Phoenix East Dispatch School

surfCRQ

Well-Known Member
I have been researching the schools to acquire a dispatcher's license and learn more about the job. Phoenix East in FL offers a two week accelerated course for 2K for pilots with commercial and instrument ratings. Does anyone know about this program? How much of an advantage is it to have your ratings? Would a typical 6 week class be alot of review of things like weather, ATC, FAR's, and all that? Thanks guys.
PS. Is anyone hiring dispatchers right now?
 
I guess the benefit of having your flight ratings is that you already know how to do weight and balance, look up weather, MEL, FAR, and whatever else they want you to know. But don't go out and drop $30,000 to get them, cheaper to do the six weeks. If you look at other posts on here, you'll see that many places are not hiring, but I'm sure you might find some smaller flying outlets that need dispatchers, so good luck.
 
I guess the benefit of having your flight ratings is that you already know how to do weight and balance, look up weather, MEL, FAR, and whatever else they want you to know. But don't go out and drop $30,000 to get them, cheaper to do the six weeks. If you look at other posts on here, you'll see that many places are not hiring, but I'm sure you might find some smaller flying outlets that need dispatchers, so good luck.

I agree with SFCC, if its cheaper to to go the six weeks versus the accelerated, stick with the cheapest route. He is right, nobody that I know is hiring at the moment. I submitted an app and resume to Mesa twice and heard nothing and I have experience. So theres no rush to finish and I'm discovering that theres no real financial advantage to dispatching at the moment. I'm sure that the guys who are making the big bucks in the majors would disagree with me. But the starting pay and QOL really sucks. Make sure that dispatching is what you really really want to do, because if its a flying job your looking for, stick to flying. I'm sure its really hard right now to find work as a pilot, but get your CFI if don't already have it and earn income that way. You can make so much more instructing than dispatching. At least for a good five years until you can (IF YOU CAN) move into a major. Plus working for the smaller companies that have complete idiots running the place can really drain your motivation. I'm sorry that I'm playing devil's advocate right now, but this is what you could be facing if your not careful. I'm experiencing it now.

Good Luck!

mission
 
I agree with SFCC, if its cheaper to to go the six weeks versus the accelerated, stick with the cheapest route. He is right, nobody that I know is hiring at the moment. I submitted an app and resume to Mesa twice and heard nothing and I have experience. So theres no rush to finish and I'm discovering that theres no real financial advantage to dispatching at the moment. I'm sure that the guys who are making the big bucks in the majors would disagree with me. But the starting pay and QOL really sucks. Make sure that dispatching is what you really really want to do, because if its a flying job your looking for, stick to flying. I'm sure its really hard right now to find work as a pilot, but get your CFI if don't already have it and earn income that way. You can make so much more instructing than dispatching. At least for a good five years until you can (IF YOU CAN) move into a major. Plus working for the smaller companies that have complete idiots running the place can really drain your motivation. I'm sorry that I'm playing devil's advocate right now, but this is what you could be facing if your not careful. I'm experiencing it now.

Good Luck!

mission

Hey Mission,

Sorry things aren't going well for you right now. But trust me, you're better off not working for Mesa. I say this having worked there for 3 1/2 years myself earlier in my career.

As far as hiring goes, there is a bit of it going on although I'm sure less than normal due to the economy being sour. My airline is hiring some, I've heard Omni Air in Tulsa is hiring, and I've seen ads for a couple other places also.

For me, it was worth the wait to get on with a major, although it took a while...I think I could have got to one sooner if I had started applying sooner. But that's water under the bridge, and I think a lot of people CAN make it to a major if they keep an eye out and keep applying. Now, I'm not saying that if you're at a regional where you love the area, the management is good, and the pay is decent that you shouldn't stay there either...I know several people who have chosen to make their careers at places such as SkyWest and are very happy. But if you're not happy, just keep an eye out on who is hiring, and keep on applying.

Also, if you're looking for work in the Phoenix area, keep an eye out on the US Airways website for jobs in operations or elsewhere that dispatch experience is a plus. Even though the dispatch office is in PIT, a dispatch license plus dispatch experience might get you noticed for a corporate position with them. Just a thought.
 
Hey Mission,

Sorry things aren't going well for you right now. But trust me, you're better off not working for Mesa. I say this having worked there for 3 1/2 years myself earlier in my career.

As far as hiring goes, there is a bit of it going on although I'm sure less than normal due to the economy being sour. My airline is hiring some, I've heard Omni Air in Tulsa is hiring, and I've seen ads for a couple other places also.

For me, it was worth the wait to get on with a major, although it took a while...I think I could have got to one sooner if I had started applying sooner. But that's water under the bridge, and I think a lot of people CAN make it to a major if they keep an eye out and keep applying. Now, I'm not saying that if you're at a regional where you love the area, the management is good, and the pay is decent that you shouldn't stay there either...I know several people who have chosen to make their careers at places such as SkyWest and are very happy. But if you're not happy, just keep an eye out on who is hiring, and keep on applying.

Also, if you're looking for work in the Phoenix area, keep an eye out on the US Airways website for jobs in operations or elsewhere that dispatch experience is a plus. Even though the dispatch office is in PIT, a dispatch license plus dispatch experience might get you noticed for a corporate position with them. Just a thought.

manniax,

Yes, I do believe that you can make it into a major, eventually. But most new dispatchers have to pay their dues with the crappy places first. I don't know what its like to work at Mesa, but at least when your about to kill management because of the piss poor decisions they make for the short-term fix, you can go down the street to a Buffalo Wild Wings or Applebees and relax in PHX. Living up here in Elko is by far one of the worst places to live on the planet, quite simply because there is nothing to do up here. The point I'm trying to make to this guy is to make sure that dispatching is what he really really wants to do because he is going to have pay his dues like the rest of have or are doing. If you pick the wrong place to work, it is very tough to stay motivated in this field. I'm sure that I speak for all of us experience fellows when I say that this job requires you to relocate unless you live where an airline is hiring. And when you pick the wrong place to work, you begin to have second thoughts and whether you want to relocate to somewhere else only to be disappointed once again.
 
