as reading the NOTAMS, WX repots and the many other things we do to give our OK that the flight can be conducted safely and legally. That said someone who might snap if another party disagrees with their answer, great example, in my humble opinion, is the icing question "Can ship xxx go no ice?" with plenty of times you will say sure no problem, others were you will hedge a little and still other times you will say no and if the other party disagrees with you they give you the crybaby response in an attempt to get you to change your mind because at the regional level completing the flights, completion factor, is key to your airline's survival, no flight means the main line partner/s does not pay you, may not be someone to do the job in the manner in which we do it everyday.

Jared
ASQ CRJ Dx
 
MarkM0228 said:
Is that to say that the OP's friend could be a dispatcher? No, but it IS to say that someone with ASD can perform at a high level.
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Just to clarify my last response - I would agree, someone with ASD, just by itself, should still be able to be a dispatcher, although they might face quite a few challenges in becoming one. However, according to @Pilot121 , his friend didn't just have Asperger's but also is "a "highly sensitive person." Apparently, some traits of that include being easily overwhelmed by too much information, dislike of loud noises, getting rattled when there is a lot to do in a short amount of time, poor quick decision-making skills, and getting nervous when someone watches you perform tasks." Well...to me having issues with all of that sounds like a recipe for failure on a bad weather day in the ole SOC.

He might be able to make it through school, even get signed off, and be able to work a shift under normal conditions, but then melt down on a day with multiple issues/bad weather/diversions. Also, "getting nervous when someone watches you perform tasks" wouldn't help much in passing a desk check and getting signed off. And of course, if you do have a flight with a mechanical or duty time issue, while this is rare, it's not uncommon to have two or three managerial types sitting near your desk to find out what happens to the flight next...not a good time to be getting nervous.

The one individual I worked with that had likely Asperger's has been successful in his career, but for various reasons he was not a lot of fun to work with, in my opinion...for instance, he had a habit of talking louder and louder when he was feeling stressed, so that on a bad weather day, he was practically shouting into the phone. That doesn't help a lot with YOUR stress level when you're already busy and sitting right next to him. Stuff like that. Anyhow, I was VERY surprised, but he did end up getting hired by a major some time after I left that place...fortunately, not the same one I work for.

I will say, predicting exactly who will do well in this career field is not easy, I have heard ATC is the same way although I've never done it. I think that my boss at my last regional, whom I did not get along with very well, was extremely shocked that I got hired by a major, and didn't even really believe I was telling the truth about it until he saw me at an ADF Symposium a couple of years later. (Now that was a good feeling, I can tell you.) So anyhow, I am more than willing to admit that I can't tell the future and say with 100% confidence that @Pilot121's friend wouldn't be able to become a successful dispatcher...I would just not bet any money on it.
 
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