Pilots visiting Dispatch

[MaceyHold]

I wanted to thank the group of Captains that came to sit with the dispatchers yesterday during a semi-IROP day. Glad to see some pilots taking the time to see how things are on the other side of the phone/radio when it's busy. Unfortunately it WAS busy, so the detail wasn't what it could've been, but it was nice to have you there. We see your side occasionally while non-revving or annual jumpseating, but it seldom happens where you see our side. Thanks for taking the time.

 

[mnalpha]

Diifernt story at piedmont, pilots told NOT to visit dispatch

 

[FL000]

I wanted to thank the group of Captains that came to sit with the dispatchers yesterday during a semi-IROP day. Glad to see some pilots taking the time to see how things are on the other side of the phone/radio when it's busy. Unfortunately it WAS busy, so the detail wasn't what it could've been, but it was nice to have you there. We see your side occasionally while non-revving or annual jumpseating, but it seldom happens where you see our side. Thanks for taking the time.

airline?

 

[shamrock]

There was talk at ASA of some pilots visiting Crew Scheduling, but the idea was dismissed because the potential for violence was just too high.

 

[Mesabi Miner]

At Mesaba, the new hires and upgrading/transitioning pilots will have the chance to visit SOC/Dispatch/Scheduling during training. These areas are co-located with our training center and are really top-notch. On a one-to-one basis, I'm sure it would be no problem to coordinate with a dispatcher and "shadow" them during a foul-weather event, etc. Extra-curricular activities such as these are encouraged by Mesaba in order to make us all more "well rounded."

MM

 

[328dude]

Same thing at PSA, dispatch and crew scheduling are off limits to line pilot's.

 

[405]

Same thing at PSA, dispatch and crew scheduling are off limits to line pilot's.

Why is dispatch and crew scheduling off limits to line pilots? That seems kind of weird to me.

I'm a firm believer that ALL Captains should be required to spend some time in dispatch as part of their recurrent training...just as we have to spend time in their office (cockpit) for part of our recurrent training.

All part of team work...which in my book lends to concurrance.

I don't know about making it REQUIRED for line pilots to sit with dispatchers. If they want to take the time and sit for an hour or two even during a bad weather day, I say no problem.

I'd prefer for the pilots to see what a bad weather day is like in our office.

 

[Flechas]

Why is dispatch and crew scheduling off limits to line pilots? That seems kind of weird to me.

I can see why scheduling and reserve pilots would have to be off limits...

 

[UPF-7]

at awac, they made all new hires in my class go visit dispatch and sched. for about an hour.

 

[FlyChicaga]

If you can visit, I recommend it. Same with ATC facilities (can you do that anymore?). Doing both was quite an eye-opener for me. It's interesting and informative to see what's happening on the other side of ACARS or SELCAL. I haven't done it at my current airline, but we did have an opportunity to view a movie which described what each position does at SOCC.

 

[WWEfan]

I tried to visit dispatch one day and was turned away

 

[405]

I'm told our training department is actually "mulling it over". We take CRM (DRM) with the pilots and it has been suggested that transitioning pilots (upgrading to left seat) spend some time in here.

An hour or two would be fine. I see your point about having them visit during inclimate weather. However, I don't know if I want them in here when the weather has gone to sh!t. It gets too crazy to accomodate visitors. I don't know about you, but I'm too busy juggling alternates, amending releases, diverting flights, tracking planes that are holding, refiling for ground holds and delays, dealing with flights that have gone "missed", etc....

JM2C

I want our pilots to see what happens in our office when the weather goes to sh!t. If someone wants to sit behind me and ask questions, fine with me. They may have some input that could help me out or tell me something that I didn't know before that could make my job a little bit easier and help them out in the future. The pilots also get to see what it's like on our end on bad weather days having reroutes, ground stops, ground delay programs, amendments, computer problems, a lot of phone/radio calls, etc.

 

[FlamingFUPA]

I want our pilots to see what happens in our office when the weather goes to sh!t. If someone wants to sit behind me and ask questions, fine with me. They may have some input that could help me out or tell me something that I didn't know before that could make my job a little bit easier and help them out in the future. The pilots also get to see what it's like on our end on bad weather days having reroutes, ground stops, ground delay programs, amendments, computer problems, a lot of phone/radio calls, etc.

During training, I got to go into dispatch on one such day. I saw a great deal of the stress they were under. I saw some really good people work really well, I also saw people I hope i never have to call on the radio in the **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED**.

 

[MaceyHold]

I tried to visit dispatch one day and was turned away

I would suggest talking to your folks in the training dept...they should be able to get you in touch with the dispatch training dept. From there you can set up a day to come in. Having pilots show up at the door actually scares us...You may have just gone through a line of level 5's and are there for revenge

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Delete, double posting, DOH!!!

