The
reply from one of our graduates via e-mail:
May,
1998
P.,
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.
I
enjoy the work, and plan to eventually move to a larger company.
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.
Feel
free to e-mail me with any questions that you may have.
F.
H., Sheffield Graduate, 1998
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07/11/96
From:
S. G. Thomson (Sheffield Graduate)
Tom:
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!
Steven
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11/15/98
Hi
Jeff!
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.
Thank
You, L.S.S.
Hey
L.S.:
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.
Hang
in there,
- Jeff
B.
- Sheffield
Graduate
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September
14, 2000
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: The
intensity!
Q: Dislike?
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.
Q: How
long did it take you to find a job?
A: I
had a job 3 weeks BEFORE graduation.
Q: What
do you like about the actual Dispatcher job?
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.
Q: Dislike?
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.
L.R.
Sr. Mgr. Airline Systems Technical Support (company name)
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Q: What
did I like about Sheffield School?
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.
Q: How
long did it take me to find a job?
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.
Q: What
do I like about being a dispatcher?
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.
Q: What
don't I like about the job?
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.
Q: Describe
my job.....
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.
Q: When
should I begin looking for a job?
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.
Q: Can
I get extra tutoring?
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.
Q: Is
Sheffield really THE school to attend?
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.
Good
Luck to You! G.H.
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.
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