Dispatch Statuses

PlaneConnection maintains two distinct sets of dispatch-related statuses: aircraft dispatch states that track real-time aircraft position and availability, and FRAT assessment statuses that track the Flight Risk Assessment Tool approval workflow. Both feed into the dispatch board and trip lifecycle.

Aircraft Dispatch States

The dispatch status table tracks the real-time operational state of each aircraft. This is a separate concept from the aircraft’s fleet status (Active, Maintenance, etc.) — dispatch state reflects what the aircraft is doing right now.

State	API Value	Description
Available	`available`	Aircraft is on the ground and available for dispatch. No active trip assigned.
Dispatched	`dispatched`	Aircraft has been assigned to a trip and dispatched to crew. Departure is pending.
Airborne	`airborne`	Aircraft is currently in flight. Position data is being tracked.
Arriving	`arriving`	Aircraft is on approach or has landed and is taxiing to parking.
Maintenance	`maintenance`	Aircraft is undergoing maintenance and is not available for dispatch.

Dispatch State Lifecycle

Dispatch State vs Fleet Status

Dispatch state and fleet status serve different purposes and operate independently:

Concept	Dispatch State	Fleet Status
Purpose	Real-time position and operational state	Long-term aircraft availability
Granularity	Changes multiple times per flight	Changes infrequently
Source	ADS-B tracking, dispatcher actions	Admin/dispatcher manual transitions
Examples	Available, Airborne, Arriving	Active, Maintenance, Storage
Where used	Dispatch board, in-flight display	Scheduling, fleet reports

An aircraft can have a fleet status of Active while its dispatch state cycles through Available, Dispatched, Airborne, and Arriving during normal operations. If the fleet status changes to Maintenance, the dispatch state also transitions to Maintenance.

Dispatch State Record Fields

Field	Type	Description
`aircraft_id`	Reference	The aircraft this status applies to (one record per aircraft).
`state`	Enum	Current dispatch state.
`current_trip_id`	Reference	The trip currently assigned to this aircraft, if any.
`current_leg_id`	Reference	The specific leg currently in progress, if any.
`eta_minutes`	Number	Estimated time of arrival in minutes (updated during flight).
`fuel_remaining`	Number	Estimated fuel remaining in gallons.
`updated_at`	Timestamp	Last time the dispatch state was updated.

FRAT Assessment Statuses

The Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) evaluates risk factors before each flight. FRAT assessments follow their own approval workflow.

Status	API Value	Description
Draft	`draft`	Assessment has been started but not yet submitted. Risk factors may be partially scored.
Submitted	`submitted`	Assessment has been completed and submitted for review. All risk categories are scored.
Approved	`approved`	Assessment has been reviewed and approved. The flight is cleared from a risk perspective.
Rejected	`rejected`	Assessment has been reviewed and rejected. Additional mitigations are required before the flight can proceed.

FRAT Lifecycle

Risk Levels

Each FRAT assessment produces a total score that maps to a risk level:

Risk Level	Description	Action Required
Low	Standard operations. No additional mitigations required.	Proceed normally.
Moderate	Elevated risk. Review mitigations before proceeding.	PIC and dispatcher review.
High	Significant risk. Requires management review and additional mitigations.	Management approval required.
Critical	Unacceptable risk without substantial mitigations.	Chief pilot or DO approval required. Flight may be cancelled.

FRAT Risk Categories

The FRAT scoring evaluates six categories. Each category contributes to the total score:

Category	Factors Assessed
Weather	Ceiling, visibility, winds, icing, turbulence, thunderstorms
Crew	Experience, fatigue, currency, familiarity with route/aircraft
Aircraft	MEL deferrals, maintenance status, equipment limitations
Route	Terrain, airspace complexity, alternate availability, distance
Time	Time of day, duty time elapsed, circadian factors
Operational	Passenger requirements, schedule pressure, special cargo

FRAT assessments are linked to specific trips and optionally to specific legs. High-risk assessments appear as alerts on the dispatch board and in the trip detail timeline.

