New Dispatcher FAQ

Up until recently, I thought my career in aviation was over. Being medically retired by the FAA took my morale to an all time low. ATC was a huge part of me and being medically disqualified from ATC or being a pilot (my childhood dreams) completely demoralized me. I am just now getting the right help to recover from my conditions and am starting to want to get back to work. For the past few years my plan was to leave aviation and get a job in nursing or social work, but the amount of schooling I would have to do and a desire to do most stuff as a volunteer, not as paying job, has severely deterred me. Plus I just can't get the aviation bug out of me. My friends know I'm an aviation geek. Most of my life I have spent studying airplanes in every way you can think of. I spent a decade of my working life in airport operations, aircraft maintenance, and ATC. To leave everything behind, just seems like a waste.

So with being a pilot or ATCer not a viable option(honestly being an aircraft mechanic was never really desirable too), this brings me to considering becoming a dispatcher. So I have spent the last couple days reading the dispatch forums here and some other sites and have some questions.

1. Has anyone on here gone from ATC to dispatch? If so how would you compare the stress levels and tempo of dispatch vs ATC? I really miss the periods of slow work to insane madness in a few moments.

2. I have been retired for 3 years. After I get my ADX cert, will any regional airline hire me without me having to work in another menial position to prove I can be reliable, or would my prior experience most likely get me a foot in the door?

3. Besides Skywest, are there any regionals that commuting won't be feasible for(i.e. location 5X8 schedules, etc)? I figure any place with 4X10 schedules, midwest or west of there, and OAL jumpseat privileges would work for me as I commuted from PDX to RFD half the year in 2007 and IND to JAX on an ATC schedule in 2009(had to pay those out of pocket, don't miss those bills!lol)

4. On the internet I have been an outspoken person for LGBT rights specifically when it comes transgender individuals. I'm always strictly business at work though. Will this be an issue?

5. Are there any current/former Compass or Endeavor Dispatchers on here? If so please PM me.
 
AprilATC said:
1. Has anyone on here gone from ATC to dispatch? If so how would you compare the stress levels and tempo of dispatch vs ATC? I really miss the periods of slow work to insane madness in a few moments.


2. I have been retired for 3 years. After I get my ADX cert, will any regional airline hire me without me having to work in another menial position to prove I can be reliable, or would my prior experience most likely get me a foot in the door?
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1. I don't know of any personally who went from ATC to being a dispatcher, but I know several, my self included who have their ATC degrees and went through all the sims, some of us even off to the academy. I would say at least for my office it would be a similar match to the lows and highs of chaos levels. I do know of a few pilots who lost medically that became dispatchers and they thoroughly enjoy it.

2. I couldn't imagine with your experience level that a regional would turn you down for a gap of employment. Just express to them why you had the gap if asked but don't point it out on your own.
 
AprilATC said:
1. Has anyone on here gone from ATC to dispatch? If so how would you compare the stress levels and tempo of dispatch vs ATC? I really miss the periods of slow work to insane madness in a few moments.

2. I have been retired for 3 years. After I get my ADX cert, will any regional airline hire me without me having to work in another menial position to prove I can be reliable, or would my prior experience most likely get me a foot in the door?

3. Besides Skywest, are there any regionals that commuting won't be feasible for(i.e. location 5X8 schedules, etc)? I figure any place with 4X10 schedules, midwest or west of there, and OAL jumpseat privileges would work for me as I commuted from PDX to RFD half the year in 2007 and IND to JAX on an ATC schedule in 2009(had to pay those out of pocket, don't miss those bills!lol)

4. On the internet I have been an outspoken person for LGBT rights specifically when it comes transgender individuals. I'm always strictly business at work though. Will this be an issue?

5. Are there any current/former Compass or Endeavor Dispatchers on here? If so please PM me.
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1. Never been a controller myself, but used to work with a controller who got fired in the PATCO strike. He seemed to like dispatching better...he said it was a lot less stressful. Also work with some former ATCers from the military now but I haven't really talked to them about the stress level vs. military ATC.

