Introduction and a few Questions

C

CBoyd183

Active Member
Hi Everyone,

I haven't posted on JetCareers in a while, but I used to come on here all the time in high school and college when I had dreams of becoming an airline pilot.

Well fast forward and now I'm 27. I hold a ppl-asel with an instrument endorsement and I decided back in college after getting halfway through my commercial that being an airline pilot wasn't all it was cracked out to be. Since that time, I realized I enjoyed working with youth and have had the opportunity to volunteer and work at a handful of really awesome non-profits that work with youth. I'm also pursuing a Master's in Public Administration and should graduate in the next year or two.

Getting to work with youth for a living has been great in a lot of ways and I enjoy what I do, but my belly still yearns to pursue an aviation career. There are a lot of things I find really appealing about an airline dispatcher career from what I've read. You learn a lot about flight operations, it's ability to challenge your critical thinking skills when things go wrong, the inner workings of an airline, and getting travel perks as well which is huge because I love traveling. What also separates it from the airline pilot profession is also the fact you get to be in your own bed every night.

I suppose the biggest drawback at this point I can think of for the career is that you have to start at the bottom working for the regionals in some crappy small town and that I'd have to leave my family, my friends, and my life where I am now if I really wanted to land a job in this profession after I get my dispatcher's license.

I guess I wanted to see if anyone had any advice or could relate somewhat to my situation. Look forward to meeting you all and hearing about your stories.-Chris
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kev
Surprised no one has chimed in on this one yet! Welcome, Chris! I'll try to tackle your questions.

I started my dispatch career at the tender age of 29 so I can certainly relate. My career took a bit of a circuitous route as I was in and out of the game a couple of times on my way to my current gig. I too had delusions that I wanted to be an pilot when I was younger but I didn't really put too much effort into acadamics and chose to go to work instead. Anyway, when the IT industry went tango uniform I was looking for a new gig and discovered dispatch. Got my license on 08SEP01, first day on the job was supposed to be 12SEP01. Yeah, it was the shortest job I ever held.

It is true that when you start your dispatch career you start at the ground floor. This is true of all vocations, but you have a lot of choices available to you in that regard. I would submit that many of the towns that regionals are based out of are fantastic places to live, or at the least tolerable. I worked for Air Wisconsin in Appleton for a couple of years and that place was nice. Colder then a well diggers ass, but nice. You will certainly need to be willing to pick up and relocate, but remember those flight benefits. You can get around better then most people thanks to your flight benefits and jumpseating ability. Of course, regionals aren't the only choice for a greenhorn. There are plenty of supplemental operations out there that will take on newly minted dispatchers. The benefits and work rules for those operations very WIDELY, but pay is generally better starting out. It really depends on what you hope to accomplish in the long run.

Many others have asked questions about starting out. I invite you to peruse this forum as there is a ton of great information here. Feel free to ask any questions!
 
Congrats on taking a step. Despite some of the drawbacks, I absolutely love the job and wouldn't want to do anything else.

Not all regionals are in small towns, ExpressJet for example is in ATL, both Compass and endeavor are in MSP, all the RAH carriers are in IND, and even TransStates and GoJet are in STL. These are a great way to get experience under your belt before applying for a Major, and in this market you will likely need at least five years experience to be competitive. There is a lot of movement now, and despite industry consolidation, the majors are very top heavy with lots of retirements in future years. It can be tough because it's a competitive industry, but keep an open mind and a positive attitude and you will go far. Ask questions is one piece of advice I will give.
 
Being a dispatcher is awesome. That is all. You should go for it.

Search the forums as previously suggested and I bet nearly all of your decision-making questions will be answered. Good luck!
 
Thank you for the great advice everyone. It is greatly appreciated and it sounds like there is a wide variety of locations, both big and small to get my feet wet in. I guess another question I had is what are some of the better operations to work for when first starting? I've read an awful lot from a pilot's perspective about what the good and bad regionals are in terms of QOL, well managed, etc. Does this apply to the dispatch side as well?
 
Heh. Pilots. Of those that bloviate often, none of them are happy, but one thing to keep in mind with the opinion of pilots in relation to your position is their world is VERY different from yours, so even if they feel it's the worst place in the world, in the office you might find it's fantastic. Pilot attitude temperatures change also when it's contact negotiation time. ;-) I guess what I'm saying is, don't listen to the pilots.

The answer to your question if which ones are good and which ones are bad changes often. All regionals serve their respective mainline(s) on contract. The good is, it's a contract, so they are bound to it. Short of your mainline going bankrupt, they cannot just arbitrarily back out, though language of a contract varies wildly so it's not iron clad that your company might see reductions in fleet or service. Mainline generally can add or cut capacity with a bit more flexibility, though considering loads and profitability, I don't envision the desert filling up with mainline airplanes any time soon.

Only you know what's important to you, so selecting a company to work for greatly depends on that. Any regional is going to be an exercise in compromise. If your goal is to put your time in, get experience and gun for a mainline gig, pretty much any 121 operator will do. If you're thinking of hitching your wagon to a regional long term then you need to think more seriously about where it is and it's history.

As anyone here will tell you, if you're looking for a guarantee, you ain't in the right business, my friend. The only constant in the airplane business is change.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top