Dispatches from the Air Medical Field
The dispatchers at AirMed have their fingerprints all over flight operations for the company. Lead Dispatcher Jason Garcia took some time to tell us about the department and their important part of the air medical process.
by Jason Garcia
Lead Dispatcher at AirMed International
I actually had never heard of flight dispatching until a few months before I was enrolled in a flight dispatch class working on my certification. Fresh out of the Army and living off the generosity of relatives, I somehow completed the course with no problems and found myself looking for my first job as a flight dispatcher in the wake of 9/11. I had received my dispatch license only one week prior to September 11, 2001. After stints in Wichita and Cleveland, I came to AirMed in 2004 and have been here ever since.
AirMed dispatch combines every possible aspect of planning and logistics for our long-distance and domestic medical transports. Besides the flight planning and weather checking, we spend much of our time dealing with foreign handlers and customs agents all over the USA and abroad.
In today’s modern aviation environment there exists a huge list of little things you need to keep track of in order for trips to run smoothly. I have described my team of dispatchers as the busy legs that keep the duck looking so serene and relaxed on the pond…only this pond is full of alligators, red tape and rapidly changing requirements from other countries. Needless to say, I rely heavily on local handling agents to keep everything running properly and to make sure that our patients are brought safely home and that we exceed all their expectations.
Here at AirMed we only hire certified Part 121 flight dispatchers. That means they have passed the FAA Flight Dispatcher’s course and have been issued an FAA dispatcher license. The course includes classes on flight planning, aircraft performance and lots of instruction on reading weather forecast and condition reports. That sounds simple enough, but no one breezes through Dispatch School, and it is not uncommon for people to know the exact score they received on the final exam literally decades after taking the test. (I got a 92.)
Being a successful flight dispatcher requires a few other talents. All good dispatchers are organized and use their experience to plan ahead a few steps. I can always tell when a new dispatcher is progressing well in their training by the level of questions they ask. Not the number of questions, but rather the complexity of the question, such as how a single aspect of a trip can affect the success of the trip as a whole.
In the end though, every trip is different. To be successful, I am constantly rolling with the punches and playing them as I see fit. Sometimes I believe that I can expect a day where there could be no surprises and have it complicated with a typhoon or Israeli sorties in Lebanon or both. In those cases, a sense of humor may be a dispatcher’s most valuable commodity.
Over the years I have learned that no matter how deep the hole I find myself standing in, I always somehow find a way to make things all work out. Focusing on the trip and reminding myself and the dispatchers that someone is relying on our team to get them home after they hurt themselves while far from home is paramount. “Who better than me to get this person home to their family.” I actually say that to myself sometimes, and it works.
When the patient is delivered and the crew is on their way back to our home base, I enjoy a victory meal. The McDonalds by my house is open all night...they know me.
by Jason Garcia
Lead Dispatcher at AirMed International
I actually had never heard of flight dispatching until a few months before I was enrolled in a flight dispatch class working on my certification. Fresh out of the Army and living off the generosity of relatives, I somehow completed the course with no problems and found myself looking for my first job as a flight dispatcher in the wake of 9/11. I had received my dispatch license only one week prior to September 11, 2001. After stints in Wichita and Cleveland, I came to AirMed in 2004 and have been here ever since.
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Dispatchers deal with weather, air traffic, visibility issues,
customs issues, flight planning, pilot staffing, and
have a host of other unsung talents that help AirMed's
air medical flights operate smoothly.
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In today’s modern aviation environment there exists a huge list of little things you need to keep track of in order for trips to run smoothly. I have described my team of dispatchers as the busy legs that keep the duck looking so serene and relaxed on the pond…only this pond is full of alligators, red tape and rapidly changing requirements from other countries. Needless to say, I rely heavily on local handling agents to keep everything running properly and to make sure that our patients are brought safely home and that we exceed all their expectations.
Here at AirMed we only hire certified Part 121 flight dispatchers. That means they have passed the FAA Flight Dispatcher’s course and have been issued an FAA dispatcher license. The course includes classes on flight planning, aircraft performance and lots of instruction on reading weather forecast and condition reports. That sounds simple enough, but no one breezes through Dispatch School, and it is not uncommon for people to know the exact score they received on the final exam literally decades after taking the test. (I got a 92.)
Being a successful flight dispatcher requires a few other talents. All good dispatchers are organized and use their experience to plan ahead a few steps. I can always tell when a new dispatcher is progressing well in their training by the level of questions they ask. Not the number of questions, but rather the complexity of the question, such as how a single aspect of a trip can affect the success of the trip as a whole.
In the end though, every trip is different. To be successful, I am constantly rolling with the punches and playing them as I see fit. Sometimes I believe that I can expect a day where there could be no surprises and have it complicated with a typhoon or Israeli sorties in Lebanon or both. In those cases, a sense of humor may be a dispatcher’s most valuable commodity.
Over the years I have learned that no matter how deep the hole I find myself standing in, I always somehow find a way to make things all work out. Focusing on the trip and reminding myself and the dispatchers that someone is relying on our team to get them home after they hurt themselves while far from home is paramount. “Who better than me to get this person home to their family.” I actually say that to myself sometimes, and it works.
When the patient is delivered and the crew is on their way back to our home base, I enjoy a victory meal. The McDonalds by my house is open all night...they know me.
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