Vocational School

Flight Operation Management Program

 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• What does Flight Operations Management (FOM) training program like?

Flight Operation Management program; It is a program in which you both get your two-year associate FOM program degree diploma in “Flight Operations Management” approved by YÖK, and you gain the Internationally recognized Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Flight Operations Specialist (Air Dispatcher) authorization certificate.

• What does Dispatcher mean?

The dispatchers operate in the direction of emergency officers, transport and logistics services, railways, maritime enterprises and airlines.

• What does the Flight Operations Specialist “Air Dispatcher” do?

It is the person who helps in the planning of plane route through evaluating the performance of the plane, the load it will take and the meteorological conditions that the plane may encounter along the way and informs the pilot and gives advice in case the conditions change during the flight. They usually work in flight operations or control centers of airlines.

• What is the FOM program content like?

The courses that make up the program are under two main headings: academic and certificate courses. Academic courses; the courses required by YÖK consist of English, aviation-related elective courses and non-field elective courses. Certificate courses consist of theoretical and applied courses, which are required by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA) and whose minimum course hours and content are determined by GDCA.

• What is the difference between academic courses and certificate courses given under the roof of the university?

Since all of the academic courses and certificate courses are included in the ECTS and therefore the Turkish Higher Education Qualifications Framework (THEQF) system, they are all defined as a part of academic education. However, certificate courses are subject to GDCA legislation in terms of content and practice. GDCA provides FOM trainings by teachers authorized by GDCA through educational institutions called "Approved Education Organization" (OEO). Our university has an OEO with the necessary authority and competence for these trainings.

• What is it like to pass the course in the FOM program?

Academic courses are processed according to the university's course passing system, and certificate courses are processed according to the regulations of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA). Certificate courses are taken consecutively and in a certain order in the form of package courses, and attendance is compulsory. In addition, course passing grades differ from each other. For this reason, shortening the standard education period determined by GDCA by taking courses from the upper class is out of question due to both the GDCA legislation and the Higher Education Council’s limitation of the maximum course credits that can be taken.

• What is the process in the UHY program?

The students; After attending the certificate courses in the legislation of the General Directorate of Academic and Civil Aviation (GDCA) and passing the exams, they take the exam for the certificate courses at the exam centers of the GDCA. As a result of being successful in the GDCA exams, diploma and competency certificate can be obtained together. However, if the student passes the exams of the FOM program but does not succeed in the final exam of the GDCA, he/she receives a diploma but cannot get a certificate of competence. In this case, taking into account the elapsed time, according to the GDCA legislation, either an external training should be repeated or it is necessary to wait until the next GDCA exam.

• What is taught in the certificate courses in the FOM program?

The certificate courses of the FOM program are given within the framework of the resource publications of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), of which our country is a member. GDCA, by referring to these resource publications, prepares regulations and directives that specify by whom and how the education will be given, and both guides and supervises the Approved Education Organizations (OEO) that it has authorized for education. OEOs also process the certificate curriculum with the Dispatcher Training Manual (DTM), in which the subject of each course is specified in detail and how the training will be given.

The legislation of the certificate training of the FOM program is shaped by the following basic references.

• ICAO's Doc 7192-AN/857 Part D-3 Training Manual Flight Operations Officers / Flight Dispatchers
• GDCA's SHY-UHU (2016) Flight Operations Specialist License Regulation (SHY-UHU)
• OEO's Dispatcher Training Manual (DTM)
• Heigher Education Council legislation
• Vocational Qualifications Authority, (2015) National Occupational Standard Flight Dispatcher Level 5

• Is there any practical training or internship in the FOM program?

There is a practical training in the last period of the FOM program within the scope of GDCA legislation and within the framework of HEC's Applied Training Regulation, and applied training is given in one of the operation centers (Istanbul, Antalya, etc.) that the airlines agreed for that period deemed appropriate.

• What are the training application principles in the FOM program?

