Question about Dispatch School

BoilerOps said:
Oh I've heard the stories!
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My classmate and I put this together using a pencil, tin foil, Barbie and super glue. Lol...
 
Keola said:
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Another day at Jepp? And the two in front are the reason its still a secret to this day... I don't remember seeing that one on the FAA written. Probably would have gotten it wrong too but I was sure able to answer what the psi of an aircraft tire is supposed to be.
 
So after not-so-much deliberation, I have finally decided to attend Jeppesen this fall. In fact, I am sending off my deposit today and am super excited to embark on this challenging new life adventure. Leaving a stable, secure, (albeit rather low paying career) behind to attempt this shift in direction is somewhat unnerving and maybe even a bit scary, but the way I see it; the thought of always wondering what it would've been like or if I would have been successful and happy doing it - is way more frightening.

Once again, thanks to all of you for the sage words of advice, encouragement and truth, its been very helpful. I'm sure I'll have lots more to say and ask on here as soon as I get my books and materials and really start buckling down. I plan to arrive in September as prepared as possible.

So now I'd like to raise my coffee mug (not quite quittin' time here yet on the east coast) and toast to another one of life's always interesting, ever-unpredictable chapters....

"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor." ~Aristotle

Cheers.
 
ghostjet said:
So after not-so-much deliberation, I have finally decided to attend Jeppesen this fall. In fact, I am sending off my deposit today and am super excited to embark on this challenging new life adventure. Leaving a stable, secure, (albeit rather low paying career) behind to attempt this shift in direction is somewhat unnerving and maybe even a bit scary, but the way I see it; the thought of always wondering what it would've been like or if I would have been successful and happy doing it - is way more frightening.

Once again, thanks to all of you for the sage words of advice, encouragement and truth, its been very helpful. I'm sure I'll have lots more to say and ask on here as soon as I get my books and materials and really start buckling down. I plan to arrive in September as prepared as possible.

So now I'd like to raise my coffee mug (not quite quittin' time here yet on the east coast) and toast to another one of life's always interesting, ever-unpredictable chapters....

"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor." ~Aristotle

Cheers.
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Good luck.. And I hope you enjoy yourself at jepp.
 
ghostjet said:
Hey everybody, long time fan of this forum, first time poster. I'm thinking about making a career change (news/medical video production background) to flight dispatching. (Considering Jeppesen) I have no aviation experience, aside from a lifelong love and enthusiasm for it. I've noticed that experience isn't a prerequisite for obtaining certification, but I'm wondering if it's realistic. I'm 39 years old, (living in Philly, used to live in Denver) with a college degree in Broadcast Journalism and honestly have not been in any kind of rigorous school setting for almost 15 years.

I guess my question is, how difficult will the material be to absorb and master for someone with zero experience and so far removed from academics? I should mention though that I subscribe to Air & Space mag, read constantly about aviation, (just finished Cockpit Confidential), and listen to LiveATC often to relax while lying in bed. Safe to say I'm an avgeek, just not sure if that'll help me in school though. I don't want to spend the money only to find I'm out of my league.

Thanks for reading and I apologize if this post is miscategorized or redundant.
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I know I am late for the party here but I wanted to interject my experience since I did this very thing. I was a Paramedic then a 911 dispatcher and supervisor. Got the aviation bug and went to DX school. I am in my 40's. It was tough. It is no joke. Without the help and support of fellow classmates that DID have aviation experience, I would have not faired nearly as well. That's the thing, most people are decent and are willing to help you. Maybe it was more difficult for me because I am in my 40's (old dog, new tricks....) but with serious studying and help from my friends, I did it.

Now, getting a job is another matter entirely! I've been applying for literally almost everything (including Boeing!) in the continental US and I've yet to get a job. It's been almost 6 months since my class. I have some serious high stress, multi-tasking employment background too so I don't know what the answer is about getting the job! But I feel like I am ready, I am excited about it and have to keep hoping it will happen soon!

Good luck to you. I wish you well.
 
lmb423 said:
Now, getting a job is another matter entirely! I've been applying for literally almost everything (including Boeing!) in the continental US and I've yet to get a job. It's been almost 6 months since my class. I have some serious high stress, multi-tasking employment background too so I don't know what the answer is about getting the job! But I feel like I am ready, I am excited about it and have to keep hoping it will happen soon!
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The first gig is always the hardest one to get. You might have a professional or writerly type look at your resume/cover letter to make sure it emphasizes your skills properly. I have no doubt that if you can handle being a paramedic and 911 dispatcher you can handle working at a regional. Persistence is key, along with a willingness to move to where the job is. Keep applying and I bet you'll get a gig soon.
 
