Here we go.
1- Late evening in Barcelona. 7 Iberia planes trying to land and I’m the only one speaking English. After a bit of struggle, I decided to tell my F/O: You have the controls and you do as I tell you, and came back to the controller in Spanish, realizing that he wanted me to do a left 270 degree turn (For separation) to join ILS behind a landing MD.
2- Remember the Avianca accident in Manhattan??? The pilots where not able to communicate to the tower that they where low on fuel. From then on no Colombian pilot gets in to Avianca without a very good English knowledge.
3- Wouldn’t be able to fly in to Australia if it wasn’t for an Australian Co-captain.
Summarize: It’s always good to know more than one language, in my case is more than three, but it is a dream to have all the aviation community speaking several languages just because they go all over the word.
It’s definitely better to have all the controllers do so …. And I have to agree with most of you. It’s a safety matter.
Don’t know how many of you have had the chance to fly in the Middle East, but they have a very good English and they even use it between themselves.
It’s normal for other countries to use there native language in certain circumstances, but it should be mandatory in close proximity to airports, on climb-descend, turn, intercept approaches and take off-line up clearances…
Best of all, it’s in our hands to keep it safe… when in doubt …..(SAY AGAIN)
