Not another newbie thread

ADXGuy

New Member
....ok, it is.

34 years old with minimal “real” aviation experience. Flew on a Braniff 727 in the first grade, was bitten by the aviation bug, and have been hooked ever since. Entered the corporate world instead of following my dreams and feel like my life will not be fulfilled without a job in aviation.

I’ve been considering dispatch for a while and I think it’s time to take a leap of faith and switch careers. In my free time I enjoy putting on head phones, tuning into live ATC and staring at flightradar24 for hours on end (especially during inclement weather). Anytime I take a flight (which is often, flew 30,017 leisure miles in June alone) I purposely schedule layovers to get more airtime. Although I know these things have exactly 0 to do with dispatch, they at least allude to the level of passion I have for aviation.

I purchased the Sheffield app back in January and have been studying for 2hrs everyday, preparing for the FAA exam. I also have the $3-4K needed to take the actual course, I’m just unsure if that should be my next step, or if there is something more that I should be doing to prepare myself.

Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of information out there (YouTube, facility tours, etc) which would be useful for someone that is looking to get into dispatch.

Any pointers (which I understand can be exhausting to give) would be much appreciated.

Best,

John
Chicago, IL (by way of MSP, EWR, IND, MGM and BOS)
 
....ok, it is.

34 years old with minimal “real” aviation experience. Flew on a Braniff 727 in the first grade, was bitten by the aviation bug, and have been hooked ever since. Entered the corporate world instead of following my dreams and feel like my life will not be fulfilled without a job in aviation.

I’ve been considering dispatch for a while and I think it’s time to take a leap of faith and switch careers. In my free time I enjoy putting on head phones, tuning into live ATC and staring at flightradar24 for hours on end (especially during inclement weather). Anytime I take a flight (which is often, flew 30,017 leisure miles in June alone) I purposely schedule layovers to get more airtime. Although I know these things have exactly 0 to do with dispatch, they at least allude to the level of passion I have for aviation.

I purchased the Sheffield app back in January and have been studying for 2hrs everyday, preparing for the FAA exam. I also have the $3-4K needed to take the actual course, I’m just unsure if that should be my next step, or if there is something more that I should be doing to prepare myself.

Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of information out there (YouTube, facility tours, etc) which would be useful for someone that is looking to get into dispatch.

Any pointers (which I understand can be exhausting to give) would be much appreciated.

Best,

John
Chicago, IL (by way of MSP, EWR, IND, MGM and BOS)

Don't worry about preparing for school too much, just go and get your dispatch license and get a dispatch job as soon as possible to start your aviation career... As you will see on other threads here, the school you go to doesn't really matter, they all teach you how to pass the exams. Once you have your DX lic. get that first DX job (that's where you will learn how to dispatch). My advice is don't waste time getting ready for school, sign up and start ASAP. You might be confused while in class, but just learn what you need to know to pass the test. People, myself included before starting my DX career, think that the school will prepare you and teach you how to dispatch, but the truth is, you will be clueless untill you start actually dispatching for an airline, it's that airline that will teach you dispatching.
 
I would recommend the school that I went to, Falcon Aviation beat Atlanta It's a bit longer at 8 weeks, but we only averaged like 6 hours a day. They didn't really focus on the written exam, in fact they expected you to study out of class for it. But, they did a good job of preparing you for the practical/getting started at a regional.
 
Sheffield student here. That school was described as drinking from a firehose and it is. The facility is small and the desks could use more leg room (there's a computer under the desk). Comfort aside, it was intense. Less than a third of my class passed. The best advice I can give is get the ADX (dispatcher ATP) done PRIOR to going. I didn't and I suffered for it, but still passed.

As far as what you learn, I feel dx schools in general teach the theory, and the job teaches you the practice. I learned an extreme amount of weather theory, nav aids, runway data, etc. But it didn't fully click until I experienced it on the desk at my first dxr job. Still, you have to manage to hold onto all that theory to make it to the practice. Good luck!
 
Sheffield student here. That school was described as drinking from a firehose and it is. The facility is small and the desks could use more leg room (there's a computer under the desk). Comfort aside, it was intense. Less than a third of my class passed. The best advice I can give is get the ADX (dispatcher ATP) done PRIOR to going. I didn't and I suffered for it, but still passed.

As far as what you learn, I feel dx schools in general teach the theory, and the job teaches you the practice. I learned an extreme amount of weather theory, nav aids, runway data, etc. But it didn't fully click until I experienced it on the desk at my first dxr job. Still, you have to manage to hold onto all that theory to make it to the practice. Good luck!

Fellow student, from a while ago though. I was certainly glad they taught us on the 727 and a "plane that's full of gotcha's," because I'd get a "gotcha" or two on another type of aircraft when I finally landed that first DX job and just knew there'd be a modified release or some b.s. downline.

But yes. Drinking from a firehose. Aint it the truth.
 
I appreciate all of your answers and recommendations. This helps me greatly as it has made me realize that instead of trying to prepare or “learn” the job prior to obtaining a position, I should just get my license and then jump in.

Why Dispatch? Why not become a pilot?

I would love to be pilot, however I just recently reached a point in which I can afford to become one and I figured that at 34 yrs of age it would be easier to get into dispatch than become a pilot. I know that dispatch isn’t a cake walk by any means, so please correct me if my thought process in pilot vs dispatcher is wrong.
 
I appreciate all of your answers and recommendations. This helps me greatly as it has made me realize that instead of trying to prepare or “learn” the job prior to obtaining a position, I should just get my license and then jump in.