Holy Cow! Just got my books and materials from Jepp and I'm equal parts thrilled, overwhelmed, excited and anxious. Love the cool flight bag though; it somehow softens the reality of 30 lbs of text. So, I know it's a bit early to start studying for September, but what should I be looking over first? Weather, regulations, ATP book/software? What about all the notes and material in the binders? And finally, are there any online resources I should be checking out for information; ones that might be helpful or that I should familiarize myself with?

Anyone else in the outfield stands headed to Denver in September? If so, let me know, thanks.

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." - Henry David Thoreau
 
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I'd recommend studying the Gleim ADX book. Go through and circle the correct answers, and when you're going back over the questions, just immediately look at the correct answer and move on. Pretty effective way of memorizing. Also, keep in mind I think chapter 4 does not apply to the ADX (just the ATP). I could be wrong. But I know there is a chapter or two you're not going to need to worry about.
The binders full of notes and stuff...you can look over them, but they're mostly there to accomodate the class lectures.
 
ghostjet said:
Holy Cow! Just got my books and materials from Jepp and I'm equal parts thrilled, overwhelmed, excited and anxious. Love the cool flight bag though; it somehow softens the reality of 30 lbs of text. So, I know it's a bit early to start studying for September, but what should I be looking over first? Weather, regulations, ATP book/software? What about all the notes and material in the binders? And finally, are there any online resources I should be checking out for information; ones that might be helpful or that I should familiarize myself with?

Anyone else in the outfield stands headed to Denver in September? If so, let me know, thanks.

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." - Henry David Thoreau
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Congrats.. IMO. its never "too early" to study. Theres always something new to learn so the eariler you can get up to speed the easier it will be in the long run... Thats just my $.02.
Study the ADX and take the practice tests on your computer. As mentioned above, just highlight the correct answers. Also study the weather books.

The large notebook will basically follow the daily class schdule.
 
ghostjet said:
Holy Cow! Just got my books and materials from Jepp and I'm equal parts thrilled, overwhelmed, excited and anxious. Love the cool flight bag though; it somehow softens the reality of 30 lbs of text. So, I know it's a bit early to start studying for September, but what should I be looking over first? Weather, regulations, ATP book/software? What about all the notes and material in the binders? And finally, are there any online resources I should be checking out for information; ones that might be helpful or that I should familiarize myself with? Anyone else in the outfield stands headed to Denver in September? If so, let me know, thanks. "What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." - Henry David Thoreau
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I remember I had the same feeling when mine arrived. Haha...

I would use the Gleim software over the book personally. I just found it way easier. Plus the practice tests are exactly how the real thing will be. If you have any trouble setting up the software, Gleim is great with walking you through it. If you use the book, avoid the chapter on Part 135. It's not on the ADX.

Aside from that, I'd study weather and regs. The large binders will follow lecture, but it doesn't hurt to read through it. You have plenty of time!

You'll see once in class that every book/binder has a purpose and then it's not so overwhelming.

Happy studying!!! ;-)
 
I second what womanpilot says. They should have included a purchased copy of the Gleim ATP/ADX study software. Login and register your software and begin studying the gleim.
I would do Chapters 5,10,11,12,13 ! Those are the toughest and you will need waaaay more time to adsorb than you will be given once here.
Of course, you need to do all the chapters except 4,( FAR -part 135 rules)...So if you can keep going then by all means do so.
You should get an email with a bunch of PDFs. One of them is the exam schedule for the weekly "stage checks" exams. Some weeks there are 2 !!!
So use that as a guide as well. But the above listed chapters are though for such a short time in class. So take 2 weeks each on those....
And don't go out and buy a bunch of stuff....A tablet is nice but you don't NEED one. It can be used to study the Gleim anywhere anytime....
I dunno how it was in the past, but I will say for this class, there is a ton of redundancy with regards to the study materials etc. Everything is paper, PDF, online, they got it coming and going so whatever floats your boat. And they have a bizillion short vids on just about everything little item you want to refresh.

Also, I got a private room in home nearby on the web. Less than half the price of the hotels and it's a nice condo and I have everything I need here.Try AirBnB. It's great. My host might be available then. PM me and I'll ask her. But I have my car here and I drive the 6.6 miles each day.
The hotel shuttles are not that reliable...It seems everyone now has a rental car or are car-pooling.
I would find a super cheap rental car for sure. One thing I learned about renting cars, is that the airports get to tack on a huuuuge "traveler" tax,sometimes as much as 20%. But if you can just go to a rental shop in the city, you will not have to pay that fee.
 
