The French VFR Guide is the package comprising of the 1:1M SIA charts and the accompanying handbook listing the various rules, the D R and P areas and their activity times, yes? I used to buy that pack from the SIA shop.
There was one in the UK, has it been kept up to date?
Probably this.
But it was a pure accident I came across it; I have never heard of it before or since.
I don’t think that the rule can be legally enforced. As it’s a posture taken by French authorities, the enforcability does not really matter.
The question about French being allowed at all at large airports has been raised, as mandated by European regulation. Of course the answer is or will be that French will continue to be allowed.
In your country, is there a “guide VFR” or equivalent?
There was one in the UK, has it been kept up to date?
But it’s always good to remind there are actually no record of it ever being enforced!
Quite so. Not least because any attempt at enforcement would breach Article 21 of the Charter:
Article 21
Non-discrimination
1. Any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.
2. Within the scope of application of the Treaties and without prejudice to any of their specific provisions, any discrimination on grounds of nationality shall be prohibited.
Still it’s not a completely daft recommendation. Probably better for “French” pilots in France to communicate in French than in Maghreb Arabic or Breton.
l’académie française?
Indeed, which is why I wonder why it keeps getting re-stated in the official texts. Somebody somewhere must feel strongly about it.
But it’s always good to remind there are actually no record of it ever being enforced!
Another link to the “mandatory French for French pilots” is here in the very official French government 2017 VFR Guide local copy (page 92 of the document)
But this is a slightly different statement to the previous, and any definition of a “French pilot” is missing.
Aside from linguistic debate, thanks for posting the link. Appreciated.
This “use of French on the radio mandatory for French pilots when in France” came up in several past threads e.g. here and here. Another fun bit is here.
I do not recall seeing anywhere a definition of what is a “French pilot” for the purpose of this law.
According to a post here by a French ATCO, the law does not appear to be enforced (in the sense of prosecuting breaches as a criminal offence). But obviously it provides a useful bit of support for those who prefer things to be that way for various reasons.
TobiBS wrote:
French pilots must use the French language
Incidentally, who are “French pilots”? Pilots who are citizens of France? Residing in France? Holding a French license? Flying a F-reg aircraft? Or are they just those who proudly declare themselves French and are thus supposed not to speak English (or at least pretend they don’t)?
