FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
AIRCRAFT DISPATCHER
TRAINING CENTER
When choosing an Aircraft Dispatcher certification course there are many factors involved in the decision. If you do not ask the right questions in advance some of these issues may only become apparent after your class has started or even worse, when you graduate and find yourself in a job interview looking at a chart you didn't learn at dispatch school.
Asking the right questions can help you determine if a school has your best interests in mind. We hope these questions and answers help you find the best school for you.
1. When is tuition due?
On the first day of class, unless prior arrangements are made. Tuition is $4950, and this includes all class instruction time, course materials, optional after -hours instruction, books, the ADX written exam, our one-of-a-kind post-graduation interview/test prep class and lifetime one-on-one interview assistance!
The practical exam is not included in tuition and costs $500 which is paid directly to the FAA designated examiner.
We have had several students (after moving on to their second dispatch job!) say we could double our tuition and it would still be worth it. While this may be true it is difficult to understand the value of the career support we offer until after a student graduates reaches their career goals.
2. Can I use my GI Bill to pay for any part of the course?
We are currently unable to accept the GI Bill. However, we are looking forward to accepting it in the future. In the meantime, as our "thank you" to veterans, we offer a 20% discount for military veterans–call or email us for further details.
"A Veteran - whether on active duty, retired, National Guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, signed a blank check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including my life". This is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it."
3. Can international students attend?
We are unable to assist with the M-1 student visa process and are not able to accept non-US residents or citizens for certification classes. We can accept international students on a visitor visa for our refresher class, as it is not a certification class.
Our course is geared towards getting students jobs in the USA and we feel we would be setting international students up for disappointment as most airlines in the USA require applicants to be residents or citizens.
4. I am coming from out of town, where should I stay?
ADTC has negotiated down great rates with hotels ranging from full service to more affordable options. Our best hotel option provides daily breakfast and shuttle service to and from school as well as both DFW and Dallas Love field airports. Call or email us for the current rates.
5. What should I expect during my five-week daytime class?
The day class is broken up into two main segments for the two tests students must pass to earn the FAA Aircraft Dispatcher certificate, the written test (ADX) and the final FAA exam (practical test).
We spend the first two weeks working on and passing the ADX. During this phase of training students learn the basic foundational knowledge of aviation as it applies to dispatch. Students will take the ADX during week 2.
The last three weeks students prepare for the practical test. During this phase of training students expand on practical dispatching skills and learn how to make a flight plan. Students will take the practical test during week five once they have earned an instructor sign off.
6. Does ADTC offer night classes?
We do not currently have a night class and we do not plan to have any in the future. This is because we believe that putting all of your focus and attention into the course material is the key to success not only here, but also in interviews to actually get a dispatch job!
7. How and why does ADTC maintain such a high pass rate on the practical (final) test?
We believe other schools are doing students a disservice when they send them into the practical when they are not completely ready for it. The practical test is difficult but not as difficult as some interviews are.
One of our instructors used to teach at another school where students did not have to meet our high standards. One of the FAA examiners would sometimes say to students “Congratulations, you passed! Here’s your dispatch certificate!” and then go on to say, “Had this been an interview, I wouldn’t have hired you.” This examiner is also involved in the interview process for dispatch at a major airline.
What’s the point of getting a certificate that says “Aircraft Dispatcher” when you won’t be able to successfully interview and get hired as a dispatcher?
When our students take the practical test, they are ready for more than just barely passing the practical test, they are ready for airline interviews! This is the reason why our students consistently blow the practical test out of the water!
8. Am I required to attend the Saturday sessions?
Although Saturday sessions are not required, we always strongly recommend that you attend. If you attend the Saturday sessions, your required 200 hours will be met by Wednesday of week 5, which would make you eligible for the final exam 3 days early. If you choose not to attend the Saturday sessions, your hours will simply be completed at the end of the 5 weeks and you will become eligible for the final exam the following week.
