First Job...

[flight17]

Working as a dispatcher and line service for the FBO/flight school I fly at. Been working for about a week now and today I was working line on my own... one of the planes, a Warrior III, went down for a 100hr so I was going to wash it...

Started at ~5Pm and 9:30Pm came around and I still wasn't done with it. I have to still scrub the entire belly of it which is caked in grease/oil and then wax the whole thing and then do the inside.

I might go over tomorrow and finish it even though I don't work tomorrow as long as they haven't torn into it heavily. Otherwise will have to finish it once its out of 100hr but before it is back on the line.

I don't think the fleet had been washed since last year, so they were all really dirty. Still have two more Warriors to do plus an arrow, a Seminole and possibly the T182T. Either im really slow or i got stuck washing the planes that take a long time to do...

Screw running or walking... Just pull some planes around for 10min... Pulled a 172M about 100-200ft over to the pump instead of using the tug and the ramp isnt perfectly flat and my legs were burning afterwards. Its a good workout!

[uptown]

Congrats on your first job! It certainly is more exciting than my first one....hauling hay for a nickle a bail. 

[G0ALY]

Congrats on your first job! It certainly is more exciting than my first one....hauling hay for a nickle a bail. 

LOL Uptown. That reminds me of picking peppers when I was a kid. Our Aunts & Uncles would pay us a nickel for every bushel. We were paid a nickel because we were family… If you weren’t family, you were paid a dime per bushel.

[Babalonian]

Let whatever you're using to clean with soak for a minute or two before whiping it off on the belly.  Another helpful tip for the bellies is get one of those dolleys usually car mechanics use to roll around on their back while working on/under low clearances, makes the job on the underside go twice as fast if not also as easy.

And while it's likely you're the first person in a long time to clean them, it's also as likely it's only your optimistic dillusion that it took a year for them to accumulate such a measly amount crud on them.   

[Flipperk]

Working as a dispatcher and line service for the FBO/flight school I fly at. Been working for about a week now and today I was working line on my own... one of the planes, a Warrior III, went down for a 100hr so I was going to wash it...

Started at ~5Pm and 9:30Pm came around and I still wasn't done with it. I have to still scrub the entire belly of it which is caked in grease/oil and then wax the whole thing and then do the inside.

I might go over tomorrow and finish it even though I don't work tomorrow as long as they haven't torn into it heavily. Otherwise will have to finish it once its out of 100hr but before it is back on the line.

I don't think the fleet had been washed since last year, so they were all really dirty. Still have two more Warriors to do plus an arrow, a Seminole and possibly the T182T. Either im really slow or i got stuck washing the planes that take a long time to do...

Screw running or walking... Just pull some planes around for 10min... Pulled a 172M about 100-200ft over to the pump instead of using the tug and the ramp isnt perfectly flat and my legs were burning afterwards. Its a good workout!

Dispatcher? How old are you?

To get a dispatcher license you must be at least 23 years of age according the FAA.


Which FBO may I ask you work at? I myself wanted to work as a lineman for an FBO (Atlantic or Signature), but then I found my current job before I took that lineman position. I work for Universal Weather and Aviation... I am the product manager for our Trip Planning products, but I started out as Data Management for our Airport and Ground Handling data base.

This is what I currently manage: http://www.universalweather.com/triptools/airport-guide/


Anyways, the reason why I ask is because I have called up quite a few handlers in Pittsburgh at several of those airports, just thought it would be cool to see if I contacted your particular FBO/Flight School... just a small world feeling ya know?

[Golfer]

Working as a licensed dispatcher and dispatching flight school airplanes are not the same thing. I was 19 when I was opening/closing our FBO and manager on the weekends.

"Dispatch" was a glorified way of being a key hander-outer. Also logging the times on the computer and billing at point of sale.

You don't even need a dispatcher certificate to work as a dispatcher if that's the title you're given within a charter outfit.  Usually they're called Schedulers however.

[Golfer]

Zep 40 and a whole crate load of Zep products were my tools of the trade back when. There was some product that would chew through most any caked on goop you could find. I don't remember exactly what it was but it worked great. I also found on cars using old dryer sheets would help give just enough abrasion to remove bugs without damaging paint finishes.

Keep your eyes and ears open while you're learning hand over fist.