FAA To Revamp Dispatcher Certification
The job of aircraft dispatcher may not get much attention, but dispatchers are essential to flight departments around the country, and the FAA has decided it needs to be more vigilant about how they are trained. A draft revision to the Aircraft Dispatcher Certification rules has been posted online, and the FAA is accepting comments on it through Dec. 22.
image: Air Canada
The job of aircraft dispatcher may not get much attention, but dispatchers are essential to flight departments around the country, and the FAA has decided it needs to be more vigilant about how they are trained. There are 44 FAA-approved dispatcher certification courses in operation, the FAA said last week, but the FAA has no consistent policy for approval and oversight of these courses. This lack of policy "has led to a wide range of inconsistencies with respect to individual course approvals," the FAA said. A draft revision to the Aircraft Dispatcher Certification rules has been posted online, and the FAA is accepting comments on it through Dec. 22.
All FAA-approved schools must offer 200 hours of training. Applicants also must pass an FAA knowledge exam to qualify for an FAA Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate. Dispatchers also must pass recurring currency and competency checks, as well as recurrent training and operational familiarization flights. Part 121 scheduled operations are required to have FAA-certified dispatchers on staff, and many other operators hire them as well.
