Originally Posted by
Tu.114
So for the benefit of those of us who never flew in FAA land: How is this rule kept in practice?
Can a dispatcher order a flight to not take less than a certain amount of fuel or define a maximum amount? And the captain, will he then have to live with this and can not order an amount of fuel outside of the scope the dispatcher defined (of course, keeping within all other limitations like weight, performance restrictions, tank volume or minimum block)? Or will Captain and Dispatcher have a brief chat before every flight and agree on a sensible amount that satisfies both of them?
And what happens when fuelling requirements change on short notice during a flying day, e. g. due to deteriorating weather before the 4th leg? Is the Captain allowed to let this influence the amount of extra fuel he wants on board without talking to his Dispatch first and convincing them of this change of plan? This of course applies in the opposite direction as well; say an airfield that showed nasty weather in the forecast opens up unexpectedly - is a reduction of the extra fuel within the Captains authority?
Also: Who is taking the blame if something untoward happens? Will both the Captain and the Dispatcher have to defend their actions in a court or are there differences between those two and the buck stops at the Captain only, seeing that the hypothetical incident was presumably preceded by a threat that was up to the flight crew to resolve?
Since the FAA mandates joint, legal responsibility it necessitates mutual agreement before the flight is released, yes, many times it involves discussion with the Dispatcher if there's a question of routing, fuel, changes etc.
For instance, the ATC system may be expecting delays and re-routing later in a day when weather forecasts are indicating a frontal system developing a line of cells that will shut down normal routes in a certain region, and advise the various air carriers who get this information, look at their own predictions, and adjust accordingly beforehand. Ops and therefore the Dispatchers are tied into the bigger picture. The individual pilot may not be aware of this forecast for that particular region and might questions the different routing and/or fuel load then what he/she is used to, but advising him as to why is part of what a Dispatcher does. If it happens that the weather-forecasts were wrong while enroute the PIC can certainly ask-for/receive more amenable routing and nobody is fussed.
As for where the buck stops; On matters of legal, joint responsibility of the PIC and Dispatcher (as specified by the FAA), they are both in the hot seat if something goes wrong or was missed. It's a purposeful-by-regulation check and balance system of each others' work (in a way) because issuance of their respective Certificates indicates a level of training and proficiency, as well as something that can be taken away if there's a foul-up. In my air carrier experience willy-waving between Pilots and Dispatchers about "who calls the shots" was rare, because the FAA is pretty specific about the respective roles and responsibilities. Even if there is a difference of opinion on a particular matter that demands a discussion and resolution before it flies, not respecting the other person's mandated role means you're in the wrong business. A Dispatcher at an air carrier has an FAA Certificate too that carries with it's own set of responsibilities that must be met.