Dear all,
Have been doing some French radio familiarisation with a company based in Luxembourg and operating a fleet of PC12s around Europe.
With too much time on my hands, I have spent a couple of hours incorporating the info I shared with them into a new page on my aviation language site :
http://lingaero.com/FrenchRadio.HTM
Have also created a couple of knee-board size “language plogs” to keep in your bag, and possibly use next year!
Very much a work in progress, but feel free to stop by!
Best
James
Very nicely done! On my site for German speakers, I did the same, i.e. SIMPLIFY and reduce the phrases, to what makes sense and gets the message across. Although I did not go quite as far. Food for thought…
That looks very useful – thanks for publishing it.
Nice! Here is another approach:
Dimme wrote:
Nice! Here is another approach:
Or this…
Hilarious!
Many thanks to you both, @Bordeaux_Jim and @boscomantico, for building these web sites. This type of information is in my opinion a priceless support to pilots wanting to expand their comfort zone.
I believe there have been a number of threads in this forum over the years about the legality of pilots without a given proficiency entry in their licence communicating in the local language. While perhaps each country’s authorities look at this a bit differently, you make it pretty clear James that pilots should not worry about that in France as long as they come prepared with the basics you outline. My personal experience of 40 years flying all over France is that these airfields are often the friendliest and most enjoyable to use.
@boscomantico, any chance of getting something similar for English speakers flying to German (ge) airfields? 
Any Italian or Spanish speakers here who could prepare something similar for English-speaking pilots (i.e. all of us) visiting Italy and Spain?
any chance of getting something similar for English speakers flying to German (ge) airfields?
This does not really work. In Germany you will basically always have to interact with a Flugleiter, and that requires a very proper German to begin with (not just a few phrases which can be used for A/A calls).
Also, you will need a German BZF to do this, otherwise you might get in trouble.
The good news is that a) most airfields, especially the busier ones, also officially accept English, and b) most German Flugleiters even at airfields with the „GE only“ annotation will accept radio calls in English. In the latter case, it makes sense to call beforehand and ask.
boscomantico wrote:
Also, you will need a German BZF to do this, otherwise you might get in trouble.
Are you saying that as a foreign pilot from another country, with a radio licence that does not specify any languages, I need this German scrap of paper to speak German with a Flugleiter? Do I need another one to do the same in Switzerland, and another one in Austria?
Rwy20 wrote:
Do I need another one to do the same in Switzerland
English is officially allowed at all airfields in Switzerland. Where the local language is used/accepted (German, French, or Italian), it is always in addition to English.