 

[WMUSIGPI]

At Mesaba, the new hires and upgrading/transitioning pilots will have the chance to visit SOC/Dispatch/Scheduling during training. These areas are co-located with our training center and are really top-notch. On a one-to-one basis, I'm sure it would be no problem to coordinate with a dispatcher and "shadow" them during a foul-weather event, etc. Extra-curricular activities such as these are encouraged by Mesaba in order to make us all more "well rounded."

MM

We got to see "mission control" last Monday, They were the only ones other than us in the building being Memorial day and all. It was neat to see though it seemed fairly slow when we where there....What a way to start airline life though. Guess it's time to get used to working all the holidays again.

 

[ArcticFlier]

I'm a firm believer that ALL Captains should be required to spend some time in dispatch as part of their recurrent training...just as we have to spend time in their office (cockpit) for part of our recurrent training.

All part of team work...which in my book lends to concurrance.


JM2C

No thanks............not very convenient to have to go all the way to SGU for an hour or two.


AF

 

[AutoCars Armed]

Forget visiting dispatch. We need to make mx and dispatchers sit in the jumpseat on the very bad weather days. Then and only then will they understand why we complain about light fuel loads and deferred items when shooting approaches down to mins.

 

[91100 100 set]

Back in the good old days of ALG (actually not too long ago, 3 or 4 years), part of the annual recurrent ground school "ritual" was going out for diet cokes with various members of dispatch and scheduling after class. Often tended to make the next day in class very hazy and tiresome. But, it was nice to be able to attach a face (and drinking habits) to the voices you talk to on the phone, and a good time was usually had by all.

In all seriousness, it's good to be able to see things from the other side of the sandbox. For a little while prior to 9-11, ALG had a program for schedulers to accompany crews on their day at work, riding along in the jumpseat. Only problem was these trips were all out-and-back trips. Let's have 'em ride along on a long 4 day, getting a real taste of the hassles we deal with, often away from the airplane (ie, crummy hotels, waiting around for a van on an 8 hour overnight, etc).

 

[AutoCars Armed]

Back in the good old days of ALG (actually not too long ago, 3 or 4 years), part of the annual recurrent ground school "ritual" was going out for diet cokes with various members of dispatch and scheduling after class. Often tended to make the next day in class very hazy and tiresome. But, it was nice to be able to attach a face (and drinking habits) to the voices you talk to on the phone, and a good time was usually had by all.

In all seriousness, it's good to be able to see things from the other side of the sandbox. For a little while prior to 9-11, ALG had a program for schedulers to accompany crews on their day at work, riding along in the jumpseat. Only problem was these trips were all out-and-back trips. Let's have 'em ride along on a long 4 day, getting a real taste of the hassles we deal with, often away from the airplane (ie, crummy hotels, waiting around for a van on an 8 hour overnight, etc).

Amen Brother...my personal favorite was in PIT. Van was over an hour late and after numerous calls to sked and dispatch they advised they were going home and told us to do what we want but we are not waking up the duty dog or hotel coordinator...after advising dispatch they were going to have to delay the am flight for crew rest they started calling people.

 

[405]

No thanks............not very convenient to have to go all the way to SGU for an hour or two.

Do you think it's convenient for dispatchers to have to jumpseat? That's not really a fun way to spend a day off in my opinion.

Forget visiting dispatch. We need to make mx and dispatchers sit in the jumpseat on the very bad weather days. Then and only then will they understand why we complain about light fuel loads and deferred items when shooting approaches down to mins.

I can't speak on behalf of maintenance but I would bet that at more than a few dispatch offices, management is breathing down the dispatchers necks about "excessive" fuel use. Management sees the airlines on a big stack of reports, memos and e-mails and not from a real operational perspective like we do day to day.

If you have a dispatcher that's worth anything, they'll throw the fuel rules out the window when the weather goes to crap. Management doesn't have a license on the line. I'm always happy to answer any questions they have about why I added an extra hour of fuel to a flight I dispatched or why I gave a pilot extra fuel fuel because he or she requested it.

 

[MaceyHold]

Forget visiting dispatch. We need to make mx and dispatchers sit in the jumpseat on the very bad weather days. Then and only then will they understand why we complain about light fuel loads and deferred items when shooting approaches down to mins.

I was among several in the office that used to commute. Spent 5 years battling for seats/jumpseats up to LGA from '98-'03. I did my time seeing how things were...spending hours on the taxiway week after week, trying to navigate weather in the n'east corridor. I lived in a crashpad with several pilots, so I spent a few of my weekends on 3 day trips seeing how the other half lived.
Point is, it's good and bad on both sides...somedays fun, somedays not so much. I appreciate those that are willing to sacrifice their free time to see what the other side of thier job is about.

