Blog #2 by R.R. (Sheffield Graduate)
I began looking at courses based in New Zealand and also world-wide. I had my eye on the Sheffield Course but looked at all sorts of courses. The most important factors for me included cost, location, content, reputation and type of qualification (if any,) that could be/would be awarded.
I read a fair bit in a lot of forums and it seemed to me that the general feeling was that if you were serious about a career in Flight Operations/Dispatch then it was worthwhile getting a Dispatch License. And from reading various sources it appeared to me that the US License was the best regarded worldwide.
However, looking at the UK commercial aviation industry, to work in Flight Operations a dispatch license is not required – indeed there is no formal airman license or qualification required of recognised by the UK CAA. So why bother, why not do a cheaper course and then go after a junior Ops role and learn your way on the job? Well, the decision not to do this is helping me immensely in my current role, for reasons I’ll explain shortly.
But at the time I made the decision to go after an FAA License, I put my faith in the words of others in the industry worldwide and my belief that most if not all of the content of an FAA course would be useful and relevant to a job I was going after. And looking great on my CV/Resume!
As mentioned above, the decision to pursue an FAA Dispatch Certification is proving itself already. Jumping to the present day, and in a UK Ops environment it has helped me because I am approaching everything through the framework of legality and safety, I am questioning things, checking things, speaking with crew etc.. all as if I share 50% of the legal responsibilities of dispatching an aircraft.
By doing this, I think it creates a process by where when our flight crews come for their main briefing a few hours beforehand, you are both looking at the paperwork from the same, critical angle, and more often than not they agree with your decisions and process and on they go. It would put more pressure on them to fill in gaps regarding weather and alternate choices etc close to departure, not a situation you want to be and not healthy or particularly safe for anyone!
Back to choosing a course; I had narrowed it down to wanting to take the FAA Dispatch Certification. Many many people have written their 2 cents worth online as which is the best school. For me I chose Sheffield because after sifting through the murky world of online opinion and course prospectus, the name Sheffield kept appearing in a positive light.
What really sold it for me was the availability of the option to take a correspondence course followed by a weeks’ residential at the school itself in Fort Lauderdale. This tied in with a quiet few months at work plus then being away from work for a minimum amount of time in November, just as things were starting to pick up again.
I had a few questions etc about whether it was suitable for me to take the correspondence option. In hindsight I would definitely agree with the Sheffield tutors that having some form of background in aviation is highly recommended for those taking this option.
Questions answered, decision made, it was still a big step to hand over half the course fee, a not insignificant amount for my personal finances at that time.
A short time later all the course material arrived, plus instructions for obtaining a US student visa. Exciting times!
R.R. – Sheffield Graduate
Searching & Deciding on an Airline Dispatcher School
Blog #2 by R.R. (Sheffield Graduate)
I began looking at courses based in New Zealand and also world-wide. I had my eye on the Sheffield Course but looked at all sorts of courses. The most important factors for me included cost, location, content, reputation and type of qualification (if any,) that could be/would be awarded.
I read a fair bit in a lot of forums and it seemed to me that the general feeling was that if you were serious about a career in Flight Operations/Dispatch then it was worthwhile getting a Dispatch License. And from reading various sources it appeared to me that the US License was the best regarded worldwide.
However, looking at the UK commercial aviation industry, to work in Flight Operations a dispatch license is not required – indeed there is no formal airman license or qualification required of recognised by the UK CAA. So why bother, why not do a cheaper course and then go after a junior Ops role and learn your way on the job? Well, the decision not to do this is helping me immensely in my current role, for reasons I’ll explain shortly.
But at the time I made the decision to go after an FAA License, I put my faith in the words of others in the industry worldwide and my belief that most if not all of the content of an FAA course would be useful and relevant to a job I was going after. And looking great on my CV/Resume!
As mentioned above, the decision to pursue an FAA Dispatch Certification is proving itself already. Jumping to the present day, and in a UK Ops environment it has helped me because I am approaching everything through the framework of legality and safety, I am questioning things, checking things, speaking with crew etc.. all as if I share 50% of the legal responsibilities of dispatching an aircraft.
By doing this, I think it creates a process by where when our flight crews come for their main briefing a few hours beforehand, you are both looking at the paperwork from the same, critical angle, and more often than not they agree with your decisions and process and on they go. It would put more pressure on them to fill in gaps regarding weather and alternate choices etc close to departure, not a situation you want to be and not healthy or particularly safe for anyone!
Back to choosing a course; I had narrowed it down to wanting to take the FAA Dispatch Certification. Many many people have written their 2 cents worth online as which is the best school. For me I chose Sheffield because after sifting through the murky world of online opinion and course prospectus, the name Sheffield kept appearing in a positive light.
What really sold it for me was the availability of the option to take a correspondence course followed by a weeks’ residential at the school itself in Fort Lauderdale. This tied in with a quiet few months at work plus then being away from work for a minimum amount of time in November, just as things were starting to pick up again.
I had a few questions etc about whether it was suitable for me to take the correspondence option. In hindsight I would definitely agree with the Sheffield tutors that having some form of background in aviation is highly recommended for those taking this option.
Questions answered, decision made, it was still a big step to hand over half the course fee, a not insignificant amount for my personal finances at that time.
A short time later all the course material arrived, plus instructions for obtaining a US student visa. Exciting times!
R.R. – Sheffield Graduate