A stick figure is walking up a stair of five steps. Each step has wiritten on it one of the five steps in becoming an aircraft dispatcher.

5 Steps to Become an Aircraft Dispatcher

Aircraft dispatching has become one of the most exciting careers in aviation. With benefits such as free travel, paid vacation, and complete insurance, there is no better time to become an aircraft dispatcher.

Has the New Year caused you to second guess your career? Are you thinking of becoming an aircraft dispatcher and need to know how? Sheffield School of Aeronautics: Airline Career & Aircraft Dispatcher Certification can help!

Sheffield School of Aeronautics is the world’s oldest and most reputable aircraft dispatching school. If you are considering going to school for aircraft dispatching, there is no better choice that Sheffield.

Now that you have taken the first step of your new career, here is a small checklist to ensure that you are ready for your new aircraft dispatcher career.

  1. High School Diploma: As basic as it may sound, a high school diploma is a requirement for any aircraft dispatching school. If you didn’t graduate high school, check local schools and community colleges for GED courses that can help fulfill this requirement.
  2. Hands-on experience or training: The FAA requires dispatchers to have prior experience with airplanes and flight plans. Some jobs to look into in your area: dispatch clerk or radio operator. You can also earn a college degree or degree in meteorology as a pre-requisite.
  3. Study, study, and study some more: Make sure that you do a fair amount of studying flight planning, weather, and aircraft regulations. Knowing as much information as possible that pertains to aircraft dispatching will give you a leg up once you get to aircraft dispatching school.
  4. Enroll in an FAA-Accredited aircraft dispatcher training program at Sheffield.
  5. Take the FAA aircraft dispatcher certification test: This first part of this exam is a 3 hour test that consists of 80 written questions. Part two of the exam is a hands-on test in which you will have to demonstrate that you have mastered flight planning, emergency protocols, pre-flight and departure routines, in-flight practices, landing regulations, and post-flight routines.

From here, the rest is all up to whichever private, commercial airline, or freight carrier is looking to hire in your area, and with an aircraft dispatching certification from Sheffield, you should have no problem landing the career of your dreams.

With over 65 years of experience in training, earning your certification from our world renowned facility will certainly put you ahead of other job candidates. Sheffield’s reputation as the strongest international aircraft dispatching school is guaranteed to land you the job of your dream.

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  • Testimonials

    “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
    “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
    “Being that half my new hire class dropped out over the course of training, I can confidently say that Sheffield helped to prepare me for the real world.” GT – abridged testimonial – school selection matters
    “I wanted to tell you I got the job offer from Expressjet, and start next month! I think a couple others from class were hired as well. It just shows the Sheffield reputation when I see graduates from other schools complaining that they can’t get an interview – I wasn’t even back home to Minneapolis […] Dan Gustafson
    “Sheffield School of Aeronautics is known worldwide for its quality training and has been recommended to me by our national airline Swiss International Airlines. Whenever I mention the name ‘Sheffield’ it rings a bell in people’s ears.” IW IW
    “As a graduate of Sheffield School of Aeronautics I am a firm believer that I received the most thorough and well thought out aircraft dispatcher training available. I owe my position in the industry to Sheffield School of Aeronautics.” BF Sidebar BF
    “This school came highly recommended by multiple past students and EVEN OTHERS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS. Reputation is fantastic from multiple companies that I have worked for.” A. – September 2020
    “If you want to be the best, first you need to be trained by the best!” P. Hill P.Hill – DHL
    “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
    “Your school has offered me an incredible advantage in the Dispatcher job market.” D.K. D. Kircher
    “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
    “As a graduate of the aircraft dispatcher program at the Sheffield School of Aeronautics…My training was intense and thorough and furnished me with the requisite skills for performing my current job as a Flight Dispatch Supervisor.” N.S. Sidebar NS
    “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
    “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
    “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.
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