United States Department of Transportation
i
U.S. Airline Transport Pilot International Flight Language Experiences, Report 2: Word Meaning and Pronunciation
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2010-04-01
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[PDF-763.63 KB]
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Alternative Title:United States Airline Transport Pilot International Flight Language Experiences Report 2: Word Meaning and Pronunciation [cover title]
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Abstract: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 strengthen 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 each 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 questions 24-30 and their comments from discussions of those questions with interviewers are presented as a compiled narrative. The pilots’ responses had eight major thrusts: (1) Once pilots get past the controller’s accented English, understanding is not a problem during routine operations; (2) the lack of standardized pronunciation of NAVAIDs, waypoints, intersections, etc. complicates understanding what was said; (3) Currency in flight time in the theater of operation is critical to understanding accented English and will influence how easily controllers from different countries are understood; (4) Poor radios and transmission quality contribute to the unintelligibility of some controller transmissions; (5) Variations in pronunciation can detract from flying, as pilots must listen intently to clearances; (6) Training is essential for crews lacking currency going into a foreign country; (7) Differences associated with U.S. and ICAO phraseology need to be resolved and procedural ambiguities eliminated; and (8) Technological advancements such as controller pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) and automatic dependent surveillance (ADS) can mitigate some of the problems associated with accented English. We offer 10 recommendations to improve communication practices, which include development of a standardized phraseology, its presentation, delivery technique, and meaning, training, and implementation of ICAO’s ELP by all member states.
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Content Notes:Work was accomplished under approved task AM-B-06-HRR-516
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