2. With your experience I doubt you'll have any trouble getting on with a regional.

3. Commuting is far from an ideal lifestyle, but it is doable. If you jumpseat though, you are kind of bottom of the list in terms of priority...and while it is getting better, some pilots/gate agents still don't realize dispatchers are in CASS and can jumpseat.

4. Shouldn't be a problem, although I think not discussing it much at work is a good policy.

5. There are indeed! @MT worked at Compass for several years, and there are several others working there currently who post in this forum.
 
ak_mavic said:
1. I don't know of any personally who went from ATC to being a dispatcher, but I know several, my self included who have their ATC degrees and went through all the sims, some of us even off to the academy. I would say at least for my office it would be a similar match to the lows and highs of chaos levels. I do know of a few pilots who lost medically that became dispatchers and they thoroughly enjoy it.

2. I couldn't imagine with your experience level that a regional would turn you down for a gap of employment. Just express to them why you had the gap if asked but don't point it out on your own.
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A guy in my class @ Sheffield went from ATC to dispatching; I can't remember if he worked on the military or civil side of ATC, but he did work in ATC. He's now working for NetJets. That said, I heard he's looking to get back to ATC.
 
AprilATC said:
Up until recently, I thought my career in aviation was over. Being medically retired by the FAA took my morale to an all time low. ATC was a huge part of me and being medically disqualified from ATC or being a pilot (my childhood dreams) completely demoralized me. I am just now getting the right help to recover from my conditions and am starting to want to get back to work. For the past few years my plan was to leave aviation and get a job in nursing or social work, but the amount of schooling I would have to do and a desire to do most stuff as a volunteer, not as paying job, has severely deterred me. Plus I just can't get the aviation bug out of me. My friends know I'm an aviation geek. Most of my life I have spent studying airplanes in every way you can think of. I spent a decade of my working life in airport operations, aircraft maintenance, and ATC. To leave everything behind, just seems like a waste.

So with being a pilot or ATCer not a viable option(honestly being an aircraft mechanic was never really desirable too), this brings me to considering becoming a dispatcher. So I have spent the last couple days reading the dispatch forums here and some other sites and have some questions.

1. Has anyone on here gone from ATC to dispatch? If so how would you compare the stress levels and tempo of dispatch vs ATC? I really miss the periods of slow work to insane madness in a few moments.

2. I have been retired for 3 years. After I get my ADX cert, will any regional airline hire me without me having to work in another menial position to prove I can be reliable, or would my prior experience most likely get me a foot in the door?

3. Besides Skywest, are there any regionals that commuting won't be feasible for(i.e. location 5X8 schedules, etc)? I figure any place with 4X10 schedules, midwest or west of there, and OAL jumpseat privileges would work for me as I commuted from PDX to RFD half the year in 2007 and IND to JAX on an ATC schedule in 2009(had to pay those out of pocket, don't miss those bills!lol)

4. On the internet I have been an outspoken person for LGBT rights specifically when it comes transgender individuals. I'm always strictly business at work though. Will this be an issue?

5. Are there any current/former Compass or Endeavor Dispatchers on here? If so please PM me.
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1-I personally know 1 dispatcher who worked tower at one of the largest airports in the world. He loves dispatching, but admittedly describes it as a little slow.
2-With your experiences you'll have no issues getting on with a regional.
3-can't really speak to much about commuting, but even at OO. If you want out for a weekend it isn't too terrible assuming you drive to LAS.
4-Wont be a problem.
5-uhh I have a friend at compass currently. If you have any questions I can reach out to him.
 
MT said:
I'm very excited to see so many new faces around the forum. Those of you that are a touch scared to post, don't worry. We don't bite, I promise!

Most of you getting into this field have a ton of questions, many of them similar so allow me to point you to some posts that will answer some of your most asked questions!

