Ex PanAm pilot here, who lost his job with the airline's bankruptcy. Flying with Aerolineas Argentinas since 1994 as 747 captain and instructor, love it here, soon will retire, at the beach in Brasil.
xxx
When flying through S AM, if I hear any European, North American or Asian air carrier on the frequency, I will speak in English with ATC for my position reports and estimates, or flight conditions. And occasionally I use Spanish or Portuguese to ask for a favor (direct to, ask if any turbulence, negotiate for a level change, or to get latest score of a soccer game).
xxx
It probably displeases LH, DL or UA that I ask the latest about Grêmio against Boca Juniors, in "Portuñol". When I was based in West Berlin with PanAm, I did same for our German passengers flying to EDDF, about Bayern München games which I adressed on PA in my basic German. Situation awareness deals only with positions, estimates, and turbulence.
xxx
I speak fully fluent Spanish and French, very good Dutch, basic Portuguese, and some German, and can understand Italian. I can even read/understand some Afrikaans and read the Russian and Greek alphabet... I slept through my classes of Latin and Greek, so don't ask me too much.
xxx
If YOU don't - bug off, or go to school.
xxx
PanAm provided us with free German language tutoring in Berlin, and in Argentina, I received 4 weeks of total immersion in Spanish to take their licencing tests. For a position relay, I will do it with pleasure for you, wielen danken, merci beaucoup, muito obrigado.
xxx
In Russia, there are airways and VHF frequencies restricted to Russian language communications, between Moscow and Khabarovsk, and they use QFE for approach settings and metric for levels. And in China, they use Mandarin. Try that one, to operate to Shanghai or Beijing.
xxx
In the 1970s, I was once instructed to "hold on the outer marker at 3,000 ft" for landing in Paris, when I heard an Air Inter Caravelle "en circuit à 3,000 pieds, balise extérieure" - I did not raise hell for that (yet possibly avoided a near miss) because these "bastards" spoke French.
xxx
You are so called "international pilots" - Ok then, show your professionalism, and buy a Berlitz language booklet for tourists, even if you only learn to order a cold beer in the hotel bar after your flight.
xxx
ICAO recommends English for air to air communications, YES, I say again, "recommends" (in a dictionnary, not a synonym to the word "require"), and approves use of the local languages as well. And if you complain about ATC English with Maiquetia or Curitiba, I consider their English excellent.
Better than ATC Karachi, Mumbai or Kabul on HF anyway...
xxx
I hope my English passes your standards for a citizen of the "third world"...
And in Yorkshire, some people cannot understand me...
Too bad that we cannot even use Español o Portugues in our own S AM forum...
xxx
Happy contrails