Pursuant to article 17 of the Flight Operations Specialist (FOS) License Regulation (CAR-FOS) published by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA);

• Approved Training Organization (ATO) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Doc. 7192-AN/857 PART D-3 provides training in accordance with document and approved by GDCA as specified in the FOS (Dispatcher) Training Manual (DEEK) prepared.
• ATO issues a certificate for each candidate who successfully completes the FOS training, but this certificate does not replace the FOS license to be issued by GDCA.
• Trainings are given and evaluated by FOS Teachers with valid licenses and trainers approved by GDCA.
• Application to the FOM program

Pursuant to article 18 of the Flight Operations Specialist (FOS) License Regulation (CAR-FOS) published by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA);

• For the FOS license (Certificate), an application is made to the GDCA with the documents specified in Annex-3.
• Candidates who have completed their theoretical and practical training and exams apply to GDCA for the issuance of license within 6 months at the latest from the end of the exam. Candidates who do not apply within the specified period must pass the theoretical and practical exams again in order to be able to issue their licenses and be successful in these exams.
• GDCA issues a FOS license to candidates who meet the training and examination requirements specified in the CAR-FOS regulation.
• In order for FOS licenses issued by other ICAO member countries recognized by the Republic of Turkey and the KKTC to be converted into Turkish licenses, the following requirements must be met:
  • Having 2 years of experience as a licensed flight operations specialist,
  • Confirmation of the FOS license by the GDCA issued by the civil aviation authority of the country,
  • It is necessary to be successful in the theoretical and practical exams to be held by GDCA.
  • In terms of the integrity and auditability of the training, the licensing process should be carried out by the country of training. No credit/acceptance can be made by GDCA in unfinished and unlicensed trainings.

• What are the prerequisites for applying to the UHY program?

Pursuant to article 19 of the Flight Operations Specialist (FOS) License Regulation (CAR-FOS) published by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA);

• The following conditions are required in order to start FOS undergraduate education:
  • Must be at least a high school graduate or equivalent.
  • The candidate must have a sufficient level of English to follow the training and complete the exams. The training institution develops a procedure for determining the proficiency of candidates' English levels and includes it in the FOS (Dispatcher) Training Manual
  • There should not be a health problem that will prevent them from performing their duties. Health requirements to be provided by FOS are also determined by GDCA.
     
• The following qualifications are required to obtain a FOS license:

• Be at least 21 years old,
• Not having been convicted of the crimes specified in the second paragraph of Article 5 of the CAR-FOS regulation. The FOS licenses of those whose situations change after the issuance of the license or to have submitted false documents during the issuance of the license are determined are revoked.

• How are the exams for the certificate courses of the UHY program?

Pursuant to article 20 of the Flight Operations Specialist (FOS) License Regulation (CAR-FOS) published by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA);

• FOS license exams are held at least twice in each calendar year. Exam and application dates and exam venues are announced on the website of GDCA in January.
• Exams are conducted by the exam commission established by GDCA.
• Exam questions are selected from the FOS question bank by the exam commission.

• At least 40% of the exam questions are asked in English.
• In the theoretical exam, candidates are asked 120 multiple choice questions and a total of 2 hours and 30 minutes is given. In the practice exam, candidates are asked 10 written (classical) questions and a total of 90 minutes is given.
• Candidates must get at least 75 points out of 100 in the theoretical and practical exams in order to be considered successful in the exams.
• Candidates who are not successful in the theoretical exam are not taken to the practical exam.
• After the completion of the theoretical training, practical training should be started within 6 months at the latest. If this period is exceeded, refresher training is required.
• Application for exams must be submitted within 12 months after the practical training is completed.
• The candidate can take the theoretical and practical exams in maximum 4 exam periods. Theoretical or practical exams for each semester cannot be combined with another semester. Exams must be completed within 24 months. Candidates who fail at the end of all 4 exam periods or fail to complete their exams within 24 months are not allowed to retake the exams before completing the refresher training they will receive from the authorized training institution.
• Candidates who have not completed the FOS education in the training institution authorized according to the CAR-FOS regulation are not allowed to take the theoretical and practical exams.
• What are the training period and experience requirements?

