Just a thought...

[24 carat]

Okay, so me finding a job as a pilot aint working out all too well. I am getting tired of working at Walmart just to get by, so I was thinking....... would it be worth getting my dispatcher licence.

a) At least I am involved with aviation.
b) It beats working at Walmart
c) Maybe I can get a flying position with a company after proving myself as a dispatcher.

You guys, does this sound like a good plan? Are there more of you who want to join the league of professional pilots?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[propsarebest]

Lots of guys do that, go on to flying after spending time behind a desk.

The biggest thing to remember however is that while you are a pilot, you are a dispatcher first when you are working. Lots of dispatchers that also fly have a hard time remembering that.


be prepared for crappy hours, even crappier pay and crappy benefits.

 

[ShutupandFly]

Another thing to keep in mind. Many airlines award vacation time by time at the company. Dispatching won't help you get the line you want faster but you might get a few vacation days you want instead of getting bumped.

I do have to agree with props though. If you working as a dispatcher, work as a dispatcher. Don't just take up space waiting for a class date.

 

[bgaviator]

I was exactly in the same boat you are. I was working at an FBO doing line service for $9/hour, and working as a flight instructor......well, I didn't enjoy the instructing, and I couldn't live on $9/hour anymore....I took out a loan and went to a week long accelerated course for dispatching (since I already had my pilot license). The day I got my license I also interviewed for a large fractional company and got hired on right away.....dispatching at a fractional is nothing like dispatching at a 121 airline, but the starting pay tends to be a lot better, and the job stability seems to be better as well. I didn't like working at fractionals, so now I'm doing 121 and like it a whole lot better.....in a couple of more years I really aim to be at a major airline. I don't know about Sheffield, but I know where I went (Airline Ground Schools) they have a web site that is updated daily with new job postings, so that's a big plus that you get to make use of.

 

[24 carat]

Thanks everybody for the replies. It has been good to hear your experiences.

Is an accelerated course quite do-able when you already have a commercial pilot's licence? Will the aviation background I have be enough to see me through?

Many thanks.

 

[propsarebest]

With a commercial, you would qualify for the accelerated courses.

 

[Partridge]

That's good to hear, propsarebest!

Still, I have to wonder, when someone has only flown light aircraft. How hard would it be , since I presume the courses deal with the jet environment, the flight levels, the jet streams, the complex flight planning.

How well does their knowledge transfer? Would it be a struggle, especially the accelerated course? Or would a lot of it be familiar to me?

Anybody who has been in this situation?

Sorry for asking, it is just that I myself have thought about this avenue in the past. As it happened things worked out flying wise, but still.

 

[bgaviator]

That's good to hear, propsarebest!

Still, I have to wonder, when someone has only flown light aircraft. How hard would it be , since I presume the courses deal with the jet environment, the flight levels, the jet streams, the complex flight planning.

How well does their knowledge transfer? Would it be a struggle, especially the accelerated course? Or would a lot of it be familiar to me?

Anybody who has been in this situation?

Sorry for asking, it is just that I myself have thought about this avenue in the past. As it happened things worked out flying wise, but still.

It's pretty easy since you have aviation knowledge...the hardest part for me was learning the difference between what every day joe smith in his Piper Warrior can do vs. what a 121 airline is allowed to do.

 

[WalterSobchak]

The dispatch school part is pretty easy. The DX certificate is your "license to learn". You will get everything you need from wherever you wind up dispatching.

As stated above...you are a dispatcher first, a pilot second when working as a dispatcher. This goes for the classes to get your certificate.

I have no pilot ratings...my aviation experience was ramp/customer service and I aced the tests and the FAA check. In my class, we had a 57 year old 747 Flight Engineer with 35 years of flying and working as a mechanic under his belt. He scored lowest on just about everything and the fed nearly flunked him for repeatedly starting every sentence with "Well, when we fly our 747 into XXX, we ____." This was squarely because he kept trying to think as a pilot/FE and not from the other perspective.

Otherwise, you'll do just fine...and I think the majority of us here would be happy to help y'all out, if needed.

 

[24 carat]

Many thanks to all your people for all your replies. I will realy give this a good thought. Good to know I stand a good chance with my current knowledge.

And I hear you about being a dispatcher first - if I decide to do it I will be commited.