Flight Follower questions

[ktsai91]

Hello all, I have a few questions about being a flight follower versus a flight dispatcher.

1. I know that flight followers do not need to get an FAA flight dispatcher certificate even though most airlines require it anyway. But to the few, if any, that really do not require one, what kind of qualifications do those airlines look for? Like a bachelor's degree in an aviation related field and relevant aviation experience? Will they train me on the job to be a flight follower if I do not have a dispatcher certificate?

2. I know that flight followers can only work for Part 121 supplemental air carriers (ie. air cargo carriers) but can they also work for a domestic or flag air carriers as an assistant to flight dispatchers? Are flight followers technically an assistant to a licensed flight dispatcher in some way?

That's all the questions I have for now. Thanks!

 

[Delta Echo]

To answer your second question it all depends on the airline how the assistant position works. Most require assistants to hold a license or get one within a set time frame after hiring.

 

[MAK49]

All I know is I work for a domestic 121 operator, and while my job title has changed (though I still fill the same role) I originally started as an "assistant dispatcher." Though I have been through a dispatch course, and most of my coworkers also have, we are not required to have a dispatch license, nor does the company put any requirement into us getting one. We obviously aren't paid the same, and have different roles. But we are essentially assisting them, trying to relieve some of the work load...this includes answering phones, maintaining the three (yes, three systems) our company uses to track flights/duty times/crew scheduling, etc. We don't do anything that would obviously be a violation of FAA regulations.

I've also basically become a do-all kind of person, I work on various other projects for managers and different departments a little bit. Some of these include compiling and submitting daily delay reports, submitting charter paperwork from the day prior (aircraft logsheets, fuel receipts, and manifests) to charter customers and the billing/accounts department, compiling weekly reports of our "special" airports (how many scheduled flights, weather cancellations and weather turnbacks and diverts for these certain airports), and also have become a planner and coordinator for ferry flights for heavy checks (which happen to be in Quebec City)...among lots of other things.

I guess what I'm getting at is different airlines have different requirements for those positions, and just because you may be a "flight follow" or an "assistant dispatcher" doesn't necessarily mean you won't be doing just that portion of the job...but you'll probably get paid like you're just doing that job.

 

[DispatcherSam]

All I know is I work for a domestic 121 operator, and while my job title has changed (though I still fill the same role) I originally started as an "assistant dispatcher." Though I have been through a dispatch course, and most of my coworkers also have, we are not required to have a dispatch license, nor does the company put any requirement into us getting one. We obviously aren't paid the same, and have different roles. But we are essentially assisting them, trying to relieve some of the work load...this includes answering phones, maintaining the three (yes, three systems) our company uses to track flights/duty times/crew scheduling, etc. We don't do anything that would obviously be a violation of FAA regulations.

I've also basically become a do-all kind of person, I work on various other projects for managers and different departments a little bit. Some of these include compiling and submitting daily delay reports, submitting charter paperwork from the day prior (aircraft logsheets, fuel receipts, and manifests) to charter customers and the billing/accounts department, compiling weekly reports of our "special" airports (how many scheduled flights, weather cancellations and weather turnbacks and diverts for these certain airports), and also have become a planner and coordinator for ferry flights for heavy checks (which happen to be in Quebec City)...among lots of other things.

I guess what I'm getting at is different airlines have different requirements for those positions, and just because you may be a "flight follow" or an "assistant dispatcher" doesn't necessarily mean you won't be doing just that portion of the job...but you'll probably get paid like you're just doing that job.

You are a damn champ, sir! Plenty of regionals hiring in the lower 48 if you want to get into real dispatching, which is much less work than you are doing now.

 

[womanpilot73]

At my last shop (121 Supplemental), we were hired as flight followers and all were licensed dispatchers except one. We carried out all of the duties of a dispatcher and more, with the biggest difference from a domestic or flag carrier being that we did not share operational control with the captain - part of the reason a dispatch license isn't technically required at a supplemental and why they hire "flight followers" as opposed to "dispatchers". The one who did not have a license was hired on, trained and the company paid for him to get his license. There was no need for a bachelors degree or otherwise to get hired there.

 

[flyinbrian22]

I know I can't speak for every supplemental out there, but certainly having a dispatcher certificate is like having a college degree vs. not having a degree when it comes to hiring. I know in my case, I was hired without a dispatch certificate a few years ago, but I had an aviation degree and flight experience that helped me land the job. Nowadays, my company actually requires applicants to have their cert, but I was lucky enough to be grandfathered in after it was changed.

So ultimately, it depends on the company you apply to. If they are relatively small (i.e. only have a couple of aircraft), then having a dispatch cert may not be a heavy consideration...especially if your job entails a lot more logistics and planning (i.e. scheduling, fuel, ground handling, etc), than actual flight releasing. It also really depends on how much/how long they want to train you with little/no experience.

As an example, I first started out a few years go when everything was pretty automated and the pilots did most of the heavy lifting (i.e. filed their own flight plans, did their own weight & balance, etc.). Eventually we grew, added a few more jets, and the flight followers took on more of the flight planning, weather monitoring, and aircraft takeoff & landing performance calcs. We send flight releases, which essentially says we (the flight follower) feel the flight can be conducted safely. The only difference is that we do not (nor are we required) to sign the flight release...that is ultimately the captain's responsibility. At a scheduled 121 carrier, the dispatcher and captain share the responsibility on the dispatch release.

So again, it all depends on the company you apply to, and what their requirements are. If their flight followers are more like dispatchers, then having the cert is going to make you more marketable, and it usually means less time training you for their job requirements. If a smaller supplemental only has you actually flight follow (i.e. tracking flight progress), or other pre-trip planning, it may not be as important.