I would love to be pilot, however I just recently reached a point in which I can afford to become one and I figured that at 34 yrs of age it would be easier to get into dispatch than become a pilot. I know that dispatch isn’t a cake walk by any means, so please correct me if my thought process in pilot vs dispatcher is wrong.
Everyone is hiring pilots. Not everyone is hiring dispatchers. Pilot careers have an expiration date but you can make a lot more money flying than you can dispatching.
 
I appreciate all of your answers and recommendations. This helps me greatly as it has made me realize that instead of trying to prepare or “learn” the job prior to obtaining a position, I should just get my license and then jump in.



I would love to be pilot, however I just recently reached a point in which I can afford to become one and I figured that at 34 yrs of age it would be easier to get into dispatch than become a pilot. I know that dispatch isn’t a cake walk by any means, so please correct me if my thought process in pilot vs dispatcher is wrong.
Dispatcher licenses don't require a medical and are cheaper to obtain. There are also some airlines that assist dispatchers in becoming pilots for their airline after some time. I say get the dispatcher license first. It's not going to hurt you to have and will assist in furthering knowledge of all things flying. Btw there are also many pilots who have kept a dx license in their back pocket as a backup, like in case of a furlough or a loss of their medicals.
 
As long as you are willing to move and work for low pay for a few years it’s defenitly worth it. I was around the same age as you when I got into dispatching. I took a huge pay cut at first but it’s been worth it
 
Thank you for your responses as the information is truly helpful.

Sheffield offers an online dispatch course which takes an estimated 3-4 months to complete, after which you go to Ohio to test out for a week. This option would allow me to have a steady income from my current career, however I caution the degree of difficulty that this may pose without an instructor. My current career is also in the middle of relocating me to Orlando in which it may be possible for me to attend night courses at a local school that offers an ADX course.

Dispatcher licenses don't require a medical and are cheaper to obtain. There are also some airlines that assist dispatchers in becoming pilots for their airline after some time. I say get the dispatcher license first. It's not going to hurt you to have and will assist in furthering knowledge of all things flying. Btw there are also many pilots who have kept a dx license in their back pocket as a backup, like in case of a furlough or a loss of their medicals.

This is an approach that I hadn’t thought of. Obtaining my DX license and then continuing to fly if I so decide seems like a solid game plan.

Just want to thank you all for sharing your experiences, suggestions and recommendations once again.

Best,
 
Getting your DX license and continuing to fly is definitely an option. I know several dispatcher that did thatand got hired by an airline.

This is just my opinion, but the mindset to be a successful dispatcher is totally different than the mindset to be a commercial pilot. It seems dispatcher can succeed into the pilot world but I don't know any pilots that could make the transition the other way.

As far as choosing a school, choose the one that fits your needs - money, time frame, location, cost (both the course and incidentals), are some of the factors to consider. Talk to all the ones your are interested in and if you can visit - do so.

I will mention that if you choose the dispatch route with your final goal being to fly for a major. Please don't tell them that in the interview. Especially if you opt to dispatch at a major before getting hired to fly. I can pretty much guarantee you a major airline won't hire you into dispatch knowing you will be leaving with in a short time frame.

Best of luck in your endeavor.
 
Sheffield student here. That school was described as drinking from a firehose and it is. The facility is small and the desks could use more leg room (there's a computer under the desk). Comfort aside, it was intense. Less than a third of my class passed. The best advice I can give is get the ADX (dispatcher ATP) done PRIOR to going. I didn't and I suffered for it, but still passed.

As far as what you learn, I feel dx schools in general teach the theory, and the job teaches you the practice. I learned an extreme amount of weather theory, nav aids, runway data, etc. But it didn't fully click until I experienced it on the desk at my first dxr job. Still, you have to manage to hold onto all that theory to make it to the practice. Good luck!

Can you tell me what to expect? I am going to be going to Sheffield for Dispatch School. I live in Orlando, so I can just move down to FLL for a couple weeks during the summer inbetween my college courses. Should I do Sheffield, or Jeppesen?
 
This is just my opinion, but the mindset to be a successful dispatcher is totally different than the mindset to be a commercial pilot. It seems dispatcher can succeed into the pilot world but I don't know any pilots that could make the transition the other way.

I have worked with pilots who made the transition, but it is kind of rare. In one case, I know a person had some difficulty getting an interview due to all their ratings/flight time, the hiring manager was concerned he was trying to get into dispatch just to use as a "stepping stone" to a pilot job (he wasn't, though.)
 
Can you tell me what to expect? I am going to be going to Sheffield for Dispatch School. I live in Orlando, so I can just move down to FLL for a couple weeks during the summer inbetween my college courses. Should I do Sheffield, or Jeppesen?
I was only at Sheffield, so I can't speak for any other schools. However, I do know a few people who went to other schools and it doesn't seem to matter. There are those feelings of being alumni with other students of the same school, but otherwise there's no real difference. I've met students from Sheffield, Jeppesen, Flamingo, and a couple other schools. And we met at the same company! So go with what fits you, the rest will fall in line.
 
Go to the school that feels right, having been dispatching for years - I have worked (and help hired) with guys from Sheffield, Jeppesen, Falcon, Flamingo or IFOD and have been really good and bring something to the table, the training is the same - you learn the same regs, weather and understanding performance/flight planning.

Its what you get out of school...You will learn dispatching at your first shop

The job market isn't too good right now for your first job but in the coming months, you may see posting for the regional.

There are other positions with the airlines that will keep you around planes. Let me know if you have more questions
 
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