Sunday morning I wrapped my first three official days as a trainer at work. My trainee was a great guy who came from AirTran’s dispatch office. He knows his stuff, has a good attitude, and is eager to learn, all of which make my job much easier. He seems like an excellent addition to our office.

The training experience reminded me of my early days in the office, which seem like such a long time ago even though less than 4 years have passed. I was much less confident than my trainee since I had never dispatched before. I was terrified when the phone rang and I had to answer it. I pored over my airport notes and diagrams and NOTAMs and forecasts, afraid that I would miss something. Despite my fear, it was so exciting to be working a real desk with real flights after working so hard to get there. It’s both a bit scary and very satisfying to become the guy on the other side, trying to help out the next class of dispatchers, teach them as much as possible, and give them confidence that they can use our software and policies to handle any situation that might arise.