PIC and DX coordination ??

[gslope2004]

I have read alot of good posts on this board about whos the best/worst captains to work with etc.... having been a corporate pilot, I never had to deal with dispatchers or flight releases, so I dont have this experience to help me now that I am a regional DX.

I wanted to see a discussion on what problems have been observed by both pilots and dispatchers and there working relationship as it applies to both FAR mandated procedures as well as the everyday things that go on.

How can we as two groups with a common goal do things better for each other, to really improve the quality of normal flights or flights with Abnormal situations.

Do you as pilots like to get enroute updates from DX more or less often?
What about Fuel planning issues on releases and your company's policies?
I'm just looking for a good healthy conversation on the overall flight operations relationship, insites, possible improvements, likes and dislikes.....

This should be a good topic!



Ps. I would especially like to hear from Tony C...

 

[crjdxr]

We don't got no steeenking problems!

So many possible avenues for this one...

I'm not sure how other dxr's feel about their job but IMHO dxr's are problem solvers. Usually, when things are going smoothly, you will have very little interaction with the crews. You prep the release, they grab it, sign on the dotted line, and off they go. Life is good and your double mocha latte doesn't get cold

But that little thing called weather tends to screw things up on a regular basis. The saying that "I don't get paid for the VMC days" is very true.

When the sheeot is hitting the fan the PIC is going to rely on you for help. As dxr's we have access to a wide array of tools that are fantastic. Each is helpful for any number of situations. I believe it is the dxr's job to give the crew the information they need when they need it. After some time on the job you'll be able to anticipate what information the crew is going to need.

The fun part comes in when you are positioned between the goals of the airline (GO! GO! GO!) and the concerns of the PIC (Now hold on a minute sport...). It is incumbant upon the dxr to know his/her shizzle at times like that.

Problems for dxrs...

1. Workload - Honest to goodness, when you have ten flights in the air and fifteen releases due in the next hour it is AWFULLY difficult to pay attention to everything to which you need to be paying attention.
2. Arrogance - Some, NOT ALL, dxr's think they are flying the plane. You are NOT in the pointy end of the steel tube. You fall two feet out of your chair and get to go home at the end of your shift. Captain J. Glenn is on leg six of seven, is running late, and gets to spend six hours trying to sleep at The Fleabag Inn.
3. Ownership/Responsibility - Yes, in a legal sense, you are in the sling too. But if something, God forbid, happens to one of your flights, you are going to have to stand tall before The Man. Some dxr's seem to think that does not apply to them. Or that ATC is going to take care of the problem (wx reroutes, etc...). Dxr's, again not all, need to take ownership of their flights (no matter how many there are) and make sure that the paperwork the crew is looking at is the best you can give them. Reroutes, even ugly ones, show that you are paying attention. THAT almost means more to a crew than spelling their name correctly.

I'm done for now...

 

[dispatchguy]

Dispatch

A former Navy Aviator (Randy Cunningham, first US Navy ace in Vietnam) once said "You fight like you train." Well, any dispatcher is only as good as his training, especially in his first domestic 121 gig. If his training isnt worth a hill-o-sheeit, then neither is he - I dont care where your licence came from. My airline gives a easy 20-25 question pre-test before your interview. If you just got done with DX school, the answers should be at least at the tip of your tongue - if you have any 121 experience, the answers should be nothing but second nature - about 60% fail - every person who took the test had their certificate.

Honestly, having dispatched at a variety of situations, from regionals, majors, flag, this is about the easiest gig in the airline business - but also the easiest to burn yo a$$ when you miss something. As the previous poster said, "I dont get paid for VFR days" - no truer words were spoken.

As a dispatcher, you dont just dispatch airplanes, calculate fuel, file flight plans, calc maximum takeoff weights; you are also the arbiter of what's legal as well as safe - for whats legal in a strict sense, may not necessarily be the safest course of action on any given day. You can never forget that while you arent flying the airplane, you are responsible as well. After all, someone has to be alive to do a carpet dance when the worst has happened. Personally, nothing burns my hide more than a dispatcher sending an illegal piece of paper - and had they been paying attention, the problem wouldve blatantly bit them in the face.

You are also the b1tching post for why a flight took a 20 minute delay while the rampies were playing hackysack (had it happen).

What would I do? Require captains in their initial upgrade to sit with a dispatcher for an entire shift. I am required to jumpseat to see their point of view - they can come here and see the other side of the coin. I would lessen the workload - here at work tonite, I am alone. I am dispatcher and operations coordinator/aircraft router - shouldnt be that way (and no, were not a five airplane operation either - we're a 121 domestic operation). What would happen if a flight of mine declared an emergency? Who would handle the rest of the operation while I dealt with the emergency?