New Dispatcher FAQ

MT said:
1. The regionals are more or less always hiring. There‘s a class at a regional starting once a month usually. That may be drying up as regionals continue to consolidate. As you observed, the majors tend to hire 1-3 times a year and that’s it.
2. Dispatchers are allowed to have facial hair for the most part. There are a lot of bushy beards in my office. However, be warned that you must be shaven down to a mustache maximum at least once a year as you can not have a beard and sit in the jumpseat (because it interferes with the oxygen mask). Some of the guys with the best beards in the office end up doing their cockpit observation in the simulator, which doesn‘t have the restriction on facial hair. Most airlines, however, will require at least your initial jumpseat be on the line and not in the simulator.
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Thanks so much MT!

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So I looked at getting my dispatch cert back in the 2016 time frame but things/plans changed. It's back on the list now and I'm curious what those of you who have done accelerated courses thought of them? For reference I'm a KC-10 Instructor Flight Engineer with over 2k hours in the jet as of right now. I spoke with IFOD yesterday and the guy I talked to recommended the 2 or 3 week course. I'm hoping I can get the Air Force to pay for it but it might come out of pocket. Should I continue looking at an accelerated or try and figure out a plan to make a 5 week course work?
 
Ashtnn said:
So I looked at getting my dispatch cert back in the 2016 time frame but things/plans changed. It's back on the list now and I'm curious what those of you who have done accelerated courses thought of them? For reference I'm a KC-10 Instructor Flight Engineer with over 2k hours in the jet as of right now. I spoke with IFOD yesterday and the guy I talked to recommended the 2 or 3 week course. I'm hoping I can get the Air Force to pay for it but it might come out of pocket. Should I continue looking at an accelerated or try and figure out a plan to make a 5 week course work?
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If you can read weather/NOTAMs/charts the shorter course will probably work just fine
 
DispatcherSam said:
If you can read weather/NOTAMs/charts the shorter course will probably work just fine
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Got it. I've got a pretty good grasp on most things due to our job responsibilities. Do you know of anywhere I could find sample coursework to browse possibly? Obviously it won't hold me back from going but it'd be nice to see what I can brush up on in the mean time, and pick the brains of my pilots as well. I'm about to deploy so I'll have plenty of drone time in the air to study up.
 
Quick question- In our dispatch class we’re dispatching to destinations based on visibility and ceiling but our instructor informed us that in real life you can dispatch based on just visibility. Is this how it works irl?
 
elbowroom said:
Quick question- In our dispatch class we’re dispatching to destinations based on visibility and ceiling but our instructor informed us that in real life you can dispatch based on just visibility. Is this how it works irl?
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Vis is all you need for dispatch. You don't even need that when dispatching a flight that is more than 50nm from shore. Alternates always always always have to meet alt mins and be within wind limits.
 
who'swho said:
Vis is all you need for dispatch. You don't even need that when dispatching a flight that is more than 50nm from shore. Alternates always always always have to meet alt mins and be within wind limits.
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I think its hillarious that Vis is really all thats needed. In theory you could dispatch a flight with the vis requirement and they will go missed every time they try to land at that destination due to the ceiling being too low.
 
who'swho said:
Vis is all you need for dispatch. You don't even need that when dispatching a flight that is more than 50nm from shore. Alternates always always always have to meet alt mins and be within wind limits.
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There are come exceptions. Some destinations require ceilings for dispatch.


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A1TAPE said:
I think its hillarious that Vis is really all thats needed. In theory you could dispatch a flight with the vis requirement and they will go missed every time they try to land at that destination due to the ceiling being too low.
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It makes perfect sense. Busted TAFs happen all the time on transcon and long haul flights. It's hard to forecast a ceiling within a few hundred feet of accuracy 15 hours out. P6SM doesn't guarantee you great wx.
 
Thanks guys. Was starting your very first job fairly overwhelming at first? What are the most important things to know/understand initially? They threw so many different weather charts at us in class. I feel confident reading and understanding metar’s/taf’s/notams/enroute charts/etc as well as the regulations but have no idea what it’s like to sit down and actually execute any of it or put it into practice.
 
A1TAPE said:
I think its hillarious that Vis is really all thats needed. In theory you could dispatch a flight with the vis requirement and they will go missed every time they try to land at that destination due to the ceiling being too low.
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If we sat around playing with theories or “what ifs” then flights would never take off. Vis is what you need to dispatch and if it’s down to a go/no-go decision like that, you are going to have AT LEAST 1 if not 2 alternates so what’s the anxiety for? If you have the vis, launch the flight and keep an eye on em. Let them at least give it a poke and if they can’t do it divert.
 
A1TAPE said:
I think its hillarious that Vis is really all thats needed. In theory you could dispatch a flight with the vis requirement and they will go missed every time they try to land at that destination due to the ceiling being too low.
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Bing, bong, sing along, your teams Al Gore cause your views are wrong.
 
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