U.S. Airline Transport Pilot International Flight Language Experiences, Report 1: Background Information and General/Pre-Flight Preparation

In 1998, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) took a heightened interest in the role of language in airline accidents. Its Air Navigation Commission was directed to complete the task of strengthening relevant ICAO provisions concerning language requirements. Member states agreed to take steps to ensure air traffic control (ATC) personnel and flight crews involved in flight operations in airspace where the use of the English language is required were proficient in conducting and comprehending radiotelephony communications in English. Since then, ICAO developed its English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements and urged its Members to document their ELP test implementation plans by March 8, 2008. Until all ATC personnel and flight crews involved in flight operations obtain a passing level of ELP, the language-based problems international pilots face is not known. This report is a compilation of written responses and comments by a small focus group of 48 U.S. pilots of their difficulties in international operations. The focus group consisted of 12 international U.S. pilots from American, Continental, Delta, and United Airlines. Each focus group met with two interviewers to discuss their language experiences flying into countries where English may or may not be the local or national language among its radio operators, controllers, and pilots. In this report, the pilots’ responses to 23 of the 64 multi-part questions and their comments from discussions of those questions with interviewers are presented as a compiled narrative. The pilots’ responses had six major thrusts: (1) Cultural differences exert an important, nearly undetectable influence on international aviation; (2) English language proficiency is deficient and hampers effective communication; (3) Party-line (single-frequency) communications in English facilitate situational awareness. When mixed languages are on frequency, party-line communications pose a safety concern and impede situational awareness; (4) Pronunciation and naming conventions for locations and other identifiers lack a uniform pronunciation, and 3- or 5-letter identifiers may not be connected with the pronunciation; (5) There is no uniform agreement as to what standard phraseology is or should be; and (6) Technological advancements such as datalink may help solve some of the language problems.