Sheffield School -Airline dispatcher training

I will try to address your questions as best I can based on my experience. I wouldn't say that the work is inherently stressful, unless you do not respond well to a demanding work environment. It is often fast paced.

I graduated from Sheffield School of Aeronautics in February. I have been on several interviews. I turned down one job offer, and declined three interviews which I felt fairly certain were likely to result in job offers. I went to work locally last month. I could have been working sooner, but my wife has a good position, and we were not ready to move.

The school was outstanding. Having done extensive research before deciding on a school, I felt it was the best in the industry. It is very well respected in the industry.

The salary numbers you mentioned are about right. Some of the regional/commuter airlines are paying about $18-20K to start. A few will bump you to $24-25K after you are trained and checked out. If you have a little geographic flexibility, you will be able to get a good job. One of my study partners got on with a freight company, and he started at $28K. I think that over the long term, there could be some upward pressure on salaries as these companies find that they are unable to keep people.

Career progression would be supervisory level or a training position in a Dispatch Office. Also, there is more money at the bigger carriers. You could also go from the Dispatch Office to other positions in Operations.

Sheffield is certainly the best school out there. Five of the 8 at my company have gone to Sheffield. I feel that the Sheffield name commands respect at airlines. Also, the material you learn will help you succeed on the job. We have one non-Sheffield graduate working at our airline who struggles with things that are second nature to the Sheffield graduates. Also, a non-Sheffield graduate washed out of the training program here recently.

The study required is about 4 hours daily and 6-8 hours on weekends. The key is to not get behind, as the pace builds as you progress in the course.

I did well, and I had not been in a classroom for over 10 years. Find 2 or 3 study partners and work together every day.

It will help if you come to school prepared to take the FAA (knowledge exam). Sheffield will send you (some helpful materials) early and a list of likely questions. I found the Gleim Software Test Prep to be a helpful supplement. You will have no problem with the FAA Oral exam if you apply yourself during the course.

One last word, I would suggest that you not consider any of the other schools. Even though you might save a few hundred bucks, it just isn't worth the gamble when a long career is at stake.

Sheffield was an excellent school. I had Eric Morris for an instructor, and he was relentless. He stated the first day that we were going to learn a great deal every day, and that you had be prepared to absorb everything and study a few hours every night and more on weekends.

I had a passion to learn the business, and worked very hard. It is a lot of material, but if you are very interested in aviation and aircraft, and study hard, you will do well. Eric is a perfectionist, but dispatching in real life is about perfection and attention to detail. He is one of the best teachers I have ever had, because he prepares you well for the real job.

Near the end of the class, you take the final written exam, which is a complete flight plan for an entire trip on a B727. You have about three hours to complete it, and it must be correct, or you won't pass or be allowed to take the oral exam. But rest assured, you have tests every couple of days, and are graded, so you know how you are doing day to day. You can also study with your roommates, and ask the instructor for help.

I took the final written exam on the morning of the last day, and since I was flying home the next morning, they scheduled my oral exam that afternoon. It lasted a couple of hours. I was with one other student, and the designated FAA examiner gave us scenarios and asked us questions in turn. some were easy, some were superfluous, some were difficult. But after 6 weeks of Eric, and serious hard work, I walked into the exam with confidence, and passed it with flying colors. The examiner gave me a handwritten license that was the real thing. At that point, I was a real dispatcher. The FAA mailed me a printed license about 6 weeks later, which I had laminated.

I graduated December 7th, 1990, and started with Trans World Express in St. Louis 10 days later. I worked in Flight Control for about a month on the midnight shift doing paperwork and filing. You can't legally dispatch an aircraft until you have taken the airline's ground school, which usually lasts two weeks. It is a breeze compared to Sheffield, because you just familiarize yourself with the specific routes, and equipment.

After the ground school I bid on a shift, showed up for work and dispatched Part 135 equipment for about two months, and was promoted to Part 121 equipment, which was the ATR 42 and 72. They were a delight to dispatch. I was scheduled for 4-10 hour days. I started at 0430 and worked until 1330 or 1430, with three days off. I would spend about 15 minutes on weather, viewing satellite pictures, area forecasts, terminal forecasts, winds aloft and actual hourly sequences. I would check with maintenance control for mechanical problems, and finally would scan the fuel on board on all the aircraft parked at outstations.

