EWINS and official forecasts: Possible conflict of interest

Dispatching based on an EWINs TAF should never be unsafe, because the dispatcher and pilot should have made sound judgement calls, both in positive agreement if they decide to launch. Even if the weather decides to drop to 0SM post-departure, you still have an alternate with the required fuel onboard. If that alternate drops too, time to change alternates. If you can’t find one, change the destination to one within fuel range, or return to the origin. There are so many options that a flight should never progress to an unsafe situation.

Once at that first job, hopefully they’ve hired you for your ability to make these sound judgements. Sometimes a flight may be technically legal to go, but in your professional judgement is not safe to conduct for other adverse conditions. Make the call. You will have pressure from management to give it the green light...this will happen. This is why you have an airman certificate. Remember that the onus is on you to protect your license. Don’t count on someone else just because they have that little green card, because people make mistakes and there’s plenty of incompetence out there.

Another thing regarding EWINs — it’s not just used for getting a second forecast on poor weather conditions. Sometimes stations will fail to report a forecast for various reasons. Could be staffing, electronic issues, etc. Maybe they never report forecasts because they don’t employ a forecaster. When I dispatched international cargo flights, there were a few airports that were like this. We received regularly scheduled WSI TAFs via email every day. EWINs is a pretty awesome addition to your tool box if used correctly.
 
4EngineETOPS said:
You hear a stream of muttered profanity from their relief for the first half hour or so of the shift.
Click to expand...

"You sit your ass back down, junior. You don't EVER leave your relief in a hole. Fix it."

Crafty veteran to hot-shot junior dxr, circa 1998.
 
autosave36 said:
"Oh nice, no hold, no alternate going into a thunderstorm. Thanks a lot! What a guy"
Click to expand...
My favorite was being told that they used a really good alt and lots of hold fuel for required holding then they take it a step further and show you just how much and whoops looks like I forgot the hold fuel there and on that one and on the next one.. Just tell them ok whatever log out so I can start getting ready for the mess you just gave me.
 
A1TAPE said:
so how does one not be a bad dispatcher? What are some signs to look out for to tell who the bad dispatchers are?
Click to expand...

When you receive a pass down with the following comments, it helps formulate an opinion:

”I filed him on an airway that was closed and he just took off, so they’ll reroute him someway. He also has plenty of fuel.” - That reroute lead to him being at min-fuel.

Or...

”I don’t know the names of the enroute airports, I just let the system choose it, but I can point to where they are on the map.”

Or...

”I didn’t give them any additional fuel going to Florida in the summertime because the TAF says VCTS, which means they’re within 5nm but will not impact the airport.” - Four diversions later...
 
thewaffles said:
When you receive a pass down with the following comments, it helps formulate an opinion:

”I filed him on an airway that was closed and he just took off, so they’ll reroute him someway. He also has plenty of fuel.” - That reroute lead to him being at min-fuel.

Or...

”I don’t know the names of the enroute airports, I just let the system choose it, but I can point to where they are on the map.”

Or...

”I didn’t give them any additional fuel going to Florida in the summertime because the TAF says VCTS, which means they’re within 5nm but will not impact the airport.” - Four diversions later...
Click to expand...
Infamous VCTS... Doesn't that give the airfield a protective shield that keeps TS out?
 
If you see VCTS it’s fair warning that the TS is going to greatly affect your arrival into that airport.
 
A1TAPE said:
If you see VCTS it’s fair warning that the TS is going to greatly affect your arrival into that airport.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily but its fair warning that you had better have a plan b. Ive seen vcts result in no ts and ive seen it result in line of doom too.
 
Regardless of how ATC will route em en doom n gloom you best have a plan b) most likely an ALT. Which you can easily defend saying. It says VCTS at/around ETA.
 
Or when it’s summer time and you show up for your afternoon shift and the AM shift be like “DEN TAF not calling for TS today. So I just gave you 10 mins for possible turbulence.”

Then you log in and see a stationary front over DEN, the temp is 38, dew point 0, and you read the forecast discussion where they say something stupid like “chance for high base TS moving off the front range this afternoon/evening. The air is dry so not confident on precip amounts or timing, but expect gusty and erratic winds at times. Will amend TAF as situation changes.”

Which basically means dry microburst and/or TS and they amend as your flight(s) go into holding.
 
CF34-3B1 said:
Or when it’s summer time and you show up for your afternoon shift and the AM shift be like “DEN TAF not calling for TS today. So I just gave you 10 mins for possible turbulence.”

Then you log in and see a stationary front over DEN, the temp is 38, dew point 0, and you read the forecast discussion where they say something stupid like “chance for high base TS moving off the front range this afternoon/evening. The air is dry so not confident on precip amounts or timing, but expect gusty and erratic winds at times. Will amend TAF as situation changes.”

Which basically means dry microburst and/or TS and they amend as your flight(s) go into holding.
Click to expand...
Can't stand DEN. Most afternoons that damn tempo... TSRAGS variable winds at 25kts gusts to 35.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top