 

[ArcticFlier]

But it's not a requirement for me to have to go to dispatch. Therein lies the difference. If dispatch was right down the road that would be one thing. It's not. But airplanes show up virtually on dispatches doorstep each and every day in SGU, something I live and do recurrent far away from.


AF

 

[propsarebest]

But it's not a requirement for me to have to go to dispatch. Therein lies the difference. If dispatch was right down the road that would be one thing. It's not. But airplanes show up virtually on dispatches doorstep each and every day in SGU, something I live and do recurrent far away from.


AF

You ever try to non rev outta here?? Its **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** near impossible most of the time, even jumpseating, because we CANNOT fly positive space when flying the FAR REQUIRED 10 hrs/year. Everyone and their mother works here, all have like 150 years senority, and ALWAYS just show up at the airport! The bro is usually quite weight restricted outta here to LAX, and all the SLC flights are jammed packed. You should come down here,I'd be happy to have you sit with me.

Ohh, by the way, it took me 3 days and 11 legs last year to complete my observation time. I got stuck in MRY for over 3 hours, so PLEASE, don't complain about having to fly to SGU to see Dispatch and to fly to recurrent once a year. At least you get to go positive space, and it's built into your trip.

 

[AutoCars Armed]

propsarebest. Sorry to hear you don't go pos space. I don't think that is common. Unless my company is different. All our dispatcher go out and back pos space if they aren't in the jumpseat.

 

[Long Time Gone]

Back in the good old days of ALG (actually not too long ago, 3 or 4 years), part of the annual recurrent ground school "ritual" was going out for diet cokes with various members of dispatch and scheduling after class. But, it was nice to be able to attach a face (and drinking habits) to the voices you talk to on the phone, and a good time was usually had by all.

For a little while prior to 9-11, ALG had a program for schedulers to accompany crews on their day at work, riding along in the jumpseat. Only problem was these trips were all out-and-back trips.

I agree 100%. I visited Dispatch/Scheduling fairly often, even had all the door codes to get in there and I was welcomed everytime. They knew that I commuted, and "built" trips for me in front of me so I wouldn't sit reserve for 5 days waiting for a phone call.

The jumpseat thing was a part of the contract (if my memory isn't going yet), and anytime I had them with us on a trip, it was at least a 2 day with multiple legs and a short overnight. They didn't seem to mind, because they met us, and it made them understand what we went through, just like some of us visiting them all the time made us understand what they go through.

It shouldn't be off limits. Then again, they way we get treated here, it's probably better that you do need the special card in the G.O.

 

[ArcticFlier]

You ever try to non rev outta here?? Its **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** near impossible most of the time, even jumpseating, because we CANNOT fly positive space when flying the FAR REQUIRED 10 hrs/year. Everyone and their mother works here, all have like 150 years senority, and ALWAYS just show up at the airport! The bro is usually quite weight restricted outta here to LAX, and all the SLC flights are jammed packed. You should come down here,I'd be happy to have you sit with me.

Ohh, by the way, it took me 3 days and 11 legs last year to complete my observation time. I got stuck in MRY for over 3 hours, so PLEASE, don't complain about having to fly to SGU to see Dispatch and to fly to recurrent once a year. At least you get to go positive space, and it's built into your trip.

Geez......dude. Sore spot? You guys should be Positive Space. Maybe bring it up to Mike Mumford (?) If you guys are required to do it, you should get on ahead of other non-revs.

I wasn't complaining BTW. If we did recurrent in SGU (like we used to) that would be one thing. We don't. But we do it in FAT, SLC, etc.

Here's a thought: Wouldn't it be easier to get one guy (dispatcher) to a recurrent class as opposed to non-revving an entire group of guys/gals to SGU? Maybe Don Rich would want the job. Every time I see him in SLC, he's wandering around. (Just kidding! HAHAHAHAHAHA) It wouldn't be quite the same as sitting in SGU watching you guys/gals do your thing. (I'm ducking now)

On the other hand, moving dispatch to SLC would solve a whole bunch of these problems, huh?

AF

PS Unwind a bit. My first comment on this thread was with my tongue planted in my cheek.

 

[propsarebest]

AMEN TO THAT BROTHER!!!
I'm with ya on that 1000000%. Even better would be DEN, COS, or SBA.
I might of been short in my answer, and i am sorry for that. its SGU- seeing all the big wigs walking the halls here does that to ya.

 

[ArcticFlier]

No worries. My first post was meant somewhat in jest.

SBA............you guys would love that!!!! We'd never get you guys/gals to come to work, though.


AF

 

[bafanguy]

There was talk at ASA of some pilots visiting Crew Scheduling, but the idea was dismissed because the potential for violence was just too high.

shamrock,

THAT is priceless !!