CAREERS | Flight Dispatchers SKIES Magazine 80 skiesmag.com According to Statista, 36.8 million flights were operated worldwide in 2017. Many of them were tracked by flight dispatchers, who function as a second set of eyes looking out for every aircraft. MASTER Planners Flight dispatchers and co-ordinators work behind the scenes to ensure aviation operations run smoothly. They’re part of the unseen backup crew that plans every detail of a flight, from takeoff to touchdown. BY KEN POLE nless you’re an integral part of the aviation community, whether commercial or corporate, the odds are you’ve never heard of Josh Gelernter, Richard Shehab or Francis Chasteau. There’s no reason why you should know them. Like many in the industry, with the notable exception of pilots, cabin and ground crews, these flight dispatchers work entirely behind the scenes. Critical cogs in a complex machine, they are the men and women who in many cases have “go/no-go” authority U on when an aircraft is cleared to leave the terminal or fixed-base operation. “A lot of people are probably unfamiliar with the role of a dispatcher and their importance in the overall picture at airlines that require dis- patchers,” Gelernter explained to Skies from his office at Sunwing Airlines Inc., near Toronto Pearson International Airport (CYYZ). “Not every airline requires dispatchers; it depends on the type of operation and aircraft, the number of passengers they carry, and where they fly.”