Focusing on it (without specifying that) is counter informative as in practice no one will apply, and just spreads fear and would have a negative effect on GA.
I agree, but all the time it is there, it supports the position described, for anyone who finds it useful or attractive.
After all, it is there for a reason which most people in France would IMHO support: protection of French culture from the “relentless march of America and all it stands for” (which in the eyes of many is Macdonalds, and nowadays Trump and Brexit will be adding more useful ammunition).
Never lose sight of the power of the political dimension 
Point is no one there even talks about that rule, and likely never heard of it. Just like the no-trouser-for-women rule (although some people probably also would have agreed with it!)
Instead of (or while) discussing it at length, why not refer to it as an “unenforced law/rule”
Back to the main point in the topic, I am of the opinion that
1) when there is no ATC, locals in any country should be able to use only their language, and if safety dictates, then the ones able to understand / be understood should stay away
2) On the actual consultation, I have no strong opinion, as it refers to basically super controlled (most likely IFR) environment (for those who have looked, it applies to 6 Airports airspace, and those airports are essentially closed to anything but really hi end GA), and so see-and-avoid is not really an issue due to that, so I don’t really have a strong opinion. I do think there is increased situational awareness when everyone speaks the same language, but in that environment, the marginal increase on safety is likely very small. It would cause a decrease in global safety if some pilots, due to lack of skills, had to duck under / evade the airspace, not do IFR approaches, instead of just being able to get transits like we usually are.
Since this has been like that for so many years, and to my knowledge there really hasn’t been any issue, not sure there is the need to change something that works.
Noe wrote:
1) when there is no ATC, locals in any country should be able to use only their language, and if safety dictates, then the ones NOT able to understand / be understood should stay away
Noe wrote:
On the actual consultation, I have no strong opinion, as it refers to basically super controlled (most likely IFR) environment (for those who have looked, it applies to 6 Airports airspace, and those airports are essentially closed to anything but really hi end GA)
I do not agree. I fly through some of this airspace regularly, where flight information service is provided by the approach controllers. My home aerodrome sits a few hundred feet under the controlled airspace of one of the airports mentioned in the consultation, and when you call information, you share the frequency with the airliners coming in to land. That is very convenient because unlike e.g. in Germany, FIS can clear you through controlled airspace immediately.
The consultation also explicitly makes it clear that this does not only apply if you actually landed at one of those aerodromes, but if you used any of their services such as FIS. I think there are a lot of French pilots who have done so without even being aware of the fact.
The RT rules in France say : Languages allowed are English or French, except if the charts say different.
They also say that French should be used between French controllers and French pilots unless for training purposes.
In practice, this means that you will generally hear a combination of both.
There is a whole generation of proficient, experienced pilots who have never learned, and indeed will never learn English.
Should we suddenly stop them from flying unless they pass an English exam?
For cultural reasons alone, trying to impose English everywhere would cause pandemonium.
EASA rules on language proficiency are causing a headache for many of the “old guard”, since ICAO Level 4 English is now mandatory to renew the IR, even if you never fly outside of France.
I recently did an intensive course with the owner of one of France’s oldest and most respected flight schools. At the age of 71 and with 27,000 flight hours (all in GA aircraft!), he was being threatened with losing his IR and associated instruction privileges despite the fact he had never once flown abroad in all that time.
The French authorities recently launched a consultation about making English mandatory within certain parts of controlled airspace. Needless to say, the French federation and other important lobbies are up in arms about the idea.
My opinion is that if English were to be imposed, it should only be in class A airspace (where almost all pilots will be English proficient anyway) and on tower frequencies at busy international fields where loss of situational awareness due to dual language use can lead to serious near misses, and indeed have caused collisions in the past.
If I can pick up a small point: how many people really exercise the privileges of the IR (rather than e.g. just train CPL/IR students) but never leave France in their entire flying career, and speak no English (which is what Level 4 amounts to; it is really basic).
It is clearly possible but I would think it is very rare.
Jim’s post above connects well to this thread but I know better than go down there
There are a lot of French private pilots with an IR (and several thousand hours) who are threatened with losing their privileges unless they pass the exam.
Many contact me through my website to ask what to do to keep on flying
I have also tested a great number of them for their English qualification. One guy turned up for an exam who literally spoke no English at all.
France is a special case because of the size of the country and variety of destinations.
It is entirely possible to have a long and fulfilling pilot career without ever crossing a border.
Peter wrote:
If I can pick up a small point: how many people really exercise the privileges of the IR (rather than e.g. just train CPL/IR students) but never leave France in their entire flying career, and speak no English (which is what Level 4 amounts to; it is really basic).It is clearly possible but I would think it is very rare.
As a theoretical “what if” with the situation reversed,
What if the international language of aviation were French, or German, or Chinese, or anything other than English, and the question were being asked in the UK? How many people in the UK exercise the privileges of the IR but never leave the UK in their entire flying career, and speak no French, German, Chinese or whatever? Is it also very rare there? How would UK GA pilots feel about the question then?
Just wondering ….
How many people in the UK exercise the privileges of the IR but never leave the UK in their entire flying career
Unless you talk about FTO instructors, it would be as close to zero as you can get. Unless you are doing all year round long trips (say Shoreham to Aberdeen, winter) which would be a very unusual GA mission profile, there is no need for an IR so long as you have de-ice so can fly in IMC (VFR or not 
) – because while one can fly everywhere in Class G, it keeps you mostly low down and forces you to fly in IMC. So, a lot of high profile pilots do this in de-iced twins, especially if over 2000kg.
and speak no French, German, Chinese or whatever? Is it also very rare there?
A very high %
In case this isn’t clear, I am not taking a stand on this topic of ELP for the French IR. I was asking a Q – which some won’t like being asked. I often do that But Jim has answered it well.
Rwy20 wrote:
Only that there is no such thing as a standalone French R/T rating (except in Switzerland). The French get it as part of their PPL. It is not a separate exam or paper.
It can be. The French DGAC (CAA) organises exams, in several exam centres scattered around France and overseas territories, or at the very least, used to. The schedule used to be on their website. They reorganised their website and now I cannot for the life of me find it on their new website.
If French is actually your first/native language but you don’t have a French licence (French expatriate, non-French francophone e.g. Belgian, …) you can send in a written oath stating this and they send you back a written authorisation to use radio in French in French airspace. The Luxembourg DAC (CAA) now uses this letter as basis of putting a level 6 French proficiency rating on Luxembourg licences, which is then valid outside of French airspace.
FWIW, Belgium also has French-only airfields.
