Chinese (and other) pilots unable to speak English pose danger for air travel (CNN)

What is interesting is that in Mexico and parts of South America, the
controllers speak Spanish with local (or domestic) flights, and
english with international flights.
KB.


This matches with what I experienced recently. I was on the ground
aboard a United passenger flight from Brazil to the USA and listening
to the onboard channel 9 ATC to kill time. Except for the United and a
Lufthansa pilot also awaiting clearance to taxi, every other pilot was
talking Portuguese. The controllers spoke perfect ATC English but
switched to Portuguese for the local pilots. I was thinking this could
easily lead to a lack of situational awareness in a large airport like
Sao Paulo's. It was interesting that even at the local Brazilian FBO,
there was no CFI who spoke English even though the Brazilian
requirements include a proficiency requirement in English!

On Jun 29, 11:18 am, K Baum wrote:
On Jun 29, 4:39 am, "El Maximo" wrote:



Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in
Germany. Why must I speak English?"

What is interesting is that in Mexico and parts of South America, the
controllers speak Spanish with local (or domestic) flights, and
english with international flights.
KB.

That's what I've seen in Mexico. I believe the rule is that ATC must
respond to you in the langauge you use during the call up (either the
native language of the country or English). I've though about using
Spanish but I've never done it. It is nice to speak Spanish because
that's the only way you know if ATC just cleared someone to land in
front of you.

-Robert

On 2007-06-29 11:18:09 -0700, K Baum said:

On Jun 29, 4:39 am, "El Maximo" wrote:

Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in
Germany. Why must I speak English?"

What is interesting is that in Mexico and parts of South America, the
controllers speak Spanish with local (or domestic) flights, and
english with international flights.
KB.

They do at the major airports. Get off the beaten track and you might
find a controller that does not speak English. Also, there is no
guarantee that the local commandant will speak English when you land at
some of the smaller airports. Fortunately, he usually has a jeep and
can take you to somebody who does speak English.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

On Jun 29, 4:39 am, "El Maximo" wrote:
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote in messagenews
Matthias van Henk wrote:
As more and more aviation business is operated from Asia and Chinese is
the most spoken language in the world all communication should be made
in Chinese then. :-)

If Won Wing Low had been the Father of Aviation, it could have been!

--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

Allegedly, a Pan Am 727 flight waiting for start clearance in Munich
overheard the following:
Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in
Germany. Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because
you lost the bloody war."

The other version I"ve heard was an American flight had just landed
and was read a really fast taxi clearance. Apparently the pilot didn't
respond quickly.
ATC: "What's wrong with you haven't you been here before"
Pilot: "Once in 1943 but I didn't stop"

-Robert

In a previous article, "Robert M. Gary" said:
The other version I"ve heard was an American flight had just landed
and was read a really fast taxi clearance. Apparently the pilot didn't
respond quickly.
ATC: "What's wrong with you haven't you been here before"
Pilot: "Once in 1943 but I didn't stop"

The canonical version of that joke involves a BOAC flight, and the pilot
continued "and they weren't any friendlier then either."


--
Paul Tomblin http://blog.xcski.com/
Things should be as simple as possible, but not simpler.
-- Albert Einstein

Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because
you lost the bloody war."


My son-in-law (who is English) tells this story:

A German in an AWACS over Afghanistan picks up a call from a boat in
the Bay of Bengal: "I'm sinking! I'm sinking!"

To which the controller replied in an interested voice: "And vat are
you sinking about?"


Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942
forthcoming from HarperCollins www.flyingtigersbook.com

On Jun 30, 12:56 pm, Cubdriver usenet AT danford DOT net wrote:
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because
you lost the bloody war."

My son-in-law (who is English) tells this story:

A German in an AWACS over Afghanistan picks up a call from a boat in
the Bay of Bengal: "I'm sinking! I'm sinking!"

To which the controller replied in an interested voice: "And vat are
you sinking about?"

That's a commercial for a European company that does English
instruction. There is another one that is really funny too. A family
(mom, dad, teens) are sitting in a car and turn on an English radio
station. The song goes something like "I want to do you up the $@#".
The whole family is singing along having a great time. The caption
reads something like "Time to learn English". ;: ! Some of the
funniest commercials you've ever seen. I think the company is called
Beritz and is in Germany.

-Robert

On 29 Jun, 12:39, "El Maximo" wrote:
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote in messagenews
Matthias van Henk wrote:
As more and more aviation business is operated from Asia and Chinese is
the most spoken language in the world all communication should be made
in Chinese then. :-)

If Won Wing Low had been the Father of Aviation, it could have been!

--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

Allegedly, a Pan Am 727 flight waiting for start clearance in Munich
overheard the following:
Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in
Germany. Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because
you lost the bloody war."

Thats rubbish
All the german pilots speak english the whole time with the tower,
even on domestic flights in germany
and they all speak perfect english

wrote in message
ups.com...
On 29 Jun, 12:39, "El Maximo" wrote:
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote in
messagenews
Matthias van Henk wrote:
As more and more aviation business is operated from Asia and Chinese
is
the most spoken language in the world all communication should be made
in Chinese then. :-)

If Won Wing Low had been the Father of Aviation, it could have been!

--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

Allegedly, a Pan Am 727 flight waiting for start clearance in Munich
overheard the following:
Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in
Germany. Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent):
"Because
you lost the bloody war."

Thats rubbish

But it's funny rubbish!

All the german pilots speak english the whole time with the tower,
even on domestic flights in germany
and they all speak perfect english

,

and they all speak perfect english


bull! ;-)

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)