Aviation eLearning Language Test

[Farrell]

Rumours or news?....not sure.

RE: Aviation eLearning

I have been contacted by individuals in relation to getting their ICAO LPR test done with the above company who are advertising that their test is approved by ICAO and other aviation authorities.

In relation to the above, I would like to clarify that ICAO does not approve or endorse any LPR testing facility.
Therefore for the above company to advertise that they are ICAO approved is fraudulent - they are not.

Also, for any pilot or controller thinking of having their LPR renewed by this or any other company, that it is up to your regulator to determine if they accept your result - regardless of whether or not the test conforms to criteria laid down with the ICAO standards.

Reason being that, in the case above, your test will be rated behind closed doors, with only the company's word for how it was rated.

Unless the company is providing you with a full breakdown of your results and evidence for those results across all six descriptors along with evidence that your raters have attended a tester/rater course that again conforms to ICAO criteria then you have a test result that may not pass an ICAO audit.

Regards

W. Farrell
Project Supervisor
ICAO LPR Testing & Rating Unit
Directorate General of Meteorology & Air Navigation
Sultanate of Oman

[SR-22]

Well at least they are indeed approved by the local CAA's they say they are approved for

[Farrell]

Well at least they are indeed approved by the local CAA's they say they are approved for

I don't have any issue with that, as long as the paperwork and certificates of approval are available for candidates to see before paying, but would assume that the ICAO approval status that is emblazoned on their website will be removed soon.

[lambert]

So which tests are accredited by the Civil Aviation Authorities of the Sultanate of Oman?

It is not good enough to submit a certificate from any old test that describes the levels in each skill and a certificate that the raters have passed a tester/rater course "which complies with ICAO criteria" (who is going to certify that since ICAO neither approves nor endorses tests or raters?).

The CAAs of this world have been remise in not insisting that ICAO rationalises the LPR tests and ensures reciprocal recognition of tests (like type ratings).

The whole aim of the ICAO LPRs was to improve safety by improving communication. The poor pilot and ATC who has to comply is left with a can of worms created by the CAAs of each country, and ICAO who they are all members of and who created a wishy-washy system. This is proven by the situation in Europe where tests are supposed to be mutually recognised but not in every case (like Germany).

There isn't even a standard way of indicating language level in licences.

Such a simple thing like a language test has become more difficult to organise than a 737 type rating.

[Farrell]

Lambert - well said.

There is a lot to be desired in ICAO's approach to all of this.
Standardisation of the LPR test is coming but it, like everything with ICAO, is going to take a while.

We have designed our test for LPRs here in Oman, which conforms fully to the criteria laid out in Doc 9835 and Cir 318.
This has already been laid out for ICAO audit during our last Safety Oversight Audit a few months ago.

I'm not arguing at all with the sluggishness at which the industry and ICAO has approached the implementation of LPRs, just reiterating that no company can state that they have ICAO approval and that those who do state it should be brought to task, as they are not helping a system that is already lacking.