Military experience substituting for dispatch school?

[JasonAAA]

Hello, new to the forum and appreciate any advice you guys can give me. I am currently in the military, I am a senior navigator with 1500 hours (about 300 instructor), mostly in the C-135 airframe (basically a 707) and Beech 400G. I would like to get the aircraft dispatcher certificate as a back-up for if/when I separate (or get booted). I am halfway through the Gleim guide and am confident I can pass the written easy.

My question is about the oral/practical exam, would an experienced navigator be able to pass without attending one of the dispatch courses? If I took one I'd do one of the online/1-week classroom course, but I'd like to save the time and $3000 if I can. There are no schools near me so I will need to travel, further adding time and money.

With my job right now I have access during the day to several very experienced retired military pilots from various backgrounds, many still flying in the reserves and some with airline pilot time. I have the oral exam guide by Dr. Ison, could I use that along with the study outlines by the FAA as a guide to self-study by picking the brains of these pilots for the next 1-2 years?

I know I would of course have a better chance if I attended school, but since it is not required by the FAA with my experience, do experienced aviators have success taking the exam without attending school or is that unheard of?

I know there's no way anybody can give a definitive yes/no to these questions, but any guidance/input is appreciated, thank you!

 

[Twin Mama Mel]

I used to teach a dispatch course. With your experience and the guides, I'm betting you could pass it ... I had a 727 captain come through and take my course. He was civilian. I don't think I taught him anything new.

You would need to know what aircraft your examiner would test on, however, so you can learn the systems for that aircraft.

Have you spoken with anyone at the school you were looking at attending?

 

[MT]

Are you a current military flight navigator or have been for 2 of the past 3 years? Otherwise you have to take a class regardless of experience.

 

[JasonAAA]

I used to teach a dispatch course. With your experience and the guides, I'm betting you could pass it ... I had a 727 captain come through and take my course. He was civilian. I don't think I taught him anything new.

You would need to know what aircraft your examiner would test on, however, so you can learn the systems for that aircraft.

Have you spoken with anyone at the school you were looking at attending?

I have not spoken to anyone at the school, I was leaning toward Sheffield if I needed to go. Do you think they would give me an honest evaluation and truly tell me if the school is needed? I'm not saying they are dishonest or anything, but I've learned in my 31 years that anybody with anything to sell will at least have a bias, if not an agenda. It's just human nature, but it can't hurt to talk to them, that's a good idea.

Would an examiner tell me what aircraft I will be tested on, or is there list of possibilities somewhere?

Thanks for the info!

 

[JasonAAA]

Are you a current military flight navigator or have been for 2 of the past 3 years? Otherwise you have to take a class regardless of experience.

I am currently qualified and have been for going on 8 straight years now. Thank you for the reply though, that's good to know.

 

[MT]

Ok. Technically you can take the ADX and if you pass take the practical with an examiner. However the pass rates of people who go that route are not as high as those who go through a school.

There's more to dispatch school than preparing you for the exam though. School teaches you how to think like an dispatcher for an airline as well. Sheffield is a good choice and you would likely be a candidate for an accelerated course.

If you can swing it, I would still recommend going through an accelerated program. It will increase your chance of passing the practical and make you a stronger candidate for jobs.

 

[JasonAAA]

Ok. Technically you can take the ADX and if you pass take the practical with an examiner. However the pass rates of people who go that route are not as high as those who go through a school.

There's more to dispatch school than preparing you for the exam though. School teaches you how to think like an dispatcher for an airline as well. Sheffield is a good choice and you would likely be a candidate for an accelerated course.

If you can swing it, I would still recommend going through an accelerated program. It will increase your chance of passing the practical and make you a stronger candidate for jobs.

MT - I agree. I am "teaching to the test" here if you will. I understand that going to a school will give a higher chance of passing and be better for actually learning how to dispatch. I'm not trying to insult anybody or say that just passing the test alone would make me a good dispatcher. At this point I'm not even sure if I want to pursue the career, and if I do it may not be for another 10 years. If/when I make the decision to pursue the career I would certainly take one of the courses to prepare myself. Right now I just want to get the license to have in my pocket and minimize the investment to get it. I don't mean to sound like I'm "too good" for the school or that they are not important, that is not my opinion at all. Thank you for the reply.

 

[Twin Mama Mel]

I have not spoken to anyone at the school, I was leaning toward Sheffield if I needed to go. Do you think they would give me an honest evaluation and truly tell me if the school is needed? I'm not saying they are dishonest or anything, but I've learned in my 31 years that anybody with anything to sell will at least have a bias, if not an agenda. It's just human nature, but it can't hurt to talk to them, that's a good idea.

Would an examiner tell me what aircraft I will be tested on, or is there list of possibilities somewhere?

Thanks for the info!

I'm not sure about Sheffield. The examiner I used to work with tested two schools, each with different aircraft. If you want I could ask her how you would pursue going about testing without taking the course, because I am honestly not sure!

 

[3Green.]

Hey JasonAAA! I'm a little late to the show here, and hopefully you've made some headway on your possible dispatch endeavor. I attended Sheffield in 2012 and it was definitely one of the toughest but best decisions I've made. I applied to a company who primarily does Part 91 and Part 135 operations but they recommended going to Sheffield before I applied for the position. Only knowing how to read Metars and TAFs (barely) Sheffield was extremely thourough, difficult and rewarding. With your knowledge and experience you shouldn't have an issue with the material, although we did have a retired 737 pilot and a corporate pilot that did not finish the course...I would definitely recommend attending a dispatch course as other people have previously mentioned, it would only make you more marketable. Certainly do your research and make as many calls to dispatch schools as possible to get your own feel. Good luck!