If the weather required alternates, I would find a couple of solid airports close to St. Louis, compute the fuel burn from St. Louis to that alternate, and make a note. I would then pull up the passenger loads, and with the winds aloft, compute all the fuel burns for my first wave of flights, which would be the aircraft that overnighted at outstations, and would be inbound to St. Louis. I would also check with crew scheduling for any late crew shows or related problems. Crew rest is a major factor, because crews must have legal rest, and not go over their legal daily and weekly times. I have canceled flights because crews were there but not legal to fly.

After completing my flight planning, I would fill out the IFR dispatch release on the computer, and send it off to the departure station at least 1 hour before departure. This would allow the fuel I specify to be uploaded, and the Captain time to look over the release. Most Captains accepted my release, but some would call up and want to know why I selected a particular alternate, or had questions about the enroute weather, especially during thunderstorm activity. When the destination weather is low or at minimums, they will call you and ask pointed questions about how you computed minimums at a certain airport, or to be sure a departure is prudent and legal, and you must be prepared to answer with confidence. My training at Sheffield gave me that confidence.

Sometime after you start, you are sent out for the day to ride the cockpit jumpseat on the type of equipment you are dispatching for at least 5 hours. This is done every year to keep you legal. It's a lot of fun, and you get a chance to see first hand what really goes on and meet some of the flight crews.

Our airline had reciprocal jumpseat agreements with many major carriers for personal travel, and I could ride the jumpseat on lots of carriers including United, Federal Express, America West, TWA and UPS, etc. Many times when you jumpseat on another carrier for travel, the Captain will ask you if you want to ride in the cockpit, or sit in First Class. I usually rode up front unless I was sleepy, and I would go back to first class. Definitely one of my favorite benefits.

I was with TWE for almost two years, and I went to lots of job interviews with larger carriers. I wanted jet experience. I had offers from both American Trans Air and Braniff International. I took a chance and went to Braniff, and they went broke shortly after I arrived. I returned to my former career in the auto business, at least for the time being. I really miss my job, though, and entertain the idea of returning from time to time.

It is the only job I have ever thoroughly enjoyed. The pay can be low to start, but the benefits and experience are marvelous. Most of the other dispatchers I started with are working for large carriers, some of them are even making a lot of money!

I, also, changed careers, and it was a little scary at first, but I never looked back and would do it all over again. Give my regards to Eric and Ron Morris, and feel free to write back and ask all the questions you want. You are in for an exciting time!

I'm planning to attend Sheffield School to obtain the flight dispatch license. Please tell what to expect down there and how you liked it.I am a pilot and meteorologist and someone told me to look into the dispatch job arena as it would fit in well with my qualifications and desires.Are there any jobs in this field worth seeking? I would appreciate your opinion before I invest time and money.

Thanks for the e-mail. Being a pilot and meteorologist will give you a great head start at the school but be prepared to learn and learn and learn things you have never considered. The Morris Family will tell you at every point that it will be necessary to study alot and consistantly and I found this to be true. The class is conducted from 8am to 4pm and it would be most beneficial to go ahead and stay until 5pm. That extra hour is generally review and fine tuning and won't cost you a dime extra. There is about 2 weeks of basic weather theory also covering graphic and non-graphic weather. The various regulations are covered in depth enough to understand the principles and there are various lectures about aircraft performance, B727 systems, the Jeppesen IFR approach plates, enroute charts and flight planning.

It's an awful lot of information but the Sheffield staff do an excellent job of presenting it. It's a 6 week course that is designed to teach you the art of aircraft flight dispatching instead of just teaching the FAA knowledge test. Part of the requirement of the course is to pass the FAA Aircraft Dispatcher knowledge exam which is taken from the FAA ATP curriculum. Based on my own experience I passed the FAA ADX exam just fine but you should consider taking the knowledge test before you arrive at the school. Of course that may mean a $60 exam fee at a computer testing center whereas Sheffield will administer the test as part of your tuition but in purely my own situation I would have rather had the FAA test out of the way beforehand and spent my first 2-3 weeks studying the Sheffield course alone. Of course the instructors give several workshops to help you apply some of the principles to complete the FAA test. Given your meteorology background you should have no problem in basic weather theory and the graphic/non-graphic parts of weather so you may have no problem studying the weather as well as the FAA written during those first 2 weeks or so but my knowledge beforehand was rather limited even though I was a student pilot at the time.

