FARs and Aircraft Dispatch - Research Paper Example

Though they are known by many different names, including flight dispatcher, airline dispatcher, flight superintendent, or even flight controller, the job description essentially remains the same: ensure compliance with all applicable regulations and the pursuit of the highest possible levels of safety (“Airline dispatcher federation”, 2011). The job of an aircraft dispatcher is covered in the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) in several areas, namely FAR Part 121 and FAR Part 65, both under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (“Code of federal”, 2010).

FAR Part 121 covers Operating Requirements: Domestic, Flag, and Supplemental Operations, while FAR Part 65 covers Certification and Eligibility Requirements (“Code of federal”, 2010). Simply put, these sections of the Federal Aviation Regulations ensure that an airline dispatcher has the proper training and certification to do their job, as well as adhering to duty-time requirements while on the job, to prevent overtiredness and accidents. These regulations also cover the overall requirement of having enough dispatchers in the dispatch centers to handle all of the flights, so that no one dispatcher feels overwhelmed and unable to do their job.

FAR Part 65, Subpart C, completely covers the eligibility and certificate requirements that any person wishing to become an aircraft dispatcher must complete. The requirements include criteria such as an age requirement of 23 years, the ability to speak and understand English, and passing both knowledge and practical tests. These tests must be completed after a certification course that consists of 200 hours of training, though previous experience may be submitted to cover part or all of the hours (“Code of federal”, 1998).

It also plainly states that no person may serve in the capacity of airline dispatcher without said completion certificate, and must present that certificate upon the request of numerous personnel (“Code of federal”, 1998). These regulations enable the airlines to work in conjunction with certified, capable individuals, helping the aircraft dispatcher to do their job by ensuring that they have the proper training and certification to complete it adequately. The safety of numerous passengers flying on the airlines that are the responsibility of the dispatcher are not to be taken lightly, and indeed, the dispatchers pledge to uphold safety as much as the pilots.

Therefore, having these training and eligibility requirements help to ensure that the job and what it entails is taken seriously. FAR Part 121, Subpart M: Airmen and Crewmember Requirements, also applies to aircraft dispatchers. FAR §121.395, in fact, covers dispatch centers, stating that enough qualified dispatchers must be working to ensure proper operational control of aircraft (“Code of federal”, 2010). Without this regulation, a flight load could easily slip into the chaos of an understaffed and overworked dispatch center, causing costly losses of life and aircraft.

Given the fact that downsizing has become popular, it is a relief to know that dispatchers are aided by this regulation, as enough of them must be working to reasonably handle a typical daily flight load for an airline. FAR Part 121 does not stop there in covering airline dispatchers. In Subpart P: Aircraft Dispatcher Qualifications and Duty Time,