A Day in the Life of an Aircraft Dispatcher

Aircraft Dispatcher and Flight Followers may seem like one in the same but there is one crucial difference – certification. They perform almost similar tasks since both jobs entail flight planning, flight plan filing, weather analysis, and flight monitoring. The major airlines and commuter airlines are domestic carriers and require certified aircraft dispatchers who are jointly responsible with the pilot for the safety of the flight. Most ad-hoc cargo carriers are supplemental carriers and have flight followers who do not legally require certification, and they are not jointly responsible with the pilot for the flight.

An aircraft dispatcher for a domestic carrier will be concerned with national or even international weather, but more specifically the weather of the region in which they are dispatching flights. Aircraft dispatchers will begin by analyzing radar summaries, weather depiction charts, satellite images, and prognostic charts until they are familiar with the weather situation in their region. The aircraft dispatcher will then get a rundown of all flights, as well as any unusual situations pertaining to flights or weather from the previous shift.

The aircraft dispatcher will then have two concerns: monitoring the progress of the flights that are already en route and preparing for the flights they must initiate. First, the aircraft dispatcher will check the weather of all the destination airports in which the en route flights are headed. They will then begin flight planning for all of the future flights, which can be up to 20 flights.

For each flight, the aircraft dispatcher will have a list of weather questions to answer before completing a flight plan. Questions that need to be addressed are: Is the departure visibility good enough for the plane to depart? If so, is the weather at the departing airport above landing minimum? There are several requirements for listing a takeoff and many factors that play into planning takeoffs and landings, and aircraft dispatchers have to plan alternate take-off and landings for each flight that they are planning.

After analyzing the weather, the aircraft dispatcher must select the appropriate routes and altitude, and then run the flight plan calculations. Thank goodness for automation, because back in the day aircraft dispatchers had to calculate flight plans by hand. Most domestic carriers have advanced computerized programs that select altitudes and “canned” routes based on winds aloft. However, like any computerized system, these computers are not always fail-proof and the aircraft dispatcher must review the routing and take into consideration their weather analysis. The aircraft dispatcher must then file the flight plan with ATC.

The aircraft dispatcher is responsible for staying up-to-date on all weather changes and en route flights. They maintain contact with every pilot in flight and they make all of the necessary adjustments if there is a change in weather, based on their alternate flight plans. On top of flight planning an average of 20 flights per day, a flight dispatcher can put in at least 10 hours of work at a time, a very long and tedious day of dispatching flights.

Additional Readings:

  • Contact Us

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

  • Testimonials

    “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
    “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
    “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
    “If you want to be the best, first you need to be trained by the best!” P. Hill P.Hill – DHL
    “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
    “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
    “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
    “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 a highly recognized and respected organization throughout the airline industry. They only produce the highest quality of graduate…” P.W. Sidebar PW
    “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
    “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
    “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.
    “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
    “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
  • See More Testimonials »

  • Online Catalog

    Sheffield Flight Dispatch Training Catalog

  • View Our Online Catalog »

  • Connect