Take the first step towards aircraft dispatcher career success. Full-time, part-time, and online courses that suit your schedule.

What is Aircraft Dispatch?


A dispatcher must be certified by the aviation authority of the country in which they operate, in the United States it’s the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In order to obtain a certificate, a candidate must demonstrate extensive knowledge of meteorology and of aviation in general, to a level comparable to the holder of an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate.

For airlines operating under 14 CFR PART 135, dispatching duties and responsibilities are actually designated to "flight followers." The main difference between a flight dispatcher and a flight follower is that latter does not share legal responsibility for the operation of a flight. In addition, a flight follower is not required to obtain a dispatcher's certificate, although he or she is usually encouraged to do so by the airline for which they work and will probably not be employed as a flight follower if they do not have the dispatcher certificate.

The aircraft dispatcher is sometimes called the “pilot on the ground”. The pilot in command and the aircraft dispatcher are jointly responsible for the pre-flight planning, delay, and dispatch release of a flight. The aircraft dispatcher and pilot in command exercise operational control which is the authority over initiating, conducting or terminating a flight. The aircraft dispatcher is responsible for; monitoring the progress of each flight, issuing necessary information for the safety of the flight, and cancelling or re-dispatching a flight if, in his opinion or the opinion of the pilot in command, the flight cannot operate or continue to operate safely as planned or released. The pilot has control of operations in the air while the aircraft dispatcher is responsible for control from the ground.



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About The Dispatch Academy


Frequently Asked Questions


Day Classes will be held Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm with one-hour lunch break. All major US holidays off.
Evening Classes will be held Monday through Friday from 6:00pm to 10:00pm with breaks. All major US holidays off.
The total course cost is $5,000 which is due before the first day of the course.
The course cost will include all required textbooks/materials which will be obtained before the first day of className. A list of required material will be sent to you via email once your registration is completed. One take per FAA Exams that are required for the course are included in the cost. Please remember if additional FAA Exam takes are required that is the responsibility of the student.
After completing stage VII of the course, you will be required to take the ADX Knowledge exam which includes a series of questions all subjects learned throughout the course. The full ADX test is 80 questions for which the student needs to complete the exam in three and half hours with a score of 70% or better. Once the student completes the final stages of the course and school exams they will take the last FAA exam which is the Aircraft Dispatcher Practical Test.
Regulations, Security & Emergency Producers, Meteorology, Air Traffic Control, Communications, Navigation, Aircraft, and Practical Dispatching totaling 200 classroom hours.
The course can have as little as a hand full of students with a maximum className size of 25.
The college nor AIT offer housing and is a separate cost from tuition. The college or AIT can facilitate your housing needs.
The only prerequisites for the course is that the student be at least 21 years old before the first day of className.
The certification will articulate to 24 credit hours toward Polk State’s Associate in Science in Aerospace Administration.