The Saturday after graduation is also not required to earn your certificate, however, our interview portion of class is our biggest gift to our students. This class makes our students stand out in interviews and in training!
9. What is the passing rate on the written test (ADX)?
The ADX is a pass or fail exam with 70% being the required score. 96.3% of our students pass the exam on the first attempt (from January 2018 until December 2023), and the average score is an 86.3%. We have not had a student fail the ADX since January of 2022!
10. Who will be my instructor?
It is important to know who your instructors will be as well as their backgrounds. Your instructor should have years of experience in aviation as well as years of experience successfully instructing aircraft dispatchers. They should also be able to pass the "airmen registry test."
See "Meet the Instructors" for more.
11. What is the typical student - instructor ratio?
Per FAA regulations, aircraft dispatcher courses are required to have a student: instructor ratio of 25:1 or below. However, at ADTC, we believe a smaller class is conducive to an excellent learning experience. At ADTC we limit class size to 20 students.
Come in for a tour and you will find 20 student desks! Some other schools say they “try” to limit classes to 20 students. As Yoda once said “Do, or do not. There is no try.” We couldn’t agree more.
We have no interest in mass producing people with dispatch certificates. Instead we focus on making the world’s best dispatchers!
12. What is the classroom environment like?
Our classroom is set up to mimic an airline's operation center. Successful graduates will feel comfortable in the dispatch setting. We believe this quote from the samurai Miyamoto Musashi says it well “You can only fight the way you practice.” Come by and check us out! Or you can see the classroom online in our gallery.
13. What kind of charts are used for flight planning? Why does it matter?
There are two types of navigation charts available, NACO and Jeppesen.
NACO
> Free
> Produced by the federal government
Jeppesen
> Costly
> Produced by a private company
> Preferred by pilots
> Used by most airlines in interviews
We use Jeppesen charts in our classroom. We do this because most airlines today use Jeppesen charts on the job and will test an applicant's knowledge with these charts in interviews and assessment tests. "You can only fight the way you practice." ~Miyamoto Musashi
14. What if I need extra instruction after class? How much does it cost?
At ADTC if you require some extra instruction there will be daily opportunities after class as well as four hours available every Saturday for any clarifications a student may need.
The cost is zero. We believe if there is a difficulty in class it is a failure of the instructor and the responsibility of the instructor to resolve the issue.
15. What happens if I fail the final test?
We have had only four students fail since our first class in January 2018. If you show up on time, pay attention in class, work hard, follow instructions and are respectful to your classmates it is extremely unlikely that you will fail. Still, we should not have put these four students into the final test. There is no excuse.
The final exam typically occurs during week five. We take the quality of your training seriously. We put you into the final test knowing you'll pass because, while this is a difficult test, it is not as difficult as some interviews can be.
Why do other schools put students into the final certification test hoping they will pass when the student won't be able to pass job interviews for lack of knowledge? They want to get rid of students.
If you take or pass the final, other schools are done with you. They don't care about your future, just about collecting tuition and various "fees." It is possible for a student to reach the end of our five-week program and not be prepared for the final test due to family or work issues or other various reasons. When this happens we do not permit students to take the final exam.
We invite any student struggling in this way to attend the relevant portion of class (1-2 weeks) so we can train to a point when they're ready, for $1215.33. This could be an extension of class into a sixth week or coming back for the final two weeks of class. We would be doing these students a disservice if we put them into the final test. Why get a certificate saying Aircraft Dispatcher when you won't be able to successfully interview for the position?
16. What happens if I fail the written test, the ADX?
It is a very difficult test and possible to fail the ADX. Since our first class in January 2018 we have a 96.3% initial attempt pass rate on the ADX. We have not had any students fail the ADX since January of 2022!
If a student does fail, the test reports which subjects need more work. Then, we work with our student on those subjects and retest, often the next day. The ADX must be passed in order to take the final test. Failing the ADX normally does not hinder the student from graduating as they can retest successfully very quickly.
The cost of the initial attempt on all exams are included in tuition. An additional take on the ADX is $175.