Metalmike said:
I'd recommend studying the Gleim ADX book. Go through and circle the correct answers, and when you're going back over the questions, just immediately look at the correct answer and move on. Pretty effective way of memorizing. Also, keep in mind I think chapter 4 does not apply to the ADX (just the ATP). I could be wrong. But I know there is a chapter or two you're not going to need to worry about.
The binders full of notes and stuff...you can look over them, but they're mostly there to accomodate the class lectures.
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I second the advice about circling and memorizing the right answers and ignoring the wrong ones. I'd add that there are some questions that are very similar. For those, compare them, circle the difference in the two questions so you can correlate the minor difference with the correct answer. Hope that makes sense.
 
TaxiBack said:
I second what womanpilot says. They should have included a purchased copy of the Gleim ATP/ADX study software. Login and register your software and begin studying the gleim. I would do Chapters 5,10,11,12,13 ! Those are the toughest and you will need waaaay more time to adsorb than you will be given once here. Of course, you need to do all the chapters except 4,( FAR -part 135 rules)...So if you can keep going then by all means do so. You should get an email with a bunch of PDFs. One of them is the exam schedule for the weekly "stage checks" exams. Some weeks there are 2 !!! So use that as a guide as well. But the above listed chapters are though for such a short time in class. So take 2 weeks each on those.... And don't go out and buy a bunch of stuff....A tablet is nice but you don't NEED one. It can be used to study the Gleim anywhere anytime.... I dunno how it was in the past, but I will say for this class, there is a ton of redundancy with regards to the study materials etc. Everything is paper, PDF, online, they got it coming and going so whatever floats your boat. And they have a bizillion short vids on just about everything little item you want to refresh. Also, I got a private room in home nearby on the web. Less than half the price of the hotels and it's a nice condo and I have everything I need here.Try AirBnB. It's great. My host might be available then. PM me and I'll ask her. But I have my car here and I drive the 6.6 miles each day. The hotel shuttles are not that reliable...It seems everyone now has a rental car or are car-pooling. I would find a super cheap rental car for sure. One thing I learned about renting cars, is that the airports get to tack on a huuuuge "traveler" tax,sometimes as much as 20%. But if you can just go to a rental shop in the city, you will not have to pay that fee.
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The only advice I would advise against here is staying off site, as Taxiback has done. Reason being that when you stay at the hotel, you have built in study groups, as most of the class will stay there. The study groups were so valuable to me, as are the lifetime friendships built as a result. You may save a little money staying somewhere like Taxiback but you really miss out on a lot of awesome study group time as well as dinners and bbq's with friends. I wouldn't trade that time for anything...not even a few hundred bucks. We had a few students who stayed off site and missed out on a lot.
 
Excellent advice everyone. Thank you! Gleim book highlighting and software combo it is. Taxiback thanks for the detailed chapter tips and timeframes - and of course for the affordable lodging info. I agree with Womanpilot73 though, the study groups and community atmosphere I think will be really helpful for me. Plus, I'm actually bringing my darling cat 'Maybe' with me and she's already told me she prefers staying at hotels. As far as transportation goes, I'm thinking of either (hopefully) carpooling or maybe snagging a cheap bike off Craigslist. The hotel (Hawthorn Suites) seems not too far from class for a quick ride. I actually have a few friends in downtown Denver who I'm hoping will let me just borrow one haha. Another question, as far as tablets or laptops go. Do you use either during class for anything (notes or what not)? Or are they mainly for personal use/ study time etc?
 
If you're introverted (not to be equated with shy), don't be pressured into a study group. You introverts know who you are. Trust your gut and study in a group or alone according to your gut instinct.
 
ghostjet said:
Excellent advice everyone. Thank you! Gleim book highlighting and software combo it is. Taxiback thanks for the detailed chapter tips and timeframes - and of course for the affordable lodging info. I agree with Womanpilot73 though, the study groups and community atmosphere I think will be really helpful for me. Plus, I'm actually bringing my darling cat 'Maybe' with me and she's already told me she prefers staying at hotels. As far as transportation goes, I'm thinking of either (hopefully) carpooling or maybe snagging a cheap bike off Craigslist. The hotel (Hawthorn Suites) seems not too far from class for a quick ride. I actually have a few friends in downtown Denver who I'm hoping will let me just borrow one haha. Another question, as far as tablets or laptops go. Do you use either during class for anything (notes or what not)? Or are they mainly for personal use/ study time etc?
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I could barely carry that flight bag from my room to the car and car to class every day...can't IMAGINE carrying that weight on a bike!! Make sure you don't exceed aft CG or you may stall peddling uphill. Lol...

I used my laptop only during personal study time and mainly just to use the Gleim software for practice tests.
 
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