Thinking about becoming a dx'er.

[Av8rPHX]

Hi all,

I am thinking about getting my dispatch certificate in the near future. I currently work for a regional airline out west. I was wondering if anyone could offer any insight for me? I already have the Gleim ATP Written test prep book and have started going through that.

Thanks,

Av8r

 

[SKC]

What type of insight are you looking for specifically?

 

[rvsm410]

Getting You're Dispatch Certificate

Hi all,

I am thinking about getting my dispatch certificate in the near future. I currently work for a regional airline out west. I was wondering if anyone could offer any insight for me? I already have the Gleim ATP Written test prep book and have started going through that.

Thanks,

Av8r

Well I take a shot at this one. First of all since you already work for a regional out west, you should try to speak with some of your own company dispatchers to see what they have to say about DX....If you want to stay with your current company, getting the license might be a good thing.
You need to know what the company policy is for promoting from within.

As for the profession, well you have to like details...lots of details...you have to like flight planning, weather, really know weather, study it well.. You have to know the aircraft you are to dispatch. You have to be willing to earn probably less than you think you could earn.

From a broad perspective, dont get caught up in the dispatch schools hipe on salary, or future openings....dispatch is a very small community of people in this country by any standards...I believe there at a total of less than 1800 "active" 121 Dx'ers....

As far as school is concerned, there are the BIG schools, and there are the small ones...when it comes down to it, pick on that has instructors that care to really teach not recite a red book.....most of the big schools cram and jam you into a 6 week course, it works for some, but alot fail to complete them and drop out....in the end, it does not mean a hill of beans where you went, all that will matter is if you have the right stuff to keep everything together and safe.

Here is a salary web site for WDFF, or will dispatch for food: http://64.255.97.93/

You wont get rich but you can earn a living if you can get through the first few years. I would caution you to keep in mind that getting to the majors, is really not a very realistic near term goal, it would probably take you 10 to 15 years to even be considered, and as we all know, the picture of what a "Major" is has changed and will continue to do so in the future...

I would suggest picking a good regional that is not solely dependant on one legacy carrier, one stands on its own, and make a career of it with them....

I am sure "dispatcher121" can lend even better insight than I can....having been with the same regional for some time now....good luck and keep it simple and as cheap as possible to get that license...just look for Great instructors that have a passion to teach you to be a dispatcher, not a test taker....

 

[propsarebest]

here's tyhe thing about getting your license...

IT DOSEN'T MATTER WHERE YOU GO TO GET YOUR LICENSE, JUST GET ONE! When you get hired by a airline, EVERYONE in your class is at the same starting point, training is all the same, and you are at the bottom of the list.

I gather that you live on PHX, there is a school run by a couple of old TWA guys in Tuscon- lots of people that I work with went there.

 

[exactlywrong]

As a dispatcher good thing is you know YOUR going home at the end of the day.

 

[flyjumpseat]

As a dispatcher good thing is you know YOUR going home at the end of the day.

Unless you commute like me, but at least you know WHEN your shift is up, you're done for the day.

 

[Av8rPHX]

<quote>As for the profession, well you have to like details...lots of details...you have to like flight planning, weather, really know weather, study it well.. You have to know the aircraft you are to dispatch. You have to be willing to earn probably less than you think you could earn. </quote>

well from everything i've seen so far, it seems that alot of the material is pretty much the same stuff as the PPL,COM,INST stuff I have done. So hopefully this stuff will make sense . And, our pay is low, I believe $11/hr.

 

[exactlywrong]

Av8rPHX - I'm not joking ... memorizing key questions and answers from that Big Red book is the way to go. Trying to actually learn from it might break your brain.

Once your in school focus on your 'non graphic wx' when it comes time to get the WIZ wheels out along with the fuel graphs you'll slowly start to put it all together on your first release... which will take like 10 hours to do.

Get that License!

BUT the real learning that must stick with you will be your companys basic 'indoc', thats where you learn their planes, their systems and their ops specs.

squirrel your money, live cheap, $ave for a rainy day.

 

[comair1048]

I agree with the other DX's

I started my career on the ramp ten years ago I have worked for:

GLA (Great Lakes) @ ORD
SWA @ MDW
CHQ @ IND
ATA @ IND
UFS (United Feeder Service) @ ORD
DL @ ATL/ORD
OH on the ramp and in Dispatch MDW/CVG
CO @ ORD

I was fortunante that OH paid for my Dipatch Ticket when they were able to do so. I went to Sheffield down in FLL. The red book that exactly wrong is talking about is a must. But from my opinion it is really really outdated. BUt in order to get your ticket you need to remember it, pass the test, and then forget it. You will never use anything in that book.

As far as getting to a major 121 carrier I think that the days of that are pretty much passed. Looks like the legacy carriers are cutting staff and that means the dispatcher as well.

But unlike an A&P or a Pilot your ticket is good forever and you don't have to practice it like the other tickets. Jumpseating is awesome, I have jumpseated on a number of other carriers and I almost never have a problem, (Except for Eagle) they dont even let their own DX's ride in the front unless in is their fam flight.

So all in all I think that the dispatch profession is a good one here are some articles that might help you

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/getline/2005-05-09-ask-the-captain_x.htm?POE=click-refer

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/airlinedispatchercentral/
And a group on yahoo

Hope this Helps