Flight dispatcher

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The Flight Dispatcher (also Flight Operations Officer) in airline operations has great authority over flights.

In many countries, e.g. the USA and Canada, he shares legal responsibility with the Commander (joint responsibility dispatch system).

Dispatchers usually have the authority to divert, delay or cancel a flight at any given time (operational control). In the USA 14 CFR PART 121—OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Subpart U—Dispatching and Flight Release Rulesdetails the legal requirements governing dispatch release in the USA. After the release of a flight (in a joint responsibility environment) the dispatcher uses sophisticated software tools to monitor the flight's progress and advises the flight crew of any circumstances that might affect flight safety.

Shared responsibility adds a layer of checks and balances to aircraft operation and greatly improves safety.

Licensed flight dispatchers usually have to demonstrate extensive aviation knowledge comparable to that of Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) holders.

For airlines operating under 14 CFR PART 135, the 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. Also, followers are not required to attain a flight dispatcher's license, although they are usually encouraged to do so.

Many countries issue licenses which are based on ICAO Annex 1 and 6 as well as ICAO DOC 7192 D3. Unfortunately not all countries have adopted a mandatory license and joint responsibility/flight watch operational control systems. The FAA has mandated the use of flight dispatchers/joint responsibility/flight watch since the "Civil Aeronautic Act" was passed in 1938. Canada has adopted a similar approach in the wake of a plane crash in Dryden, Ontario in 1989.

Due to several more accidents the FAA is lobbying for tighter regulations from the ICAO.

JAR OPS 1 did not mandate the use of an operational control system with flight dispatchers/joint responsibility/flight watch. The pan-European agency EASA has not yet issued a requirement mandating the use of such an operational control system either. It is expected that EASA OPS and EASA FCL will be published in 2006 which will outline EASA's position on the issue as well as any requirements imposed on European airline operators.

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