A vocational college for all areas of flight is available and many are interested in enrolling in it. Students can choose from several certificate programs and study to become an aircraft dispatcher. Dispatchers are in charge of the safety and function of an aircraft. Most training options include either a 200-hour or an 80 to 100 hour certificate program. Students that have no aviation experience should enroll in a 200-hour program. The entire program is centered on teaching students the required knowledge needed to successfully pass the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification exam. Here, students learn to meet the challenges of the career through examination of meteorology, navigation, crisis management, and flight procedure.
The second educational option is primarily for students that have aviation experience. Students that have a background as a meteorologist, assistant dispatcher, flight service specialist, and more can enter a vocational college accelerated program. Education centers on teaching students the industry computer programs, troubleshooting procedures, and flight regulations to prepare them to become certified aircraft dispatchers. The FAA written aeronautical exam is taken over four hours on areas that are learned inside a traditional certificate program. Weather charts, aircraft loading practices, human factors, and radar operations are some focal points of the standardized test.
Dispatchers work directly with pilots and have the authority to stop or delay a flight based on a number of different circumstances. Flight factors change every day and may even change within the hour depending on where the dispatcher works. Both educational options focus on numerous flight factors include weather, fuel and aircraft engineering courses.