First Two Freedoms of the Air

Sheffield School of Aeronautics is one of the oldest schools for aircraft dispatchers. In our time, educating students on the wonders of the field of aviation expertise has changed quite a bit. When Sheffield opened its doors in 1944, the commercial aviation industry was still very young, and many of the rules and regulations we know today did not exist. There are nine fundamental freedoms of the air that aircraft dispatchers know.  

We think it may be interesting to discuss some of these rights of the sky, and there are two in particular that are very important to the work that aircraft dispatchers do every day.  

The First Freedom 

Airplanes have the right to fly over a foreign country. Technically, all of the air above a country belongs to that country. It would be impossible to fly efficiently if aircraft dispatchers could not create flight paths that entered foreign airspace. Thus. the first freedom of the air allows airlines the right to fly over foreign land.  

The Second Freedom 

This gives airlines the right to land in a foreign country to refuel or perform maintenance, without the passengers disembarking from the plan. For long flights, especially intercontinental ones, it is absolutely necessary to refuel at half way points. An aircraft dispatchers job is to decide when and where to refuel during a flight. Without this freedom of the air, long distance flying would not be possible at all.  

However, neither of these “freedoms” are free. Most airlines are charged a fee for flying over a foreign country and touching down to refuel the aircraft. Though an aircraft dispatcher’s job is to focus on the flight plan and fueling, some airlines may instruct dispatchers to be conscious of the costs to the airline as well.

This entry was posted in Aviation, Flight Dispatcher Courses. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
  • Contact Us

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Testimonials

    “now that I’ve been in an indoctrination class with students from other schools, I know I made the right choice with Sheffield.”   Kindest regards,  A.R.  All schools are created equal?! yeah…sure ;)
    “Sheffield School of Aeronautics is a highly recognized and respected organization throughout the airline industry. They only produce the highest quality of graduate…” P.W. Sidebar PW
    “If you want to be the best, first you need to be trained by the best!” P. Hill P.Hill – DHL
    “Going to Sheffield prepared me for the real world challenges of Aircraft Dispatching. I certainly believe that the method Sheffield used is one not only for success in a real world career, but also one that prepares students to correctly dispatch aircraft.” T.Z. Sidebar TZ
    “Eric Morris is one of the most if not the most knowledgeable and experienced authorities on Aircraft Dispatching in the United States. He strives constantly to make the industry better.” DH sidebar DH
    “My experience at Sheffield and my exposure to other aircraft dispatchers that did not go to Sheffield has resulted in an awareness of the superior depth and quality of the training provided by the Sheffield instructors.” CD Sidebar CD
    “I am so glad they are like this because it made me a better dispatcher and I really appreciate their high standards. I would highly recommend Sheffield to anyone who is willing to study hard and is serious about obtaining a Dispatcher Certificate.” MC MC
    “This was an amazing class! Always interesting! It was like drinking from a fire hose, but I have never enjoyed a course more than this one. Thank you for a great 5 weeks & EWINS!” R.S. R.S. Testimonial – 5-weeks & EWINS
    “I am a month into my new job at a airline coming out of reorganization, and am helping the training department by referencing the excellent and up to date course book provided to all Sheffield grads.” RW RW
    “These men represented the highest caliber of professionalism and integrity. The education I received from these gentleman has afforded me to be gainfully employed while having the opportunity to use the education received, all over this country, and more than a few others.” WG sidebar wg
    “While touring my company’s dispatch department before I had my license our OCC manager pointed out that 7 of the 10 dispatchers on shift had come from Sheffield. The overall consensus was that Sheffield grads were able to hit the ground running as they were better prepared.” K.O. Sidebar K.O.
    “I am a graduate of the Sheffield’s Dispatcher Program. I have been a Captain-Part 121 Airline, Certified Flight/Grnd Instructor, and FAA Designated Check Airman and Sim Instructor (Part 121). From my experience I would rate Sheffield School as outstanding in their field.” PT PT
    “Their reputation of excellence amongst the industry is second to none. Sheffield School of Aeronautics should be seen as the standard of how it can be done and how it should be done. I was hired at a major airline with no dispatch experience.” A.Z. Sidebar AZ
    “After receiving my certificate, I joined a class of 4 experienced dispatchers for Part 121 initial training. Without experience, my preparation at Sheffield enabled me to become active at the same time after the initial training.” PR PR
    Good afternoon Eric, I wanted to reach out to let you know that training at (airline) is in full swing and I couldn’t be happier that I chose Sheffield. My classmates, while very smart, definitely had subpar training and that has been very evident. I have waited to write a full scale review of the […] Attending Sheffield School benefits airline new hires in preparation for airline training
  • Online Catalog

    Sheffield Flight Dispatch Training Catalog

  • Connect