Can anyone tell me what has happened to being a “Professional” Aircraft Dispatcher?
I am going to show my age here, but when I started being a dispatcher it was a career choice, not something I wanted to do, because it sounded like fun. When I started dispatching, the only thing that was computerized, was the sending of the dispatch release through the airline’s computer system. Any significant weather issues were hand plotted on a map, after receiving the latest coordinates from the latest Airmets, Sigmets, or Convective Sigmets. Flights were rerouted by using the trusty ole JEPP charts. If there was a performance penalty on the aircraft, we broke out the AFM, and used the charts and graphs to figure the penalty, and applying to the performance of the aircraft. Our plot for the routing of the aircraft was on the back wall of the office, and we moved the magnetic strips. Today a majority of work is computerized, and has made it easier for us, but also, LAZY!!!!
Here are a few things I have witnessed in the past few years.
1) A dispatcher actually releasing a flight to a closed airport. Yes, it was in the NOTAMS, as closed, but this dispatcher, called the station agent, and not the tower. So, yes to the station agent, the airport was opened. The dispatcher passed this onto the captain, not telling him who he got the information from. And so, although, the airport was still NOTAM’ed closed, the flight launched and diverted back to hub, after being told by center the airport was still closed and no plans on re opening anytime soon.
2) A dispatcher actually telling a captain he had no idea why a major east coast hub was ground stopped, for arrivals and departures, because he saw nothing significant on his radar. Nothing significant, was a line of thunderstorms, with tops of FL600 to the west of the field
3) After the weather at major hub, dropped below landing mins, the dispatchers, either, giving the crews the wrong information, such as the RVR for the wrong runway, they were not even using for the approach, or not even advising the crews on the flights still enroute, via ACARS, the weather situation.
4) Hearing a dispatcher state why should he reroute a flight around an area of severe thunderstorms, because ATC will do it.
5) Informing a dispatcher that was relieving me of duty, of an MEL item that required it to be reflected on the performance, to be told, “why, the crew can figure this out”.
Look people, we are regulated by the FAR’s of what our duties are, and one of them is not being on the internet looking at “My Space”, or the latest score of the big game that is on, or worrying that the television, that is suppose to be on the “Weather Channel” can get reception for that days big game.
My company is currently in contract negotiations with the dispatch union, and yes, we want more money, but I am sorry, why should we get more money, when the job we are suppose to be doing, is not being done.
So, once again, what ever happened to the Aircraft Dispatch profession?
I am going to show my age here, but when I started being a dispatcher it was a career choice, not something I wanted to do, because it sounded like fun. When I started dispatching, the only thing that was computerized, was the sending of the dispatch release through the airline’s computer system. Any significant weather issues were hand plotted on a map, after receiving the latest coordinates from the latest Airmets, Sigmets, or Convective Sigmets. Flights were rerouted by using the trusty ole JEPP charts. If there was a performance penalty on the aircraft, we broke out the AFM, and used the charts and graphs to figure the penalty, and applying to the performance of the aircraft. Our plot for the routing of the aircraft was on the back wall of the office, and we moved the magnetic strips. Today a majority of work is computerized, and has made it easier for us, but also, LAZY!!!!
Here are a few things I have witnessed in the past few years.
1) A dispatcher actually releasing a flight to a closed airport. Yes, it was in the NOTAMS, as closed, but this dispatcher, called the station agent, and not the tower. So, yes to the station agent, the airport was opened. The dispatcher passed this onto the captain, not telling him who he got the information from. And so, although, the airport was still NOTAM’ed closed, the flight launched and diverted back to hub, after being told by center the airport was still closed and no plans on re opening anytime soon.
2) A dispatcher actually telling a captain he had no idea why a major east coast hub was ground stopped, for arrivals and departures, because he saw nothing significant on his radar. Nothing significant, was a line of thunderstorms, with tops of FL600 to the west of the field
3) After the weather at major hub, dropped below landing mins, the dispatchers, either, giving the crews the wrong information, such as the RVR for the wrong runway, they were not even using for the approach, or not even advising the crews on the flights still enroute, via ACARS, the weather situation.
4) Hearing a dispatcher state why should he reroute a flight around an area of severe thunderstorms, because ATC will do it.
5) Informing a dispatcher that was relieving me of duty, of an MEL item that required it to be reflected on the performance, to be told, “why, the crew can figure this out”.
Look people, we are regulated by the FAR’s of what our duties are, and one of them is not being on the internet looking at “My Space”, or the latest score of the big game that is on, or worrying that the television, that is suppose to be on the “Weather Channel” can get reception for that days big game.
My company is currently in contract negotiations with the dispatch union, and yes, we want more money, but I am sorry, why should we get more money, when the job we are suppose to be doing, is not being done.
So, once again, what ever happened to the Aircraft Dispatch profession?
