Flight Dispatcher

In airlines or charters, flight crew are not only the people in the cockpit, but the entire team that makes the flight happen: pilots, flight attendants, baggage crew, security, flight controller and – often unseen – flight dispatchers. Flight dispatchers and pilots must agree that a flight is safe – or it does not happen. Often from hundreds of miles away, a dispatcher is evaluating the flight conditions and communicating with the flight crew.

A single dispatcher can often be responsible for up to 20 flights. Even though the primary job of the dispatcher is weather monitoring and flight planning, there are multiple other tasks that are related and can be part of a dispatcher’s job description: flight crew scheduling, developing contingency plans, communicating with airport facilities etc. Specific job description changes with the type of operation – a dispatcher in a flight school has a completely different set of tasks than a dispatcher in a major airline.

The Flight Dispatcher Program prepares students to a variety of tasks they might encounter as ground support in different flight operations. The Program includes Flight courses like PPL, CPL and IFR ground schools, Flight related courses like carrying dangerous goods or emergency procedures, and Non-flight courses like introduction into aviation regulations, bookkeeping and marketing. 

Upon completion of the course, the graduates are expected to the pass the Transport Canada Flight Dispatcher written exam, and complete the dispatch work experience component. With the completed knowledge, certification and experience, the program graduates are well equipped for their first flight dispatcher job.