Dispatch Compliance Gate

Before an aircraft can transition from Available to Dispatched, the system runs a set of pre-departure compliance checks. If any check fails, dispatch is blocked until the issue is resolved.

Check	Regulation	What it verifies
Crew duty time	14 CFR 135.267	No crew member exceeds the 14-hour duty day or 8-hour flight time limit.
Crew currency	14 CFR 135.243	PIC instrument proficiency, recurrent training, and medical certificate are current.
Recurrent training	14 CFR 135.293	All assigned crew have completed required recurrent training.
eAPIS filing	19 CFR 122.49a	For international flights, eAPIS manifest has been filed with CBP.
FRAT score	AC 120-92D	Flight Risk Assessment score is within acceptable limits or has management approval.
Dual authorization	14 CFR 135.77	Both dispatcher and PIC have independently approved the operational release.

Compliance Gate States

State	Meaning
Clear	All checks passed. Dispatch may proceed.
Warning	Approaching a limit (e.g., crew at 80% duty time). Dispatch allowed with review.
Blocked	One or more checks failed. Dispatch is blocked until resolved.

Duty time overrides are available under 14 CFR 135.267(c) for unforeseen circumstances. Overrides require a documented reason and are recorded in the audit trail for regulatory review.

How Dispatch Statuses Differ from Trip Statuses

Trip statuses track the administrative lifecycle of a trip (Draft through Completed). Dispatch statuses track the real-time operational state of the aircraft and the risk assessment approval workflow. A single trip may involve multiple dispatch state transitions as the aircraft moves through Available, Dispatched, Airborne, and Arriving for each leg.

Aspect	Trip Status	Dispatch State	FRAT Status
Scope	Entire trip (all legs)	Single aircraft, current moment	Single assessment per trip/leg
Transitions	Manual (dispatcher/admin)	Automatic (tracking) + manual	Manual (assessor/reviewer)
Terminal states	Completed, Cancelled	None (cycles continuously)	Approved
Regulatory role	Operational control	Situational awareness	Risk management (AC 120-92D)

Trip Statuses

Trip lifecycle statuses and transition rules.

Aircraft Statuses

Fleet-level aircraft availability statuses.

Use the Dispatch Board

Monitor aircraft dispatch states in real time.

Conduct a FRAT

Complete a Flight Risk Assessment before departure.

SMS Reference

SmartScore

Operations Reference

FBO Reference

Maintenance Reference

Operational Reports

Portal Reference

Platform Reference

API Reference

Aircraft Dispatch States

Dispatch State Lifecycle

Dispatch State vs Fleet Status

Dispatch State Record Fields

FRAT Assessment Statuses

FRAT Lifecycle

Risk Levels

FRAT Risk Categories

Dispatch Compliance Gate

Compliance Gate States

How Dispatch Statuses Differ from Trip Statuses

Trip Statuses

Aircraft Statuses

Use the Dispatch Board

Conduct a FRAT

​Aircraft Dispatch States

​Dispatch State Lifecycle

​Dispatch State vs Fleet Status

​Dispatch State Record Fields

​FRAT Assessment Statuses

​FRAT Lifecycle

​Risk Levels

​FRAT Risk Categories

​Dispatch Compliance Gate

​Compliance Gate States

​How Dispatch Statuses Differ from Trip Statuses

​Related

Trip Statuses

Aircraft Statuses

Use the Dispatch Board

Conduct a FRAT

Aircraft Dispatch States

Dispatch State Lifecycle

Dispatch State vs Fleet Status

Dispatch State Record Fields

FRAT Assessment Statuses

FRAT Lifecycle

Risk Levels

FRAT Risk Categories

Dispatch Compliance Gate

Compliance Gate States

How Dispatch Statuses Differ from Trip Statuses

Related