What It Means to be a Good Aircraft Dispatcher

Becoming an aircraft dispatcher is tough work. From completing the required courses and dispatcher programs, taking the test to get your license and undergoing training from your airline employer, it can be a good deal of time before you are able to work on and manage your own flights. Thanks to aircraft dispatcher schools like Sheffield School of Aeronautics, you can receive a great education and training for an affordable price. Most importantly, you will learn the dos and don’ts of being a flight dispatcher.

A good aircraft dispatcher is someone who embodies four important qualities: effective communication, decisiveness, thoughtful consideration, and a meticulous personality. An aircraft dispatcher’s quality in these four aspects will mean the difference between a good, bad, and excellent dispatcher. The better the dispatcher, the better the flight dispatcher salary. An aircraft dispatcher course will give you the insight and training needed to begin a career in the aeronautics industry, but these skills are learned through personal training and inherent skills.

When schools like Sheffield School of Aeronautics discuss aircraft dispatcher requirements, the focus is often on the industry knowledge you must possess to perform the daily tasks. These skills are imparted during the lessons you receive in aircraft dispatcher courses. Once you have completed the aircraft dispatcher training and all certification tests, these skills will be used every day in your job as an aircraft dispatcher:

Effective Communication Skills

You are communicating with pilots and flight controllers throughout your day, and it is important to communicate effectively, as well as actively listen. The international language for aircraft dispatch is English, which means a solid command of the English language is required. Working well with people is another part of effective communication. You need to be comfortable communicating with different levels of people throughout your day to ensure an efficient process.

Decisive Personality

Your ability to make informed decisions quickly will come in handy as an aircraft dispatcher. This skill works in tandem with your knowledge and training to allow you to make the correct decisions at the right times. There will often be times when you need to make decisions to divert the plane or veer off the plan for any reason, and it is then that having the skill to make decisions when they matter will be very important. And those communication skills we talked about earlier will come in handy explaining the change to others.

Thoughtful Consideration

There are a lot of things to consider when planning a flight. The process takes a keen understanding and thoughtful consideration to ensure that all your training, as well as experience and intuition, work together to make the correct decision. As we mentioned with communication skills, listening and analyzing all possibilities is important.

Meticulous Personality

There are a lot of calculations that should be considered when developing a flight plan. Weather, weight, fuel, speed; although math is not an aircraft dispatcher course requirement, there will be a fair amount of calculations to make every day. To be a good aircraft dispatcher, you cannot leave anything to chance or worse, leave anything out of your flight plans. You must have the discipline to complete everything in a timely fashion, while also ensuring that you leave no stone unturned.

Think you have what it takes? For more information or to sign up for Sheffield’s aircraft dispatcher courses, visit our website, and discover this great career.

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  • Testimonials

    “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.
    “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
    “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
    “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
    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
    “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
    “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
    “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
    “I entered my profession, with more knowledge and information than dispatchers who have been practicing their craft for more than ten years. Not only has Sheffield provided a top notch education, but they have also instilled in me the confidence to succeed.” A.Z. Sidebar AZ – Student Testimonial
    “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
    “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
    “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
    “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 ;)
    “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
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