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VOLUME 3 GENERAL TECHNICAL ADMINISTRATION

CHAPTER 63 TITLE 14 CFR PART 65 AIRCRAFT DISPATCHER CERTIFICATION 

COURSES

Section 2 Federal Aviation Administration Resources and Assignment of Inspectors

3-4999 GENERAL. This section contains directives and guidance regarding the assignment of 

the appropriate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) resources for approval, renewal, and 

oversight of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 65 FAA-approved 

Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Courses. This section provides guidance specific to the 

designation of FAA Flight Standards (AFS) field offices and personnel who will be responsible 

for approving, renewing, and conducting oversight of these courses. The following terms will be 

used throughout this chapter and section:

A. FAA Approving Office. The FAA AFS field office, including a certificate-holding 

district office (CHDO), certificate management office (CMO) and a Flight Standards District 

Office (FSDO), with approval and oversight responsibility of an FAA-approved Aircraft 

Dispatcher Certification Course, will be referred to as the FAA approving office.

B. Dispatch Course Program Manager (DCPM). An aviation safety inspector (ASI)

who is responsible for the approval, renewal, and oversight of an Aircraft Dispatcher 

Certification Course will be referred to as a DCPM in this order.

3-5000 SCOPE. The directives contained in this section apply to AFS field offices and ASIs

with responsibility, or potential responsibility, for approval and oversight of FAA-approved 

Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Courses. The directives contained in this section also apply to 

regional Flight Standards divisions (RFSD).

3-5001 ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE. AFS field offices, ASIs, and RFSDs with approval and 

oversight responsibility of Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Courses must review the following 

additional guidance in conjunction with this section:

• Volume 3, Chapter 63, Section 1: guidance on the general regulatory requirements for 

part 65 FAA-approved Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Courses.

• Volume 3, Chapter 63, Section 3: guidance on approval, renewal, and oversight of 

Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Courses.

• Volume 5, Chapter 5, Section 10: guidance related to certification of aircraft 

dispatchers.

• Advisory Circular (AC) 65-XX, FAA-Approved Aircraft Dispatcher Certification 

Courses (current edition): advisory information for course operators.

3-5002 AFS FIELD OFFICE RESPONSIBILITY. An AFS field office that is the FAA 

approving office of an Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course is responsible to maintain 

oversight of that course and to conduct onsite surveillance of the course whenever necessary. In 

addition, the field office will typically be responsible to meet the certification testing needs of the 

graduates of the course.

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A. Geographic Area of Responsibility. Each FAA AFS field office has a geographic 

area of responsibility. In order to ensure adequate oversight, a field office may only approve an 

Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course that is located within the office’s geographic area of 

responsibility. The following exceptions apply:

1) An FAA approving office of an existing Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course 

may continue the course approval if the course changes its location to an area outside of the 

geographic area of responsibility of the office. Continued approval by the FAA approving office 

is contingent upon the office’s ability to maintain adequate oversight and perform surveillance 

whenever necessary. If the FAA approving office is unable to maintain oversight due to the 

change in location of the course, the office manager must contact the RFSD, which will 

determine the appropriate action (see paragraph 3-5003).

2) An AFS field office may accept responsibility to approve and maintain oversight 

of an Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course if assigned by the RFSD, provided the office has 

the adequate ASI resources, can maintain adequate oversight, and perform onsite surveillance 

whenever necessary.

B. Appropriate ASI Resources ASI–Aircraft Dispatcher (ASI-AD). The appropriate 

ASI resource for approval and oversight responsibility of an Aircraft Dispatcher Certification 

Course is an ASI-AD, commonly referred to as a dispatch inspector. An ASI-AD is not simply 

an ASI who holds an Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate. The title of Aviation Safety Inspector

Aircraft Dispatcher is a specific U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) position 

description (PD). PDs are contained in the Human Resources Policy Manual (HRPM). The PD 

for an ASI-AD is contained in HRPM Supplement, Volume 1, and is listed as “1825AD”. An 

ASI is not considered to be an ASI-AD unless specifically designated as such in an official 

OPM PD. An AFS field office will assign responsibility for approval and oversight of an Aircraft 

Dispatcher Certification Course to the ASI-AD, provided that ASI’s current assignments allow 

that individual to carry out these duties effectively. Prior to assigning oversight responsibility to 

the ASI-AD, the office manager must consider the following factors to determine the ASI-AD’s 

ability to maintain adequate and effective oversight:

• The number of Air Carrier Certificates the ASI-AD is currently assigned;

• Other Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Courses for which the ASI-AD has 

approval oversight responsibility;

• The number of designees the ASI-AD is managing;

• The number of Aircraft Dispatcher Practical Tests the ASI-AD may have to 

administer; and

• The amount of travel involved for each of the ASI-AD’s certificate management, 

designee management, course oversight, and testing responsibilities.

C. Examination and Certification of Graduates. The FAA is responsible for the 

examination and certification of airmen. Successful completion of an Aircraft Dispatcher 

Certification Course is just one part of the certification process for aircraft dispatchers. Once 

graduated from a course, an applicant for an Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate must pass the 

Aircraft Dispatcher Practical Test. The practical test must be given by the Administrator (or 

his/her designee). As a representative of the Administrator, the FAA approving office of an 

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Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course will typically be responsible to test the successful 

graduates of the course. Only an ASI-AD or a Designated Aircraft Dispatcher Examiner (DADE) 

may administer the Aircraft Dispatcher Practical Test. (See Volume 5, Chapter 5, Section 10, and 

Volume 13, Chapter 3, Section 4.) With limited exceptions, only an ASI-AD may be the FAA 

managing specialist of a DADE. (See Volume 13, Chapter 3, Section 1).