Pursuant to article 21 of the Flight Operations Specialist (FOS) License Regulation (CAR-FOS) published by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCM);

• According to FOS training, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Doc. 7192-AN/857 PART D-3, the content and duration cannot be less than the scope of theoretical and practical training and exams specified in
• The minimum theoretical training periods based on the FOS license are as follows:

• For candidates with no previous experience, details can be found in ICAO Doc. 7192-AN/857 PART D-3 . At least 285 hours of theoretical training specified in document is given.
• For candidates with previous experience, details are given by ICAO Doc. 7192-AN/857 PART D-3 . At least 160 hours of theoretical training specified in document is given.
• Pilots holding a minimum CPL (Commercial Pilot Certificate), air traffic controllers and candidates who have worked for a minimum of 2 years under the supervision of a licensed FOS in the flight operations unit of the company they work for, will receive the theoretical training "6/11" organized for those with previous experience in an authorized training institution. Candidates other than this receive the theoretical training organized for those who do not have previous experience in an authorized training institution.
• Candidates who fail the theoretical and practical exams and those who do not renew their licenses in accordance with the provisions of the CAR-FOS regulation, receive at least 40 hours of refresher training, which includes all theoretical course topics and the details of which are defined in the FOS (Dispatcher) Training Manual.
• How long is the validity of the UHU License?

Pursuant to article 23 of the Flight Operations Specialist (FOS) License Regulation (CAR-FOS) published by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA);

• FOS license is issued for 2 years.
• Before the revalidation process of the FOS license, the applicant's;

• Must not have taken a break from their FOS job for more than 12 months in the last 2 years. This situation is documented by an official letter to be given by the company where the flight operations specialist works.
• If he has taken a break from his FOS job for more than 12 months in the last 2 years, his license is not renewed until the refresher training is completed.
• Persons who have not served as FOS within the last 5 years must complete the refresher training and be successful in the theoretical and practical exams in order to renew their license.
• FOS keeps its license and a photo identification document with it during the time it is in charge and presents it when requested by the authorities.
• In which campus are the trainings held in the UHY program?

According to the content of the course, the trainings are held at Antalya Bilim University's Perge, Döşemealtı, Gülük campus and Karain Airport.

• What are the job opportunities?

Flight Operations Specialist (FOS) job opportunity; It is directly related to the airline sector, which is fed by transportation (tourism) and cargo (logistics) services. The growing and developing airline industry needs larger aircraft fleets. While this situation affects FOS employment positively, the emergence of new technologies affects FOS employment negatively. In our country's civil aviation sector, there are 10 airline companies engaged in passenger and cargo transportation. The number of aircraft of the airline companies, which was 546 in 2019, increased to 554 in 2020. 523 of these planes are passenger planes and 31 are cargo planes. The total seat capacity of our airline fleet is 105,336, and the total load capacity of cargo planes is 2,453,450 kg.

It is thought that the table above can give a rough information about the employment of FOS. The number of participants for the 05-06 March 2020 GDCA FOS exam is 18 people.

• Can FOM graduates work in other positions in the aviation sector besides Flight Operations Specialist?

Flight Operations Management graduates, thanks to the aviation courses they took during their education, in the aviation sector; they can work in airport terminal management companies, operations coordination and operation units, ground handling companies and representation-supervision companies, operations, operations, coordination and passenger services units and ground operations units of airline companies.

• What is the health examination for the UHY application and where is it done?

During the application to become an FOM; “As a result of the examination carried out at aviation medical centers authorized by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA), the flight operations specialist does not have any physical or mental illness that may prevent him/her from fulfilling his/her duties, his/her central nervous system is normal, with or without glasses at least 6/9. It is necessary to have a medical report certifying that they have visual acuity, sufficient hearing capacity, and normal ear, nose and throat functions.

• The current list of which hospitals (aviation medical centers) can issue this report can be accessed via the authorized hospitals tab on the website of the GDCA.
• What is the foreign language level determination document required for the FOM application?   

During the application, it is necessary to submit a document showing that he/she has received at least 50 points or equivalent points in one of the English exams conducted by the Presidency of the Measurement, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) or whose equivalence has been determined.

• I want to learn more about UHY, where should I look?
• Flight Operations Specialist License Regulation (CAR-FOS) available on the website of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (GDCA),
• To the National Vocational Standard Flight Dispatcher Level 5 document of the Vocational Qualifications Authority (2015).