Mission- who is based in Elko. I have been through there a couple times... scary place. maybe you should buy a dirt bike or dune buggy or something. Then again, a shotgun and alot of whiskey- then you'd fit in.
 
Thanks for all the info guys... I already have all of my flight ratings except for multi, and CFI. I was considering dispatching license as a leg up to a flying job. Seems like flying jobs are out of reach lately. So can anyone describe the dispatch practical test with an examiner? What is the pass rate on the practical?
 
Mission- who is based in Elko. I have been through there a couple times... scary place. maybe you should buy a dirt bike or dune buggy or something. Then again, a shotgun and alot of whiskey- then you'd fit in.

Trust me, I would if I could afford it. Don't let this small town deceive you. The cost of living is nuts because of the mines pay well, so automatically the town thinks it can charge an arm and a leg to live here. Your right, it is very scary here and very depressing. My wife and I are keeping the last bit of sanity and getting the hell out of here before I have to resort to booze and guns to amuse myself.
 
Thanks for all the info guys... I already have all of my flight ratings except for multi, and CFI. I was considering dispatching license as a leg up to a flying job. Seems like flying jobs are out of reach lately. So can anyone describe the dispatch practical test with an examiner? What is the pass rate on the practical?

The exam process is the same as the ATP. Same test different name. Don't stress about it though, if you can get flight ratings, you can pass the ADX. I had alot less knowledge than you did and I still passed it. My advice would be though is in the oral, do not blab out through the mouth and about all that you know because, the more you give free information, the more the examiner will pick at you. But you probably knew that already from your ratings. Why don't you get the CFI? Like I said before, you could make more money teaching then dispatching. My guess is that you want to get into a company with dispatch and work into a pilot slot, right? Thats is what I would like to do as well, but one of my co-workers brought me back down to earth. She said that as long as you are a good dispatcher, they (My company) will never let you leave the desk to pursue other interests within the company. Naturally you would think, ok well I just do the bare minimum or even sub-standard work to get out of dispatch. But heres my theory, its a trap. Substandard performance in this business can only lead to being terminated and not recommended. Those two words in this industry equal death to a career. What I would suggest is get your CFI, teach and wait until pilot slots open up and you meet the mins. This way everyone knows your sole mission with the company is to fly, not dispatch. No miss conceptions. Just my two cents.
 
Yes, I do believe that you can make it into a major, eventually. But most new dispatchers have to pay their dues with the crappy places first. I don't know what its like to work at Mesa, but at least when your about to kill management because of the piss poor decisions they make for the short-term fix, you can go down the street to a Buffalo Wild Wings or Applebees and relax in PHX. Living up here in Elko is by far one of the worst places to live on the planet, quite simply because there is nothing to do up here. The point I'm trying to make to this guy is to make sure that dispatching is what he really really wants to do because he is going to have pay his dues like the rest of have or are doing. If you pick the wrong place to work, it is very tough to stay motivated in this field. I'm sure that I speak for all of us experience fellows when I say that this job requires you to relocate unless you live where an airline is hiring. And when you pick the wrong place to work, you begin to have second thoughts and whether you want to relocate to somewhere else only to be disappointed once again.

I can definitely relate...I lived in FMN for over three years when I worked at Mesa. We eventually relocated to PHX though and there was a lot more to do there outside of work, in terms of nightlife. However, FMN had lots of flights (at the time) to DEN, ABQ, and PHX, so it wasn't hard to get out of town...and ABQ was only three hours away by car if you didn't feel like dealing with airports. At least FMN had a fairly low cost of living and lots of cool outdoors stuff nearby to do.
 
Thanks for all the info guys... I already have all of my flight ratings except for multi, and CFI. I was considering dispatching license as a leg up to a flying job. Seems like flying jobs are out of reach lately. So can anyone describe the dispatch practical test with an examiner? What is the pass rate on the practical?

The pass rate on the practical depends on the school. There's no set value. Usually if you've worked hard in the course and passed the final exam, you'll pass the practical. Let me find an article quote here describing how one examiner described the practical...

"They enter the room, and I usually ask them how they liked the school, the course, whether they have any job prospects lined up -- generally chat 'em up to relax them a little." When they get down to business, he goes through meteorology, including METARs, PIREPs, then NOTAMs, surface weather, the radar summary, weather depiction charts, freezing levels, winds aloft, 500-millibar charts -- and that's just the weather.
"I want to see if they know how to read and apply what the reports say," he says. "Do they know what to do if the forecast changes en route? We go into the charts, the approach, restrictions to approaches based on equipment out of service, substitution with the glideslope out or the outer marker, Cat II, Cat III. We'll go through a dispatch release. Aircraft systems . . . dispatchers have to be able to cover the [minimum equipment list, the configuration deviation list]."

Full article can be found here. I've probably linked that one before but it's a good read.

Flight ratings don't hurt when looking for your first dispatch job, but they don't guarantee one either. Dispatch managers are looking to hire people that want to be dispatchers first! Now, Expressjet does hire people who have worked as dispatchers there to be pilots with fewer flight hours than someone off the street...but the flight department has to interview you and I think you have to have worked in dispatch at least a year before you can apply. I don't know all the details since I didn't work there but I have quite a few co-workers that did.
 
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