If you have any concerns or something your not sure about feel free to e-mail anytime. The other points I like to bring up is the housing. I would whole-heartedly recommend living in the apartments. There are 3-4 people in each apartment with 2 bedrooms. My 2 room-mates were from the Ukraine, next to Russia and the experience of living with them was more than memorable. The malls nearby give a more than ample supply of restaurants from McDonald's to J.Alexander's. Or if your like me and get tired of restaurant cooking, a Publix grocery store is very conveniently nearby. The classroom environment was excellent with more than ample workspace and the grounds were excellent. Don't give up a chance to feed the fish outside. They love popcorn.

I wasn't really into the bar and party scene down there but occasionally to "get away" from everything I went over to Fort Lauderdale International Airport Fri evening or Sat/Sun afternoon. They have 2 excellent aircraft viewing areas and a who's who of the airline industry flying in. From the swarms and swarms of Beech 1990's from Gulfstream International flying to the Bahamas to the 767 for Delta and the 747 for Tower was a treat. I even saw AirForce 2 when I was down there. Another airport nearby is Fort Lauderdale Executive. It is one of the largest general aviation airports in South Florida and it has an excellent viewing area as well.

The bottom line,,, it's hard work with alot of studying but it's sure worth it in the end. Dispatching is like any other job, unless you're digging a well you're going to start at the bottom but it seems to have a wonderful sense of satisfaction when your plan comes together. I've worked Ramp Operations part time for FedEx here in Memphis and it's a great feeling of accomplishment when the aircraft blocks on time. A much better sense of accomplishment than what I get from the police department. Very rarely in these days do you find an organization that's interested in you and not just your money. Mr Morris and the "crew" at Sheffield are prime examples.

The hard work and study are well worth it when you leave with that great looking diploma and more importantly that FAA certificate.

Q: I am most likely going to attend Sheffield in January for the dispatcher program. Before I make my final decision I was hoping to get some feedback from former students. Ron Morris sent me several email addresses, yours was among them. I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment and answer some questions. What did you like about it?

A: There were some folks in the class that were required to be there by their employers. They did not seem to take the class as serious.

A: The HIGH paced challenge. Everyday there is a different hurdle and it keeps you on your toes. I like the OPERATIONS aspect and the technical, and highly intricate skill level required.

A: I am now managing a group of operations support personnel, I wish I was back on the floor....

Q: I have read the job description of a dispatcher on several school web sites. From my experience I know that the actual job is not necessarily the same as the job description. Could you describe the job that you are at now?

A: I manage a group of individuals that support a Flight Planning mission control application. We have over 400 airline customers and maintain that highly mission critical application airlines like Southwest, Delta and FedEx depend on. The Dispatcher function requires you to think quickly on your feet and put a lot into the job. Pay attention to weather, ops constraints and maintenance and you will do fine. The airline relies on your flexibility and needs you to be efficient. There are a lot of "so called" dispatcher schools out there that run you through a conditioned program. I have worked with folks from the other schools (including ----) and have seen the benefits of schooling under Ron and Eric. Sheffield is the cream of the crop when it comes to training. We, at ---, will use Sheffield to train some of our new OPS ANALYSTS to get to the bar that Sheffield owns - (the TOP). No school compares to the preparation that Sheffield provides. Trust me, if you want to be a GOOD dispatcher, go to Sheffield.

A: Everything about the school. Brett is an incredible teacher, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and eager to help. He really kept challenging us and kept it interesting at the same time.

A: I had an offer from my old employer about half way through class, I had another offer from Sky West before class was over, and I had the interview scheduled with Midway before I left Sheffield for the Friday after class ended. I was offered the job during the interview and accepted. I was offered probably five other interviews, but turned them down because I knew I wanted to come here.

A: The CONSTANT learning. Even the guys I work with who have been here five years or more will tell you they learn something new every week. I'm still learning something new every day. There is a constant feeling of accomplishment when the weather does what you thought it would do and you planned correctly. I like the stress of it, how quickly the time goes when things are happening, and I also like the environment. I don't know what your current job is, if you've ever been to a flight control center. It's such a stressful, dynamic job that we seem to be allowed a certain leeway to be more casual than other departments are expected. If everything is going well, maintenance and weather and crews and ATC are all cooperating then you joke around and have a great time. And when those things aren't cooperating, then you all work together. It's an amazing environment.

