The Awesome History of Aircraft Dispatch

At Sheffield, the Fort Lauderdale aircraft dispatch school, the instructors can prepare you for all the exams and certifications you need to become an aircraft dispatcher. The history of aircraft dispatch itself will not be on the midterm, but any passionate dispatcher would find the history of the craft as fascinating as it is. Of course this is not a chicken or the egg parable. Flight and aircraft definitely came first. There was no well-trained and skilled aircraft dispatcher warning Wilbur and Orville Wright of the turbulent weather they would experience at 20 feet above the ground.

These days the planes are a lot bigger, a lot heavier, and filled with a lot more people. Thousands of planes are in the air as you read this. Buzzing around at thousands of feet above the ground; taking people to important places or just on holiday. Keeping those planes in the air are a system of checks, balances, and most importantly, some really talented, professional, and passionate individuals who have decided to make a career out of thin air… so to speak. All of them went through rigorous training at an aircraft dispatch school, like Sheffield, School of Aeronautics.

But the very prestigious and important work that aircraft dispatchers do today all stems from humble beginnings. As with any industry, the starting point for aeronautics in general was a bit of a lawless chaos; imagine a Mad Max or Hunger Games of the sky. There were no rules or regulations, you just cranked up the propeller and hit the skies while trying not to hit other planes. Talk about winging it. More aeronautic puns to come, strap in.

Around the roaring 20’s when people began to use planes as a much more serious form of transportation, the US postal Service started using radio stations along air transportation routes. The Air Mail Act passed in 1925 and gave the post office the power to contract with airlines to carry the mail. So these postal workers began chatting to the pilots; giving them updates on the weather and providing some assistance in navigation. It wasn’t exactly what you would call high tech. It was a very basic form of communication that barely bordered on making any difference in safety. But it was the first.

Aircraft dispatch schools weren’t rushing to open up just yet. It wasn’t until 1938 that the famous Civil Aeronautics Act was passed which finally mandated some simple forms of safety. Strict rules were put into place to make the skies a little less chaotic and a little friendlier and safe. This is when the first aircraft dispatcher certification came into existence. There was a new airman in town and he was there to make your flight a lot safer and increase the chance of arriving at your destination with all ten fingers and all ten toes.

This fantastic history was brought to you by the air men and women at Sheffield School of Aeronautics. Love what you do and do what you love. Get certified in aircraft dispatch and join the legends and the history of safety in the skies!