Frosty Hoar, you need to look at the FAA style of operation as a whole. Kellmark has explained it well. Ęt is a system of operational control; dispatchers and pilots sit the same exam, they go through annual recurrent trainning, they generally have a mutal respect for one another and on the whole contribute to flight safety in a way we in Europe (generally) do not. No need to be on the flight deck, the US system provides for that. FAA dispatch and joint responsibility is a good system and offers benefits that ours does not.
The benefit of having a FAA Dispatchers licence in Europe has nothing to do węth joint responsibility, but it does at least prove the holder has studied and passed examinations in operational subjects. Being a good ops controller or flight planner, its all the same, both need the knowledge. The crux of the matter, in my opinion, is that an operations officer/dispatcher who has studied to a level approaching aircrew licence requirements has a far greater appreciation of aircraft operations and can therefore offer greater support to aircrew, can anticipate operational problems earlier and in general can enhance flight safety, and thats also just good business! as we seem to agree.
Management pilots can be a subsitute for having experienced/qualified dispatchers in the ops room; Ę'm not saying that they are a bad idea- its just in my experience there is often a recognition by flight ops managment in many airlines that their ops staff simply dont have the knowledge and we need a pilot there just in case.
Ę could give you numerous examples of failings by ops officers who have worked for me over the years that boil down to a simple lack of of operational knowledge, some of them on the wrong side of safety. No, as we are agreed, our job is one that needs formal acceditdation. ĘCAO has the syllabus set out for us, perhaps a bit of updating is required, but the basic requirement is already there.
Kellmark, your case is a strong one and you make many valid comments, but Opsbod and the likes are starting at the first hurdle- a knowledge base. We have to get this in place, and if everyone who can pushes the cause Ę believe it just might happen this time. IFALDA/EUFALDA Ę hope can further this cause.