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Flying into French Language Only (FR-only) airfields (and French ATC ELP)

Rwy20 wrote:

I don’t think an airfield (or their regulator) can (legally) impose a certain language proficiency. It is not their cup of tea as this is a licensing question for the national aviation authority issuing the license.

Nor can even an NAA “impose a certain language proficiency”.

FCL.055
(a) General. Aeroplane, helicopter, powered-lift and airship pilots required to use the radio telephone shall not exercise the privileges of their licences and ratings unless they have a language proficiency endorsement on their licence in either English or the language used for radio communications involved in the flight.

English Language Proficiency always satisfies FCL.055(a).

It may be possible for a member state, as in the Arrêté du 27 juin 2000, to specify what languages are to be used on the radio, but requiring an LP endorsement on the Part-FCL licence is an EU competence with which the NAAs are not permitted to meddle.

If anyone has any firm evidence that NAAs have taken licensing action based on a lack of local LP on a Part-FCL licence where the pilot has English LP, I would like to know please, and I’ll take it through the standardisation process.

Thank you @bookworm. This is probably the best explanation of the whole issue I’ve seen so far.

The problem is, that there never was any firm evidence but the word of some very trustworthy people that after the initial implementation of LP they got harassed by local officials, predominantly in France. Some were forced to hire a french instructor to fly them out to an airport which had English and were threatened with “huge” fines, some were hindered to depart at all and had to get people with a French LP to ferry the airplanes e.t.c. Again, this was in the very beginning.

Obviously those people complained, not only on fora, AOPA and Aeroclubs but also to their own NAA, which in most cases was the Swiss one who promptly reacted by offering LP exams for French and when the RP Darmstadt made noises to require a German LP for some German fields also for German, also to complement the RT privileges which have been offered in both languages plus Italian for ever.

Only the prosecution never happened to my knowledge, otherwise it would have been widely published. But the “damage” in terms of a viral spread of uncertainty was done.

What most probably happened is that once the local sherrifs tried to prosecute those they had harassed, the DGAC slapped their fingers with the very reasoning you now brought up. Or the DGAC themselfs were not quite sure how to handle it in the beginning and had sent wrong signals to the said sherrifs and had to backpedal once they realized they could not “retaliate” against the infamy of having to learn English.

The remaining question however is the RT endorsement, which most people have done in English. There obviously are German and French RT license entries, which, as they exist, must be compliant with EASA FCL. The question now would be, do you need a corresponding RT entry in your license to communicate in a language or is again the English RT entry sufficient. Apparently some German Luftaufsichtler had their own opinions about this and again people were harassed for communicating in German without a corresponding RT entry, again I never have heard someone got actually prosecuted so probably same story yet again? So maybe you know what the story is there as well, as LP and RT entrys are two different things.

Last Edited by Mooney_Driver at 09 May 22:49
LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

I changed my UK license to a french license because of brexit. They told me at the end that french foreign license holders should have level 4 french to use FR airfields. For this you have to take an exam, but they can not give me anything where to train for this exam. Does anybody know a course french for pilots, which I can take preferable on internet?

LF2433 rochebeaucourt france, Netherlands

I suggest you get that in writing and contact bookworm here on EuroGA

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Jacko said somewhere that the French microlight licence gives you French language proficiency – it might be easier and more fun to spend a few hours flying with a ULM instructor, rather than studying and taking an exam.

Ibra wrote:

“c’est papa qui pilote, je vous le passe”

This made my day

EGHO-LFQF-KCLW, United Kingdom

Marcpa wrote:

I changed my UK license to a french license because of brexit. They told me at the end that french foreign license holders should have level 4 french to use FR airfields.

I would certainly be interested in hearing who exactly told you this and was it in writing (ie an email).

I have just been through the change of state process and I was told that my licence would have English LP level 6 on it, which I specifically asked about, together with my aerobatics rating, both of which were transferred. As part of that verbal conversation, I was pointedly told that despite speaking french and doing the process entirely in french, my licence would not have French LP on it because I was not french and french was obviously not my mother tongue, so it could not be added.

I was definitely NOT told I couldnt fly from FR-only aerodromes…but then I didnt ask either…

Regards, SD..

Reading all this, you almost imagine that people are getting their licences inspected or something.

Other than an examiner revalidating a rating, no-one has ever asked to look at my licence.

Not really given it much thought, but am now wondering who is actually entitled to demand to see it and who I’d show it to. Presumably a CAA or EASA official. I’m not sure I’d produce it on demand for an airport employee though – what right have they to see it?

EGLM & EGTN

Graham wrote:

Reading all this, you almost imagine that people are getting their licences inspected or something.

Had one actually apart from renting aircraft (e.g. USA, Jordan, Cyprus) or rating revals in Bergerac as a CAT flight was about to depart and want access to the aircraft with an airport employee, without noticing I handed the wrong one (the UK NPPL instead of the EASA PPL), that seems to do the job but experience may vary

My guess the FR only is a DGAC question but only is you screwed up on other stuff …

Last Edited by Ibra at 10 May 12:08
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Graham wrote:

I’m not sure I’d produce it on demand for an airport employee though

I’ve been asked to produce my licence at a couple places, mostly regional airports which also cater to airline traffic. They only really want to see that you have a licence to let you pass airside. Never bothered me at all. The only reason I can think of why it’s annoying that this might be a “requirement” is for the day you forget it at home / on the plane.

In france, I’ve got my licence checked in other circumstances only once, guess where… Biarritz – On a ramp check – but this is by Police (Gendarmerie de l’Air) and not airport employees

Noe wrote:

They only really want to see that you have a licence to let you pass airside.

Yes, I guess it depends on the context. I would have no problem in showing it simply to demonstrate that I am actually a pilot and should be allowed airside, but if an airport employee wanted to examine the details of it then I would be having a think about what right (if any) they have to do that.

Last Edited by Graham at 10 May 12:24
EGLM & EGTN
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