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Job Title:
Commercial Airline Flight Planner
Related Job Title:
Flight Plan Delivery, Flight Plan Associate, Flight Engineer
Job Description:
The commercial flight planner is employed by the various commercial airline and charter aircraft companies and
work from each companies' designated work station around the United States. Using their comprehensive knowledge
of weather charts and weather maps as well as they expertise in aeronautical chart reading, they gather current
and predictive data to plan the many flight routes that aircraft for their company will be flying that day. These
flight plans include the route, updated weather data to be expected along the way, sectors and Centers through
which the aircraft will fly, airspeed and departure and arrival times.
Areas of Expertise:
- Thorough knowledge of the air traffic management system and the FAA regulations
- Weather phenomena and its effects on flight
- Knowledge of US weather patterns
- Knowledge of weather data found on charts, graphs and maps
- Flight planning and aeronautical chart reading
Interest and Abilities:
- Enjoy aviation and have an understanding of the science of flight
- Excellent problem solving abilities regardless of the pressure to meet a deadline
- Enjoy a challenging work environment
- Ability to visualize a 2-dimensional picture in a 3-dimensional way
- Ability to use a computer and radar scope to get information and to help solve problems
- Love of aviation and flight
- Able to read and interpret aeronautical charts
- Excellent written skills and ability to provide clear, concise directions
Suggested subjects to study in school:
- Physics
- Aeronautics or the science of flight
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Meteorology
- Geography and mapping
- English composition
- Computer database usage
Education and Training Needed:
- 4-year degree program before airline company training
- Pass airline company aptitude test
- Successful completion of airline company flight plan training
You might want to further explore this career by checking out the web sites given below.
Careers in Aviation/Aerodynamics
School of Aviation Science Air Traffic Control
Learn about each part of the air traffic management system by visiting this Web site and choosing from the list of facilities that are given in the left column
What can I do right now?
Join a group like the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and participate in their activities.
Learn how to read all types of geographical maps, aeronautical charts and weather maps and charts.
Take a ground school course and some basic pilot training.
Get work experience where you have to perform gather weather data or use aeronautical charts.
View the NASA/FAA CD-ROM Gate to Gate to learn more about the air traffic management system.
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