1. Where should I go to school?

This is a highly personal question and the answer is whatever school works best for you. There is a great discussion tucked here in the forums. Take a look at this posting.

http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/where-to-go-to-dispatcher-school.176244/

2. Where can I get a job?

There are not as many airlines in as many locations as their used to be, however there is at least one within each region of the country and many more flight departments. Take a look here.

http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/where-exactly-can-a-dispatcher-work.192199/

3. Can I commute?

Can you? Yes. Should you tell an employer in an interview you plan to? Probably not. Is commuting a awesome lifestyle? Your Decision. Good points each way found here.

http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/commuting-as-a-dispatcher.174201/

4. Where can I find job postings?

Go straight to the airlines website for the best source. However there are some good search engines out there. A ton of great information in this post.

http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/where-to-look.180281/

5. How long will it take to get that first job? When will I get to a major?

The first job is the hardest to get. Expect an average of 3-5 years experience to get to a major airline Check this awesome post.
http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/interested-in-dispatch.192697/

I hope this gets you all started down the path to dispatching. If you have any questions about anything feel free to ask! We have a lot of knowledgeable people here from major airlines, regionals, supplemental airlines, corporate flight following, you name it. Welcome to the boards!
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Because i'm a newb I don't see this forum until after I posted my first post. Would you mind searching Beginning aircraft dispatching career to help a brother out?
 
I'm attending school in October. When should I start applying for a job? I was assuming after I get my certificate, but just making sure.
 
Some begin applying while in class. In retrospect, that's what I should have done. Took me about 6 months to land a job.
 
Burrito said:
Better make sure to keep your car clean. Finding a place after getting the job is an adventure in and of itself, depending on your current job's understanding regarding "2 weeks" notice.

God I do miss my old Ford...
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In an ideal situation after I get the new job a fellow dispatcher or dispatchers will need a roommate. Reality though, nobody will and with what little I'll be making I'll be forced to get a small apartment In a new city where I don't know anyone. God this sounds depressing.....
 
Dispatch4Fun said:
In an ideal situation after I get the new job a fellow dispatcher or dispatchers will need a roommate. Reality though, nobody will and with what little I'll be making I'll be forced to get a small apartment In a new city where I don't know anyone. God this sounds depressing.....
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That's why it's best to have a reserve before attending school; this way, you can attend school, then survive the job search.

As for the roommate thing, we have fellow DXers rooming together. Two guys from my class (the two younger guys) got a place together, so it DOES happen...
 
pcstan said:
Because of the hiring time frame usually involved, it's a really good idea to begin applying while in school. We often hire right out of IFOD.
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So on the application we can just put the expected graduation date right?

How long does it take from the time of application until someone actually reads it?
 
I got my resume almost ready. School starts on Monday. Getting ready for the long drive to Florida. Any advice if you had to do it all over again, what you would bring or best way to study?
 
Last edited:
I applied for jobs while in the last few weeks of school. Received an job offer within a week of graduating and started a week later.
 
thegriffinpages said:
So on the application we can just put the expected graduation date right?

How long does it take from the time of application until someone actually reads it?
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Absolutely put your expected graduation date so there are no surprises!

Sometimes applications are looked at the same day they're sent in, but there's no hard-and-fast rule.Sometimes there will be a listing for a position but no active hiring happening. In that case the application may not get looked at for weeks/months.

Bonus note: When you apply as a Dispatcher at GoJet you are also applying to Trans States and vice versa. I think GoJet gets first pick. I applied for both anyway!

Hope this helps!
 
Dispatch4Fun said:
I got my resume almost ready. School starts on Monday. Getting ready for the long drive to Florida. Any advice if you had to do it all over again, what you would bring or best way to study?
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I used the Gleim book and online resources and got a 93% on the written. I studied the Gliem book off-and-on for months before I went to school. I made 3x5 flashcards for questions I missed on practice tests and used the cards to study. The online resources have similar capabilities but the flashcards go more places!

Sheppard Air has a DX study app that a lot of people like, but it felt like I wasted my money buying it when I had the printed Gleim book and all the online resources (including an online Gleim book).

I've recently discovered the ASA Aircraft Dispatcher Oral Exam Guide and it's fabulous! Very useful for learning or refreshing your DX skills and knowledge base. Highly recommended.
 
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