Aircraft Dispatcher study guide
Aircraft Dispatcher · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Aircraft Dispatcher certificate - commonly searched as the FAA Aircraft Dispatcher Knowledge Test, the Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate Knowledge Test, or simply ADX - is a U.S. aviation credential for people who intend to share operational control of commercial flights with the pilot in command. The Aircraft Dispatcher study guide has 5 sections and about 2,255 words.
01Air Traffic Control and Navigation
Airspace class drives almost everything else in this domain. Class A begins at 18,000 ft MSL and is IFR only; Class B, C and D surround busy airports with specific entry and equipment requirements; Class E is controlled but permits VFR; Class G is uncontrolled.
320 words, about 2 min02Meteorology
A METAR gives wind (direction true, speed, gusts), visibility (statute miles in US reports, metres in ICAO), present weather, sky cover in oktas (FEW 1-2, SCT 3-4, BKN 5-7, OVC 8), temperature and dew point, altimeter, and remarks. The ceiling is the lowest BKN or OVC layer; a scattered layer is not a ceiling.
284 words, about 1 min03Aircraft Performance, Weight and Balance
What are the limiting speeds, what gradient is required, what does the runway give me, and what does the environment take away? Speeds: V1 (decision), VR (rotation), V2 (takeoff safety), VREF (landing reference, about 1.3 VSO), VMC (minimum control speed airborne), VNE.
543 words, about 3 min04Flight Planning, Fuel Management and Dispatch Procedures
A dispatch flight plan chains: routing (airways, PBN specifications, NOTAMs, overflight permissions), level (optimum versus maximum, step climbs, semicircular rule), wind and temperature (track, wind correction angle, ground speed), then time and fuel for every segment. Use the wind triangle: TAS along heading plus the wind vector gives ground speed along track.
564 words, about 3 min05Regulations, Emergency/Abnormal Procedures and Human Factors
Operational control is shared: the dispatcher and the pilot in command jointly exercise it, and the PIC retains final authority, including the right to deviate from rules in an emergency. In US domestic operations the framework sits in 14 CFR Part 121 Subpart S (121.533, 121.535 and 121.537 cover domestic, flag and supplemental operations); internationally, ICAO Annex 6 sets the equivalent standards.
544 words, about 3 min