D. When ASI Resources or Geographic Location Prevent Adequate Oversight and 

Certification Activities. Contact the RFSD.

1) Existing Course. If the FAA approving office of an existing Aircraft Dispatcher 

Certification Course is no longer able to maintain adequate oversight due to lack of appropriate 

ASI resources or a change in course location, the office manager will make a request to the 

RFSD to transfer the course approval to another AFS field office with the appropriate ASI 

resources and oversight capability. See paragraph 3-5003 below for RFSD responsibilities.

2) New Course Applicant. If an AFS field office is in receipt of a request for 

approval of a new application to operate an Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course, and the 

office manager determines that office is unable to maintain oversight and meet the testing needs 

of graduates, the office manager will deny the request in writing and direct the applicant to 

contact the RFSD for further assistance. (See also Volume 3, Chapter 63, Section 3, 

paragraph 3-5038.)

3-5003 RFSD RESPONSIBILITY. When an FAA AFS field office is unable to maintain 

oversight of a new or existing Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course, the RFSD is responsible 

to take the appropriate action based on the circumstances and the needs of the public.

A. Existing Course.

1) Obtain Appropriate Resources. The RFSD will determine if it is necessary to 

assign an ASI-AD to the approving office or to the region for the purpose of approving and 

maintaining oversight of an Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course. If an existing Aircraft 

Dispatcher Certification Course is in high demand by the public, the RFSD must consider the 

public interest and staff accordingly whenever possible. If obtaining an ASI-AD resource at the 

approving office or at the RFSD is not practicable, the RFSD may consider transferring the 

course approval to another AFS field office.

2) Transfer Course Approval.

a) If an Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course changes its location to an area 

outside of the geographic area of responsibility of the FAA approving office, or if the FAA 

approving office no longer has an ASI-AD, the RFSD may transfer approval of the course by 

reassigning the responsibility for approval and oversight to another AFS field office located 

within the region that has an ASI-AD who is available to maintain oversight of the course. This 

is allowable provided the RFSD is unable to obtain the necessary ASI-AD resource at the 

original FAA approving office or at the RFSD. Prior to transferring a course approval, the RFSD 

must confirm the following at the field office receiving the transferred approval:

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1. The ASI-AD’s workload permits adequate oversight of the course through 

surveillance.

2. ASI-AD workload permitting, the office manager assigns the ASI-AD to 

review the Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course prior to accepting the transfer of approval.

3. Any negative findings by the ASI-AD are resolved by the course operator 

prior to the office manager accepting the transfer of approval.

4. Once the office manager accepts the transfer of approval, he or she assigns 

oversight responsibility of the course to the ASI-AD, who becomes the DCPM.

b) If there is no AFS field office within the region that has an available ASI-AD, 

the RFSD may allow an appropriately qualified ASI–Air Carrier Operations (ASI-AC-OP) to be 

assigned temporary responsibility for approval and oversight of an existing Aircraft Dispatcher 

Certification Course. The ASI-AC-OP must be available to conduct onsite surveillance of the 

course whenever necessary. If there is an appropriately qualified ASI-AC-OP in the original 

FAA approving office, responsibility for approval and oversight of the course should be 

temporarily assigned to that inspector. If not, the RFSD may temporarily transfer approval of the 

course to a field office within the region that has an appropriately qualified ASI-AC-OP. The 

temporary transfer of approval and oversight responsibility to an appropriately qualified 

ASI-AC-OP is allowable until such time as an ASI-AD resource becomes available, up to a 

maximum of 24 calendar-months. This is the equivalent of one full renewal cycle. For the 

purposes of approval and oversight of an Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course, an

appropriately qualified ASI-AC-OP is an inspector who meets all of the following criteria:

1. The ASI-AC-OP has an Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate.

2. The ASI-AC-OP has successfully completed FAA Academy 

Course 21047, Aircraft Dispatcher Functions for ASIs.

3. The ASI-AC-OP has at least 1 year of experience in oversight

responsibilities of a 14 CFR part 121 domestic and/or flag air carrier’s dispatch center.

B. New Course Applicant. If a new applicant seeking FAA approval to operate an 

Aircraft Dispatcher Certification Course contacts the RFSD at the advice of AFS field office, the 

RFSD will consider the certification needs of the public located in its geographic region. The 

RFSD must weigh the needs of the public with the availability of FAA resources.

1) Public Need for Aircraft Dispatcher Certification. Examples of public need 

include, but are not limited to:

a) There is a part 121 dispatch center or flight-following facility located in, 

moving to, or setting up in the area.

b) There is a 14 CFR part 91 subpart K (part 91K) program manager or 14 CFR 

part 135 air carrier that requires an individual to hold an Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate as a 

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condition of employment, located in, moving to, or setting up in the geographic area of the 

office.

2) Availability of Resources. When there is no ASI-AD available in a geographic 

area desired by a new course applicant, and there is a public need for certification, the RFSD 

may assign any field office within the region that does have an ASI-AD to initially approve and 

maintain oversight of the course. This is allowable only if the ASI-AD is able to effectively 

maintain oversight of the course and conduct onsite surveillance whenever necessary. The RFSD 

may also consider staffing adjustments to include an ASI-AD within the region who is able to 

approve, renew, and maintain adequate oversight. If those options are not feasible, or there is no 

public need for aircraft dispatcher certification within the district, the RFSD will direct the 

applicant to pursue approval within another RFSD that has the adequate ASI-AD resources.

RESERVED. Paragraphs 3-5004 through 3-5023.

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