Airline Dispatcher, James Tochihara, March 31, 2019

As a General Aviation pilot, many of us think of flight planning in terms of weather, NOTAMs, fuel planning, altitude selection, routing, timing, and ensuring the pilot and plane are capable of making the flight.  From there it's executing the plan.  Simply, Plan The Flight and Fly The Plan.  The burden is on the PIC.  In the world of the airline pilot, many GA pilots assume the Dispatcher does all the flight planning and then delivers the plan to the Captain, without further discussion.  Nothing could be further from the truth. This week's episode of SimpleFlight Radio has Marc and Al  talking with James Tochihara, former International Dispatcher for United Airlines.  One lesson learned is the Dispatcher is an essential crew member responsible for the safe and comfortable completion of the flight.  That means, their vigilance, communication, and decision-making continues until the plane is parked safely at the destination gate.     James takes us through the role, responsibilities, and skills that come into play, as well as a day in the life of a Professional Airline Dispatcher, including the emotional connection to every flight they touch.  September 11th was discussed, with James recommending a video (https://bit.ly/2UmhCKS) to hear the story from 5 dispatchers.  So welcome to this week's episode.  We hope you find the conversation as enlightening as we did.   As always, we love hearing from you and ask you share your ideas with the entire SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!