Aviation Jobs - Aircraft Dispatcher - The Least-Known Airline Position
So, just what is an Aircraft Dispatcher?
In the United States, the FAA created the aircraft dispatch (DX) position during the evolution of commercial aviation. Early jetliners were designed to carry a flight crew of three - two pilots and one flight engineer. The flight engineer carried responsibility for flight planning, weight and balance management, fuel planning and management, and such mundane tasks as cabin temperature control. As airliners evolved, the need for that third person in the cockpit declined and largely transitioned to the ground into the FAA licensed position of Aircraft Dispatcher. By taking some of the workload off the pilots, they can focus on the necessities of flying the plane. And, having a dispatcher do the pre-planning and flight planning, including in-depth weather review, freed more time for pilots to fly.
Although there are several specific tasks assigned to dispatchers, the first is the preparation of the flight plan and release. This document, which is signed by both the DX and the Captain or Pilot in Command (PIC) must travel with the PIC during the flight to the destination and be kept by the airline for three months after the flight. Experts at weather interpretation, the dispatcher plans a flight course to avoid adverse weather, closed airspace, or other enroute restrictions, while maximizing aircraft performance and fuel conservation. Dispatchers must know anticipated passengers counts, cargo, aircraft weight and balance, and any pending maintenance requirements for a flight.
Skills necessary include math, ability to learn regulatory processes, and problem-solving skills. It helps if you are calm-natured, as irregular operations days get frenzied.
Certification is done by the FAA, and dispatchers must either already have certain piloting certifications to take a shortened course, or spend 200 hours (six weeks) in a classroom instruction in everything from meteorology to Federal Aviation Regulations, route planning charts, weight and balance calculations, and ultimately manual flight planning. The full six week classroom course costs about $4K at most schools, plus housing and food. At the end, the candidate must pass both a written practical, and an oral exam administered by an FAA inspector.
Candidates must be at least 23 years old.
Starting positions are generally with smaller or regional airlines, just like pilots. After as little as one, but generally three years experience, a dispatcher can apply for any open positions with larger carriers. The job involves shift work, and like every other job in aviation, seniority rules. The most junior people work the least desirable schedules and flights. Starting pay ranges from about $23K per year to $30K per year at some of the larger regionals. Pay tops out around $60K at the big regionals and $100K at the majors. Like all shift workers, dispatchers can trade, or pick up shifts, and are eligible for overtime. However, federal rules do mandate rest periods and shift lengths for safety.
Also, while the FAA requires aircraft dispatchers at commercial air carriers, many other companies and businesses employ dispatchers as part of their safety programs for air travel. These include companies with aviation departments, concierge companies, and charter or cargo air carriers. Opportunities may also exist to work abroad as an FAA Dispatcher's license may open doors to work credentials.
Benefits? In addition to standard insurance, retirement, and pass privilege benefits at most airlines, dispatchers are authorized to ride the flight deck jumpseat when available.
Copyright 2010
Showing posts with label Position. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Position. Show all posts
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Stealth Fighter Radar - How to Avoid Compromising a Fighter's Position
Stealth Fighter Radar - How to Avoid Compromising a Fighter's Position
To begin with things very clear, fighter radars are not only what the main people think they are. Supposedly, just a way to detect enemy aircraft. That's not a bad understanding, but it needs to be complemented saying that if you detect an enemy aircraft with your fighter radar, the enemy aircraft will automatically detect you.
A fighter radar is just some waves sent in the air. This waves get reflected on an object like a plane, and come back to your plane where they are detected by sensors and analyzed to determine position, speed, direction of flight, and even kind of aircraft located. As an aircraft needs to have sensors to detect its own reflected waves, it also will detect any ways that are sent to it. This is the reason why when sending waves to detect an aircraft will automatically reveal our position.
This has even another problem. A fighter radar has a certain range of detection. This is the distance in which the waves can travel in one way, get reflected, and come back with the strength enough as to provide a signal in the pilot's screen. In this way, we can say that the aircraft that a radar can effectively detect can be placed up to 100 miles, to set an example. But the problem is that all other aircraft placed between 100 miles and 200 miles will be alerted of our presence, but we will never know about their presence.
All this reasoning brings to a conclusion. There is a need to take advantage of this situation, and this is how the active and passive fighter radars were created. An active fighter radar is the one that actively sends waves in order to detect anything placed within its effective range. A passive fighter radar is a listening one. It simply waits to receive waves from all the airplanes around that are using their active radars. This combined with a strong stealth condition can guide an aircraft to his enemy without even being detected.
Unfortunately, not in all combat situation this is a possibility. Normally the strategy involves to use the passive radar to approach targets, but when it is time to engage and fire, the active fighter radar sometimes must be switched on in order to allow the missile to get the information and follow it. Some missiles need the guidance of the airplane's radar until they hit the target, which compromises heavily the aircraft's position. Recently, many missiles have been developed in which you simply can fire and forget. Switch for a few seconds to active radar, pass the information to the missile, fire and switch off the active radar.
Combining this methodology with a change of direction, speed and altitude just after the launch of the missile gives always the less compromise to the position of the plane. In any case, compromising the position of the plane for a few seconds is always necessary when firing, as it involves a extreme heat that infrared detectors can locate, and with stealth fighters like the F22 Stealth Fighter, it involves the opening of doors that get the Radar Cross Section extremely enlarged.
To begin with things very clear, fighter radars are not only what the main people think they are. Supposedly, just a way to detect enemy aircraft. That's not a bad understanding, but it needs to be complemented saying that if you detect an enemy aircraft with your fighter radar, the enemy aircraft will automatically detect you.
A fighter radar is just some waves sent in the air. This waves get reflected on an object like a plane, and come back to your plane where they are detected by sensors and analyzed to determine position, speed, direction of flight, and even kind of aircraft located. As an aircraft needs to have sensors to detect its own reflected waves, it also will detect any ways that are sent to it. This is the reason why when sending waves to detect an aircraft will automatically reveal our position.
This has even another problem. A fighter radar has a certain range of detection. This is the distance in which the waves can travel in one way, get reflected, and come back with the strength enough as to provide a signal in the pilot's screen. In this way, we can say that the aircraft that a radar can effectively detect can be placed up to 100 miles, to set an example. But the problem is that all other aircraft placed between 100 miles and 200 miles will be alerted of our presence, but we will never know about their presence.
All this reasoning brings to a conclusion. There is a need to take advantage of this situation, and this is how the active and passive fighter radars were created. An active fighter radar is the one that actively sends waves in order to detect anything placed within its effective range. A passive fighter radar is a listening one. It simply waits to receive waves from all the airplanes around that are using their active radars. This combined with a strong stealth condition can guide an aircraft to his enemy without even being detected.
Unfortunately, not in all combat situation this is a possibility. Normally the strategy involves to use the passive radar to approach targets, but when it is time to engage and fire, the active fighter radar sometimes must be switched on in order to allow the missile to get the information and follow it. Some missiles need the guidance of the airplane's radar until they hit the target, which compromises heavily the aircraft's position. Recently, many missiles have been developed in which you simply can fire and forget. Switch for a few seconds to active radar, pass the information to the missile, fire and switch off the active radar.
Combining this methodology with a change of direction, speed and altitude just after the launch of the missile gives always the less compromise to the position of the plane. In any case, compromising the position of the plane for a few seconds is always necessary when firing, as it involves a extreme heat that infrared detectors can locate, and with stealth fighters like the F22 Stealth Fighter, it involves the opening of doors that get the Radar Cross Section extremely enlarged.
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