I had my ELP test nearly three years ago with a guy based near Paderborn, it cost me, if I recall correctly, cost around €90, got Level 6 because I’m a native speaker. And this is where it gets interesting…. or not….
I took my PPL in German (including BZF 1) and have Level 6 English proficiency noted in my licence. However I have NO language proficiency for German. I wrote to the LBA concerning gaining Langauge Proficiency in German, who responded that if I made a self declaration that I was a native German speaker, i.e, had spent my first 12 years in a country where German was the national language and / or gone to school where German was the main language, they would automatically grant me level 6 German.
Well, being british born, I can’t claim that, so I asked about at least getting Level 4 or 5 added to my licence. Answer: the questionnaire has yet to be established so I can either ask for level 6 or have to fly without any German Language Proficiency. So my next question was to ask about the legality of me flying to an airstrip where the AIP indicates ONLY German can be used (for example, my home base). Obviously I have to make all calls in German but without the Language Proficiency entry in my Licence, is this legal? In practical terms it wouldn’t be a problem as I am fluent in German, but what if the Bezirks Regierung are waiting for me at the ramp and check my paperwork, only to find that I have NO German Language Proficiency and still made the calls in German?
I could hear the gears whirring, could practically smell the smoke coming from minds immeasurably superior to mine as the staff in Braunschweig tried to get to grips with this scenario… English native speaker studies for his PPL in German, holds a BZF yet doesn’t have a language Proficiency for German in his licence and there is no option for him to gain it because we haven’t issued the questionnaire – is he flying legally when landing at Airstrips with radio in German?
I was finally advised that, in such an instance, I should show my BZF which will then confirm to the LBA that yes, I SHOULD have a language proficiency but, due to the failings of the LBA, I am unable to demonstrate it at this current moment in time – after all, it states in the BZF that I am “authorised to conduct radio telephone services in English and German at an aircraft station or an aircraft flying under Visual Flight Rules”. So much for efficient bureaucracy….
This whole LP (English, German, French, etc.) has completely gone out of control and is lightyears away from what was originally intended. Nobody really thought about small (VFR) GA when this was rolled out. Then – as always – things have taken on their own dynamics. And it’s a fertile soil for the bureaucrats within the national CAAs (who otherwise would have very little to do).
In my opinion, the AOPAs have to work harder and make more of an effort to get things back to sensible levels.
In my opinion, the AOPAs have to work harder and make more of an effort to get things back to sensible levels
Exactly!!!! 
Anybody reading this thread may conclude that it may actually be easier to buy a TB20 whose ~1300nm range enables one to overfly [insert country of your choice, starting with Germany] without landing
…we might run out of endurance ..as there are many countries in Europe.with strange NSA behavior… ….
So my next question was to ask about the legality of me flying to an airstrip where the AIP indicates ONLY German can be used (for example, my home base).
Almost no German pilot has a German LP endorsement in his license. It is not necessary at this point.
And to make things even more complicated, I understand that the CAA refuses to add any LP other than English to your licence.
On one of the other forums there was a poll recently on whether UK pilots would be interested in a get-together where everyone would be able to get the LP in French annotated. To be used for the situation described above: to legally fly into FR-only airport.
Apart from logistics and a few other issues, they also found out that virtually no *AA, including the French and Germans, were setup to handle non-English LP annotations.
(Anyone up for an LP in Klingon?)
Almost no German pilot has a German LP endorsement in his license. It is not necessary at this point.
Achimha: I think you’d be surprised. Most of the pilots flying from my club who have now received an EASA licence as part of (e.g.) rating or licence extension have added a German Language Proficiency endorsement to it. The reason is a statement from the LBV Brandenburg – relevant is this part:
Ungeachtet der unklaren Formulierung gehen wir nach derzeitigem Kenntnisstand davon aus, dass der Eintrag eines Sprachnachweises in deutscher Sprache für die Teilnahme am deutschen Flugfunkverkehr auch für die Luftfahrer ab dem 08.04.2013 erforderlich sein wird, die bereits über einen Spracheintrag in englischer Sprache verfügen.
Irrespective of the unclear formulation it is our view that, in order to participate in German Air Traffic, the addition of a language proficiency in german will also be required as of the 08.04.2013 for pilots who already have a language proficiency entry for english.
Source: Link
In effect, if you turn up at an Airport in Brandenburg where the language used is German and have no language proficiency entry for German, you are effectively breaking the law (according to the LBV). This is what made me investigate this situation last year, which concluded that I could get Level 6 if I lied, but am unable to get Level 4 or 5 because the questions and test regime have yet to be established…..
[italics fixed – there need to be no spaces between the underscores and the text]
May I just clarify this topic, for the benefit of anybody who just drops in…
The whole issue is that a pilot who lands at a “non-international” airport, or at an airport which is international but is temporarily without ATC, and which is therefore not under an obligation to speak English, may be prosecuted unless he/she has the appropriate language proficiency statement on his/her license.
Some cases of on the spot fines have been reported, from what I recall, in France or Germany.
Is it correct that under EASA a statement of English language proficiency is supposed to be good for all of EASA-land, but actually this is ignored in some places?
Anybody reading this thread may conclude that it may actually be easier to buy a TB20 whose ~1300nm range enables one to overfly [insert country of your choice, starting with Germany] without landing …
Germany is a poor example here, because you are not supposed to land at any airfield in Germany that is unattended (“Flugleiterpflicht”). And as almost 99 percent of the airfields in Germany (gliding and microlight sites apart) are staffed with radio operators that are English language proficient, you shall be fine with “only” ICAO lavel 4 in English there.
