The Importance Of Dispatch Weather

Register to read the introduction… If the weather at the departure airport is below landing minimums an alternate plan of action has to be made, in case plane has to return. There are rules for how far can a takeoff alternate airport be. FAA states that for a two-engine airplane, a takeoff alternate has to be no more than 1 hour of flight with one engine inoperative in still air. For a plane with more than 2 engines, takeoff alternate has to be no more than 2 hours of flight in still air with one engine inoperative. If a dispatcher determines that a takeoff alternate is required he or she would have to look at different charts such as Weather Depiction Chart to determine which airfield has favorable conditions for landing. After picking a suitable airfield a dispatcher would have to look at the TAF in order to have an idea of what kind of weather is expected at the time of arrival. After which they would have to look at the Winds Aloft Chart to make sure that winds will not prevent an airplane from reaching the takeoff alternate within the prescribed FAA …show more content…
Weather is one of the most important concerns when it comes to dispataching an aircraft if the weather is too hazardous the flight would have to be cancelled. Depending on what kind of day it is a plane can carry more or less cargo and passengers, it will also not require as much fuel on days with good weather and favorable winds. In addition, sometimes a flight will have to be cancelled due to bad weather. It is up to a dispatcher to recognize what weather would affect the flight and it is up to them whether or not to sign off on the flight plan. Once the aircraft takes off it is a dispatcher’s job to monitor the weather and inform the pilot of any significant changes like have to divert to an alternate airport if they believe a safe landing cannot be