Aviation English

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The value of aviation English rater training

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The value of aviation English rater training

The combination of national regulations and individual motivations has created a demand for generic aviation English rater training courses, a demand which is met by a number of providers who offer courses in varied shape and form. As rater training is largely unregulated, and as there is little guidance on what an aviation English rater training course should include, this article briefly explores this niche area of activity, suggests content that training courses should cover, and evaluates the usefulness of generic rater training.

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Understanding idiomatic vocabulary for ICAO L5 or L6

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Understanding idiomatic vocabulary for ICAO L5 or L6

A short, interactive blog to explore the notion of idiomatic vocabulary and nuanced language, sometimes used by native speakers of English on the radio but also targeted by the aviation language proficiency descriptors of the ICAO rating scale at level 5 and level 6.

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Pass your message - aviation English for pilots

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Pass your message - aviation English for pilots

In our first video blog, Latitude's team discuss aviation English for pilots, presenting what we mean by 'Aviation English' in broad terms before introducing some of the work-related language use tasks that pilots perform and drilling down on aeronautical communications and the ICAO LPRs.

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Back to work

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Back to work

As we slowly emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and the aviation industry gears up for restart, this article examines one small but important safety concern - the issue of loss of language proficiency. We briefly explore the concept of ‘language attrition’ before examining some recent guidance on industry restart, and conclude with some advice for pilots, controllers and training managers returning to active duty.

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Squawking 7600: The absence of RT in tests of aviation English

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Squawking 7600: The absence of RT in tests of aviation English

Radio communication between pilots and controllers features standard phraseology in the first instance and plain English when phraseology does not suffice. The two go together, hand-in-hand: safe and efficient radiotelephony relies on both. In this blog, we explain why it is so important for ICAO English tests to directly address radiotelephony communication, and we explore some of the reasons why radiotelephony is conspicuously absent in much aviation language testing today.

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Taking an online aviation English lesson. What’s it like?

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Taking an online aviation English lesson. What’s it like?

Many pilots and ATCs are taking online aviation English courses and tests to improve their aviation language proficiency in preparation for the ICAO test. But what should they expect and is there anything to be afraid of?

Should ICAO level 6 be removed?

Should ICAO level 6 be removed?

Should ICAO level 6 be removed? The problem with level 6 is not so much that it exists, it is more accurately about the circumstances and inferences that stem from it. A pilot who gets level 6 has it for life, but how do we know the pilot will stay at ICAO level 6? Language proficiency can be lost over time.