Flight planner
A flight planner usually works for an airline or airport and is more commonly known as a flight dispatcher. They must carefully plan all flight paths for a number of flights, taking into account wind speed, storms, aircraft performance and loading, and other conditions. Some dispatchers provide a flight following service and advise pilots if conditions or paths change. They usually work in the operations or control center of the airline.
Flight dispatchers are legally 50% responsible for the safety of every flight they dispatch. The pilot in command of the flight holds responsibility for the other 50%. A flight dispatcher has the legal authority to refuse to dispatch a flight if safety is in any way in question, as does the pilot in command. This is known as 'Co-Authority Dispatch'. Because commercial decision making in an airline can conflict with the safety of a flight, a flight dispatcher's responsibilities are kept separate from the commercial aspects of an airline's operation, and as such the profession is primarily focused on the safety of a flight; all other duties are secondary.
Flight dispatchers in a typical airline are generally responsible for overseeing anywhere from 10 to 20 flights simultaneously, and are constantly planning new flights while monitoring current ones. Flight dispatchers are expected to have a big picture view of weather conditions, aircraft status, fuel planning, and other operational aspects of maintaining smooth airline operations. Because of the constantly changing nature of airline operations, flight dispatchers experience a high level of stress in the workplace, as they balance operational constraints and pressures with the overriding safety mandate of the job. As flight dispatchers are the 'unseen crew member' in an airline, pay is generally much lower than that of pilots, despite being required to have the same knowledge of aircraft systems, operations, weather and air law that a commercial pilot has. Coupled with the high stress of the job, this results in a high burnout rate among dispatchers and a similar high turnover rate in most dispatch offices in airlines.
Often (especially in larger airlines) a dispatcher will be assisted by a load planner. Load planners have the same license as a flight dispatcher. They must carefully plan the loading of the aircraft and do the weight and balance calculations for the aircraft. In some cargo aircraft, they have to visually inspect the loading, making sure it has been done in accordance with their instructions. When a load planner is on board the airplane as a member of the crew, he or she will be in charge of planning, loading, and offloading the cargo for the duration of the flight, and is known as loadmaster.
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