Whats the best way to study Op Specs? Understand each section and Op Spec or look over it more generalized. All I could find was this on google but no specific Op Specs source to study for a practical example. http://fsims.faa.gov/WDocs/8900.1/V03 Tech Admin/Chapter 18/03_018_003.htm
Op Specs
- Thread starter A1TAPE
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flyingmedic
Well-Known Member
Wait till they hand you an FOM, and read it. Should be covered in your ground school. Every airline has different opspecs. Although many similarities exist. So it’s really not possible, to study ahead of time, unless you can grab the Airlines FOM.
flyingmedic
Well-Known Member
I just reread your question. In regards to the practical they are going to ask you in which chapter of the opspecs where you’d find specific information. The chapters, and what they contain, are standardized. What’s not, is what’s in them. School should have prepared you for that.....it’s really not difficult.....don’t sweat the opspecs. They are really taught by the airline.
DogwoodLynx
Well-Known Member
Agreed. Don’t worry about it. If you go to IFOD they’ll give you a booklet with all the OPSPECS that you’ll need to complete the Practical.
It’s really not as hard as you think it will be as long as you study during class and understand the process.
EDIT: The biggest advice I can give having just got my ADX, is study ALL the 121 regulations.
Know what a high minimum captain is, restricted captain, what’s on a dispatch release, fuel requirements, alternate mins, 123 rule, and know weather.
That stuff is must know! If you know the Oral material, the Practical will be easy.
You won’t understand until you take the course.
Good luck to you!
pljenkins
Resident Knucklehead
Correct. And I would suggest that if you are getting your dispatch license, I would forget all about the word "OpSpec" except that it exists. All you are going to do by trying to dive into Opspecs is put information into your brain that will confuse the information you should have in your brain, which is FARs. Once you get a job worry about the concept of opspecs.
FM-2 Fan
Well-Known Member
We went over C070 also; that's another OPSPEC that every airline would have, since it lists all authorized airports.
Kind of..? The airports themselves will be different. Then you get to learn what Supplemental Ops are
.
JimAK
Well-Known Member
My school had a complete set of OpSpecs and GOM as part of the "fictitious airline" that we operated as part of the course, and the FAA Examiners used those during the exam. Is this not normal?
I had a lot of oral questions on these two documents. Here a some (paraphrased) examples of just a few OpSpecs questions:
DE: What OpSpec covers Operational Control?
Answer: 008
Several questions about C055... what is is? explain how it works? give me an example?
(the following exchange came up at some point before OpSpecs questions even started)
DE: You have a high-mins captain taking a flight to airport XXXX. What, if any, restrictions are in place?
Me: Well, actually, that airport is not listed in C070 our OpSpecs, so we won't be going there.
DE: flips through the binder... gives an impressed nod, and changes the question to use one of the listed airports.
Anyway... I had several OpSpecs-specific questions during my oral. After the exam, the DE actually told me that I appeared to know my OpSpecs "stuff", and about half the queued-up questions were skipped. I don't know if this is "normal", or if I just had an examiner who liked OpSpecs, but take it for what it's worth.
My advice: at least know what the important OpSpecs sections are and what they're about at a high level.
- A003 lists your company's aircraft
- A008 defines the company's Operational Control system
- B044 describes re-dispatch or re-release enroute
- C055!! lists how your company is allowed to derive alternate minimums
- C070 lists your company's authorized airports
- C078 lower-than-standard takeoff minimums
That's a quick list from the top of my head.
I had a lot of oral questions on these two documents. Here a some (paraphrased) examples of just a few OpSpecs questions:
DE: What OpSpec covers Operational Control?
Answer: 008
Several questions about C055... what is is? explain how it works? give me an example?
(the following exchange came up at some point before OpSpecs questions even started)
DE: You have a high-mins captain taking a flight to airport XXXX. What, if any, restrictions are in place?
Me: Well, actually, that airport is not listed in C070 our OpSpecs, so we won't be going there.
DE: flips through the binder... gives an impressed nod, and changes the question to use one of the listed airports.
Anyway... I had several OpSpecs-specific questions during my oral. After the exam, the DE actually told me that I appeared to know my OpSpecs "stuff", and about half the queued-up questions were skipped. I don't know if this is "normal", or if I just had an examiner who liked OpSpecs, but take it for what it's worth.
My advice: at least know what the important OpSpecs sections are and what they're about at a high level.
- A003 lists your company's aircraft
- A008 defines the company's Operational Control system
- B044 describes re-dispatch or re-release enroute
- C055!! lists how your company is allowed to derive alternate minimums
- C070 lists your company's authorized airports
- C078 lower-than-standard takeoff minimums
That's a quick list from the top of my head.
DogwoodLynx
Well-Known Member
Interesting.
Just out of curiousity what sxhool did you go to for your ADX?
TheGirlinPurple
Well-Known Member
Sounds like Green River College.
F9DXER
Well-Known Member
I have to stand corrected - looking at the latest PTS for Aircraft dispatcher it seems it does include opspec as one of the references.
See pgs 3 -5. (PDF pgs 19,20,21)
https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standards/media/FAA-S-8081-10D_change1.pdf
Then if you look at pg 10 (PDF Pg 26) you will see opspec listed under the typical areas of unsatisfactory performance.
So I guess it is now part of a dispatch course.
Personally, I don't think it should be taught but that is just me since one may end up working in a place that doesn't have a very many
Since opspecs are issued individually to each airline, what one carrier has another may not. Each has to be applied for, along with all required testing and procedures in place before the FAA will even look at it, let alone approve it.
Why do think WN has had to wait so long to get permission to fly to Hawaii.
As most of us know, things constantly change in aviation. So if you are not sure of something - look it up and stay current with your companies procedures/policies.
Most of us old timers can remember carrying around a DOM (Dispatch Operations Manual) and other company handbooks and just dreading having to do the revisions. Yet that was probably the only way we looked at/read the DOM was when posting those revisions. Now with everything online, I guarantee most of us have become lazy and seldom read it. We let the company do the updates and tell us what changed. Then we may go look at it if we are interested.
So I guess I learned something for today.
See pgs 3 -5. (PDF pgs 19,20,21)
https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standards/media/FAA-S-8081-10D_change1.pdf
Then if you look at pg 10 (PDF Pg 26) you will see opspec listed under the typical areas of unsatisfactory performance.
So I guess it is now part of a dispatch course.
Personally, I don't think it should be taught but that is just me since one may end up working in a place that doesn't have a very many
Since opspecs are issued individually to each airline, what one carrier has another may not. Each has to be applied for, along with all required testing and procedures in place before the FAA will even look at it, let alone approve it.
Why do think WN has had to wait so long to get permission to fly to Hawaii.
As most of us know, things constantly change in aviation. So if you are not sure of something - look it up and stay current with your companies procedures/policies.
Most of us old timers can remember carrying around a DOM (Dispatch Operations Manual) and other company handbooks and just dreading having to do the revisions. Yet that was probably the only way we looked at/read the DOM was when posting those revisions. Now with everything online, I guarantee most of us have become lazy and seldom read it. We let the company do the updates and tell us what changed. Then we may go look at it if we are interested.
So I guess I learned something for today.
JimAK
Well-Known Member
It was a 2-semester elective as part of my 4yr Av degree at my State U. (with 6 semester courses of prereqs)
ppragman
FLIPY FLAPS!
Get "Everything Explained for the Professional Pilot."
I actually ordered it a few days ago, hasn't been delivered yet. Any good sections to focus on as far as dispatch wise or look at all of them?