A: There isn't much. It suits me. I suppose I don't like when ATC says "No." and I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall, but I can't imagine a profession where I would rather be banging my head against a wall. Sometimes it almost becomes a game of out-thinking ATC and the weather. It's an awesome mental exercise. I guess I also don't care for being the low man on the totem pole at the moment. I get the last schedule that everyone didn't bid, I work nights and all the holidays, but I knew what I was getting into, it's all based on seniority.

A: It's an awesome responsibility. This is where everything comes together for the airline. People are constantly calling to ask you questions, and a lot of things can't happen without you. If you live anywhere near an airline, call and tell them you are thinking of becoming a dispatcher and ask if you can observe flight control. I plan the route of flight, I coordinate with maintenance control, I console pilots, I laugh with pilots, I determine fuel loads, get measurements of seats for disabled passengers, call ATC and try to find different routes, I pray the thunderstorm moves before my flight gets there. I watch the weather channel with dread on my days off. I assign all the flights for the next day to the appropriate dispatcher, sometimes I have to enter the new NOTAMs in the computer and delete the old ones. I talk with the gate agents, pilots, ATC, fueling, maintenance, operations people, people at different stations, I ask questions and get asked questions. I'm not sure how else to describe it. We are the center of the airline. Every decision we make has to take all the other areas into consideration.

A: Immediately get started looking for a job when you get there, they will give you a list of airlines, and accept a position where you immediately go in as a dispatcher. You need to put your new skills to work as soon as possible.

A: Take advantage of staying after class to study! You are going to get out of Sheffield exactly what you put into it. If you go there with the intention of working your rear end off for six or seven weeks and learning as much as you can, you will get an incredible education and a pass into a great career. Eric Morris will not hold anybody's hand, you have to earn your license and you walk out of there knowing it.

A: The dispatchers I used to work with recommended Sheffield and thank God. I have a friend who went to ------ who's license just got pulled because she didn't have enough class time. I've heard of it happening to others as well. My boss can tell you how well my interview went. He still talks about it to this day that it's the best he's ever had. Must have been for him to offer me the job right then and there. I consider going to Sheffield to have been the best decision I've made so far in my career. I can still call them with questions and I call the textbook they gave me my dispatch 'bible', I still pull it out to look things up.

Date: Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:16:49 -0400

Hello Michael,

I attended Sheffield in Oct 2000, I found that Sheffield is a tough school no time to play around. In the process of attending the school, I found that the staff will help you in anyway they can, after class, on the weekends whatever it takes. They don't teach you to pass the ADX as is the case of most dispatch schools,
they will guide you in the right direction on the ADX, but passing it is up to you. They teach the real stuff, a lot you will use in the real world and some just to enhance your aviation knowledge. I had Eric for my teacher and he was the best!!!!!! 99% of airlines look for Sheffield graduates, because they know how hard you have to work to become a graduate from this school. It's no walk in the park, but after it is all said and done, you will have a great feeling that you have really done something for yourself by passing this course.

I work for XX XXXXXXX Express and yes I love my job, some days (are tough) as with any job, but I do love what I am doing for a living. The aviation job market is up and down it is on the uphill swing at this time. I must say don't plan to start out with a major and making the big bucks, you have to pay your dues so to speak. Get some experience and then move on. You might get lucky and find that perfect job right off the bat and than again maybe not. I have a very good repore built with my pilots, tell Eric I said that it is ok if he reads you a couple of recommendations that have been written for me by my pilots, it is a team effort by my pilots and me, just ask Eric. I don't B.S. them and give them the information I have at the time and we go from there.

After graduating from Sheffield I had a job in less the two months, I cannot say enough about the school and how good their system is. It was hard, but it paid off in the long run. If dispatching is the job you are looking into then Sheffield it the best place to go, they sometimes even have job interviews before you leave the school. Airlines like to see "Sheffield School of Aeronautics" on a résumé. Sorry for such a long answer, but I thought that you needed to know the facts, if there is anything else I might be able to help you with please feel free to contact me again!

Sincerely,
M.P.

499 NW 70th Ave Suite 110
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33317 - USA
Tel 800-843-8289, 954-581-6022
Fax 954-584-8980
email morris@sheffield.com

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