Regulations and Dispatcher Certification Requirements
What the Certificate Is
Under 14 CFR Part 65, Subpart C, the aircraft dispatcher certificate is issued without ratings or classes and carries no expiration date. "Currency" for a working dispatcher comes from the employer's FAA-approved training program under Part 121, not from the paper certificate. Eligibility: at least 23 years old, able to read, speak, write and understand English, pass the FAA knowledge test (ADX), meet the experience or approved-course requirement, and pass the oral and practical test - the practical is a simulated dispatch exercise, not a flight check.
Operational Control
Part 121, Subpart T is the core: the dispatcher exercises joint operational control with the pilot in command. A flight cannot depart unless both have signed the dispatch release and both agree it can be completed safely. The dispatcher's authority is genuine - delay, cancel, redispatch, or amend - but the PIC keeps final authority in flight and may deviate in an emergency.
Duty limits are a favorite question: no dispatcher may be scheduled for more than 10 hours of duty in any 24 consecutive hours, and must have at least 8 hours of rest in that period.
Traps
- The certificate "never expires" - questions about currency mean company training.
- "Shared operational control" means the dispatcher is a decision-maker, not an adviser.
- The dispatcher cannot be overruled by a chief pilot to release an unsafe flight, and cannot force a PIC to fly.
Rule of Thumb
"Two signatures, one decision." No dispatch release is valid until the dispatcher and the PIC have both signed it; if either says no, the flight does not go - and the reason gets documented.