TC Dispatch Exams

[5400AirportRdSouth]

Anyone take them recently?

I've looked over the TC site and their study guide, and am knee deep in Air Command Weather.

Does anyone know of an online or CD-delivered course for the TC exams?

I'm looking forward to the 9 sections of applicable CAR's and their standards that will need to be memorized about as much as a shovel to the face.

Would your basic CPL groundschool cover most of the applicable CAR's in detail enough to give adequate prep for the exams?

Any insight welcome,

Thanks,
5400

[Servisair]

The commercial ground school is not enough for the FDOPS exams. But it is a good start.

If your already into the air command, I would sugest studying up for the Met exam and write that before you start into the FDOPS exam. just get it out of the way then you wont have to be studying so many subjects at 1 time. Just remember that the exams are only good for 2 years after you write them.

Good luck

[200hr Wonder]

Well I was teaching a Dispatch course last winter and kinda foggy about the questions asked so about a month before the course began I hauled my butt down to TC and wrote it with out cracking a book, I have Commercial and IFR and managed a bare pass . However what I learned is that if you have a Commercial and IFR ground school to draw from and just learn the sections per the dispatch exam Study and Reference guide you should be good to go. Oh and the Met is a bitch and is more or less ATPL/IATRA Met.

[5400AirportRdSouth]

Thanks folks, appreciate the info

Going to focus on the met first and the ops one after, sounds like good advice.

From what I have heard, a bare pass is plenty of pass, most of the relevant learning is going to be from OJT?

Back to the books...

[BDA]

The MOT Flight Dispatcher generic exam has a 50% failure rate across Canada on the first try
(From MOT Flight Training Standards 2007) Common weak knowledge area:

FDOPS

*Aeronautical Act
*Aerodrome and Airports
*Ops Emergency equipment requirements
*Commercial Air Services (Gen Ops)
*Theory of flight (yup!)
*Flight planning and pilto navigation
*Aircraft Ops, use of aeroplane performance charts
*Aircraft Ops, Weight and Balance
*Aircraft Ops, general performance
*Human actors
*FD Air law and procedures
*General Operating and Flight Rules (IFR PRocedures)

FD MET

*Met - Atmospheric pressure-
*Met - Altimetry
*Met - Winds-
*Met - Icing-
*Met - Fligth planning, Aviation Weather Reports-
*Met - Flight planning, Avaition Weather Mpas and Prognostic Charts -
*FD - Met Info

Of course the list is not complete by any means, but that should give you an idea
If you are looking for free ressources/ links try this:

http://www.freewebs.com/instruction/

Good luck

BDA

[5400AirportRdSouth]

Thanks BDA, nice site.

Too bad I'm on the left coast, or I'd seriously consider the course.

The references and subjects in the Study Guide are almost verbatim, chapter and verse from Air Command, so I'm hoping that will set me up for the met exam.


5400

[BDA]

Thanks 5400AirportRdSouth

If you need anything, let me know (PM)

Good luck

[BDA]

Also CMA is looking for Flight Dispatcher (Smithers) , Give them a call.

[Melo]

Hey 5400AirportRdSouth,

I took a Flight Dispatcher course offered from York University which was a big help. I had completed PPL ground school before taking the course which was a big help as well. Some guys had no prior schooling or training and ended up dropping out.

I passed my OPS on the first attempt and MET on the 3rd attempt (two weeks ago). Air Command is a good book but is too detailed for the TC exams. I would suggest just go write it and see what happens, at least you'll get a sense of what they are looking for.

Some questions I got were on:

- Rime Ice - what is the rate of catch, size of droplets?
- Know you fronts inside and out (clouds at an approaching warmfront)
- METAR's,TAF's and weather charts (about 15 questions)
- different stages of Thunderstorms
- how to calculate clouds bases and heights
- Air Massess (cA, mA, mP, mT)
- tropopasue heights at poles and equator and summer and winter
- jet streams and CAT

It's a tough exam. Again if you have no previous schooling go to our local flight training school and join their MET classes for PPL and look into the York course.

hope this helps

[Crobe]

At what point do you need to a dispatch license? 703/4/5? certain size a/c? I've worked "dispatch" before, for a small tour/sched company, certainly no exam though. Just tried not to book for than 6 in the beav or 12 in the otter! just curious after what point you need to be quailified.

thnx

[5400AirportRdSouth]

Once I'm done the OPS / CAR's section of the exams, I can hopefully answer that one....

If I recall there are three types of dispatch ops available, types a,b and c. Two of them are pretty much unlicensed personnel, trained in-house by the operator. The third type legally shares operational control/authority/responsibility with the PIC.

If I'm not mistaken, only the co-authority type requires a dispatch license....

