MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Dispatch Dispatcher
Dispatch Dispatch 6
Other / Unknown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Work Refused
Company Policy; Human Factors
I was training a new hire. My acting supervisor came and asked if anyone had time to take a reposition flight. My trainee volunteered. I asked if it was a regular repo and he told me yes. We placed the flight on our desk. We completed the planning of this flight only to find out this was a MX Ferry flight and had a permit and restrictions to comply with. We found out when MX control gave us the permit. We hurried back to the flight to stop the release from getting sent. We looked at the permit and saw there is a speed restriction with the aircraft. We went back into Navtech for slow the aircraft down only to find out we don't have any selections to slow it down to the necessary speed. (240 knots). I then went to my Supervisor for help. He suggested that the closest speed we could get was 250 TAS and that I should use it and give the crew extra fuel for the flight. He also told me to get a True airspeed to Indicated airspeed calculator to make sure my speeds were correct. He ended up doing this for me. Since I told him I was going to work on a few revenue flights before revisiting this ferry. After revisiting I wasn't comfortable with this because I was still unable to comply with the ferry flight permit. Since Navtec wouldn't slow the whole flight down; it couldn't hold a speed for the entire flight. I expressed to [my Supervisor] that I am not interested in being violated for something so simple. A little bit of time went past; [Supervisor] then came to my desk and told me that I could run the flight at the higher speed and go into the release and manually edit it to the speed I needed and also edit the ATC strip. That way the FAA would never know. Even more uncomfortable with this since I just got asked to hide information from the flight crew and the FAA. I told him my displeasure with that. I told him that I can't edit a release because the system won't allow me; and the ATC strip I wasn't going to do. [A manager] then got involved as I was trying to tell [him] what was going on. He told me Navtec had the speeds right in all but two places and that it was ok to send. [Supervisor] also kept saying he didn't have a problem with it. After a min or two [Manager] who was noticeably unhappy barked at me telling me if I don't want to send it just give it back to [Supervisor]. I took another look at the flight still not happy with not being able to comply with the ferry permit. I told [Supervisor] I wasn't dispatching it. [Supervisor] asked if I had a problem with him dispatching it. I simply told him I wasn't going too; but if he thought the flight was safe that was his call. [Supervisor] then dispatched it. Manager came back by my desk and asked what I decided. So I told him. He walked away then came back a minute or two later. He told me I needed to write an email on why I didn't dispatch this flight. He then walked away and came back again and told me to cite any regulations I thought I would have broken. Then he walked away again. He then came back a min or two later saying I only need to write this in case someone asks him about it. That way he knows why I declined to dispatch it. He then never talked to me the rest of the night.[Causes]1. Giving me a mx ferry and not telling me it is a ferry. I could have sent a release without seeing a permit. Then creating a safety concern.2. We need more planning tables for flight planning speeds. If we can't get an aircraft on a given speed it shouldn't go because the responsibility of the preflight planning is not complete. I don't know how long they are in the air and if wx could play a factor; do I need an alternate or not; etc.3. Don't have a supervisor that pushes you to cover up your steps in order to hide non-compliance with your release from the flight crew or the FAA.4. If the dispatcher has reservations on sending it; taking operational control out of their hand isn't a good idea. 5. Shopping a release around till you find someone who is comfortable to dispatch isn't always good for safety. I believe [Manager] did this in telling me to give back the flight to [Supervisor]; since [Supervisor] told him he had no problem in sending it.6. Managers and Supervisors should harbor a safe environment. Not just say they are and bully production out of people. This is going to create an unsafe airline. Had this flight been to an airport further away would their answer for just giving it more fuel been a smart answer? I don't want to write an email just because the flight is unsafe.
Air carrier Dispatcher reported his Supervisor stepped in and dispatched a flight after he refused because he felt it was not legal.