Hello Aviation!
Saturday November 26 2022 10:14, you wrote to me:
May be all pilots need to have English tests like they do in the
UK.
One day I was in either JFK or Minneapolis and a Japan Airlines 787
had arrived. I was queueing for immigration.
Suddenly there was a PA-announcement "Japanese translator requested
booth-1" which processes airline crews ... there was the captain of
that Japan Air Lines 787 waiting to be processed ...
It is common knowledge that in Quebec airspace french and english is
being used, same as above France. Flying through Spanish airspace it
is best to understand spanish, same as the whole of South America
where both spanish and english are being used, except for Brazil where
at domestic airports Brazilian-portuguese is also used. However
Portugal is strictly Spanish...
Domestic airfields have always used their native language but for most of my flights into such (and I have not used the small fields) they also spoke English) as for major Airports All will respond in English.
Of course, when they talk to locals in native language, you do not know what is
happening unless you request traffic status if they are not providing it as a matter of course etc and most do as even the French assume that English speakers do not which in my case was always true (can order a beer, wine, a meal - just about, but that is about it).
Airlines would not use any Airport that English is not used as per ICAO standards but will all know that some ignore that rule :(
Just an accident waiting to happen as has occurred in Spain and other countries
in the past - two aircraft using same runway at same time I seem to remember and more than once - just can't remember where.
Vincent
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