All the rest, I'm just hoping it looks good on my resume to get a foot in the door somewhere. ( That and all that there book-lurnin cant hurt me none either.. )

I'd like to work for a small to medium size outfit, CMA would be cool as well...but the wife says;

" Smithers...hmmm. No. "

Thanks Melo - I'll probably give the met exam a go next week and see where I'm at.

[Servisair]

Some company's have what they call dispatchers but are really just operations center workers who do flight following. Usually they are self dispatched so its up to the PIC to do the flight planning and dispatch the a/c. Other companies that dont want to have an actual dispatch department but still require 2 person decision will use a contract dispatch company like skyplan but will also use their flight followers to keep track of the a/c. Hope that helps

[Kateski]

I'm writing the Met exam this week. I've been using Air Command, FTGU and my old CPL g/s notes as my main sources of info. Any others that might be useful?

Anyone know where I could find a practice quiz? (if one even exists...)

[avro_girl]

You can get get practice exams at Aviation World in Toronto. If you cant go there you can order it online. They are helpful but i found that they go way overboard and ask you questions that make you go HUH???? It is a book put together by a pilot/dispatcher. I brought it to one of my ground school classes. And we decided to do a couple pages and see how everyone did. Even the instructor answered the questions! And about 50% of use failed ...even the instructor...so as i said..the questions are tough. but it does make you feel like the exams are a little easier.

Hope this helps

[avro_girl]

Here is a link to another book you can buy! I have used this one too...and find it much better then the one i mentioned above...but both have their benefits


http://www.acceleratedaviation.com/webs ... tcher.html

[RNAV]

I've done the Dispatch exams, and the ATPL exams.
In my opinion, the dispatch exams were harder.

There is a lot more weather analysis (on top of theory) on the dispatch exams
versus the ATPL SAMRA.

For either exam, get your hands on as many practice questions as possible (Aerocourse
IATRA/ATPL book is perfect).
Weather - Air Command and Aware
Flight Ops - AIM, IFR Procedures Manual.

[Kateski]

I wrote the FDMET exam yesterday. I didn't really find it that difficult, but I had a bit of prior knowledge from Private and Commercial groundschool a few years back. I got my hands on a practice exam from a friend who took the York course. It helped a lot!!

[5400AirportRdSouth]

Wrote the Met as well, a couple weeks back, a lot easier than I was expecting.

To anyone else writing them, Air Command will cover easily 80% of the exam. Go through the summary page at the end of each chapter, if you understand ( not just memorize ) the key points they list on every chapter, you'll ace the exam.

The other 20% is wx chart questions. Symbols, issue times, validity periods, etc. Air Command has very little(if any) wx product info.

I picked up the Auslander Test Guide for the FDOPS ( 60$ ). Thumbing through it, it looked pretty challenging, so going for overkill on this one too.

5400

[Servisair]

Having the commercial ground school backround will give you a head start on the FDOPS but quite a bit of the info can be found in the AIM.

Good luck

[BDA]

....better late then never:

Practice examination that can help you, can be found here:
http://www.freewebs.com/instruction/sampleexam.htm

Air Command Weather Manual can be donwloaded here:
http://www.freewebs.com/instruction/groundschool.htm

CARs website:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/regse ... s/menu.htm

MOT study guide:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/gener ... s/menu.htm



BDA

[BDA]

I thought I would post this for those of you who might be interested

2008 Shell Canada Aviation Schedulers & Dispatchers Scholarship

The CBAA promotes education and training as a means for individuals to increase their knowledge and professionalism and is pleased to administrate the 2008 Shell Canada Aviation Schedulers and Dispatchers Scholarship.

Applicants were asked to submit a 500 word essay, describing their:

interest in aviation – in particular the scheduler and dispatcher profession;

relevant training activities that interest them;

professional goals in our industry; and

how the scholarship would help them achieve their goals.

Website: http://www.cbaa.ca/portal/training


BDA

[Panama Jack]

Just curious what Transport is charging to take these exams these days, or if they are still free?

[CD]

I think that the flight dispatcher generic exams are still free to write, possibly as they are not related to the issuance of a license. There are no charges listed in Part I of the CARs for these exams:

CAR 104 Schedule IV - Personnel Licensing and Training
CAR 104 Schedule VII - Air Operations

Mind you, I completed them back in '98, so what do I know...

[5400AirportRdSouth]

They are in fact, still free.

[happydolphins]

Hello ,
I am planning to sit and write TC flight dispatcher exams in Vancouver.

How long one can delay between TC's 2 Flight dispatchers exams?
I mean if i sit and write Meteorology exam first how long later i can sit an write Operation exam?

Thanks in advance for your kindly reply