VFR RT in Spanish - Guide needed

[italianjon]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if anyone knows a good guide for RT terminology in Spanish... Don't need the whole VFR guide... have found a few guides in French for the good old Downwind Leg etc, but Spanish I am having difficulty.

Help is appreciated.

Cheers

JC

[pistongone]

Personally i would have thought RT in standard english would be the best bet. If you transmitt initial calls in Spanish, then the controller could throw a lot of clearances and the like at you in Spanish which i would have thought would need a greater understanding of the native language. Remember KLM 1974 in Tenerefe? Wasnt quite sure of his clearance, so initiated the take off roll anyway. Meanwhile Pan am is trundling down the runway as he thought the tower must have meant exit C4 not C3, and then about six hundred people died when they collided! I agree it is good manners to attempt the host country's lingo, however i suggest practicing it in the bar and buy them a drink!

[the dean]

italianjon...

i agree with pistongone...i am learning spanish and at checkin i started some pigeon spanish with the senorita whereupon as a joke she started firing things at me as only they can...had to revert to the '' no entiendo...mas despacio por favor..''( do'nt understand...slow down..!!)

english is the language of aviation...as pistongone says do the best you can in the bar and shop etc but they know that its english for flying..

now , i am told that in the canaries they do a local PPL if they do'nt have english..for use within the islands only and if they want one that is good for elsewhere they must have english...but even there with so many international flights they speak english..

might be polite but cause more confusion to try...:=

i have a friend and even she says the spanish speak fast...and she is peruana...!!!:E if she says that methinks..what chance would i have ..!!

dean.

[soay]

english is the language of aviation...
Except for in France, of course!

[italianjon]

Thanks for the replies guys... My error... crap day at work not got my mind on what I am writing...

I have no intention of speaking to controllers in Spanish, as I agree that would be stupid. I would like to try to find a guide to allow me to state my intentions at uncontrolled airfields where blind calls need to be made. I am aware that most people who use these use their own national language - I in no way wish to start requesting or sending clearances in anything other than English...

I have seen one for French, but can't find one for Spanish.

It's only that I am sure that "downwind" is not "bajavento" in Spanish...

[DC-8]

It's only that I am sure that "downwind" is not "bajavento" in Spanish...

And you're right! Better if you say "viento en cola"

If you want, post those phrases you would like to know in Spanish and I'll tell you.

Happy landings!

[172driver]

I would like to try to find a guide to allow me to state my intentions at uncontrolled airfields where blind calls need to be made. I am aware that most people who use these use their own national language - I in no way wish to start requesting or sending clearances in anything other than English...

italianjon, I fly there a lot and, alas, a lot of the RT is indeed in Spanish. Not great at times for situational awareness :{ However, you'll find that at most small fields everyone immediately switches to English, when 'El Ingles' makes his first call. There are some exceptions to this where some tossers insist on verbal flag-waving, but by and large no probs. Only suggestion I'd have, IF approaching a small field, start making your calls a little further out than you'd normally do. That gives all parties involved time to mentally adjust to the fact that there's now a plane with a non-native speaker in the area.

You can also try the AENA website

http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?pagename=NavegacionAerea/Page/Home_NavAerea

You need to register (free), but this gives you the whole AIP in Spanish and English. Don't have time to check now, but there may be a pilot-controller glossary in there.

Enjoy the chat on frequency ;)

[Confabulous]

From the Spanish AIP:

(Post-landing)

Hola senor - Hello sir

Gama cessna (piper) est som en burro - Your Cessna (Piper) looks like a dead donkey

Tu est compacto tur nar cessna (piper) - Toss that Cessna (Piper) in the car crusher

VLA est muy bueno - VLAs are very good, much better then that heap of junk

Por favore stada din hund pissa por min cessna, il rusto - Please stop your dog p!ssing on my Cessna - it rusts easily

No intenda 'cessna'. Intenda 'carbonfibre'? - I don't understand this 'Cessna'. Can you say 'carbon fibre'?

Muchos bang bang - I heard the backfires while you were 50 miles out / Is it supposed to sound like that?

:E :E :E :E :E :E :E :E

;)

[AlanM]

Pointing and talking louder often works.:ugh:

Followed by dos cerveza por favor!??? :)

[Jamongris]

Aeromadrid edit 2 books written by J Vega Muñoz called cuestionario bilingue de comunicaciones aeronauticas and comunicaciones aeronauticacs.

The former takes the form of mulitple choice exam questions with English at the front and the corresponding questions in Spanish at the rear. The latter is the PPL communications course in Spanish, with a glossary of words into English at the back. The former is cheaper at 9,50 € and possibly more suitable for what you want. The latter comes in both English and Spanish, so make sure you get the Spanish one otherwise you may not get the glossary (can´t be sure, I have the Spanish one).

You can buy either on their web site

http://tienda.aeromadrid.com/index.php?cPath=204_207

[italianjon]

Ok, thanks for the replies guys...

Jamongris, thanks for that link... looks good I'll buy that book and see... it does look as though it is what I am looking for...

DC-8, if I need anymore phrases I'll let you know.

Cheers again...

JC

[LH2]

Just to back up what others have said, I speak fluent Spanish (as well as a few other languages), and I wouldn't dream of doing my RT in anything else but English.

As has been mentioned, even at uncontrolled airfields people will understand your calls and generally switch to English (which may or may not help, depending on their pronunciation skills :} )

Where I agree that learning Spanish RT may come in useful is in helping with your own situational awareness by understanding what everyone else is saying on the frequency... how you would go about that I do not know though, as there doesn't seem to be a lot of standard phraseology being followed.

Lastly, as for someone's jab at the French above, I am sorry but I do not think it is deserved. In my experience, English RT in France has been at least as good and consistent, and probably better, than South of the Pyrenees. Yes, local pilots will mostly use the local language, so you will find yourself in the same situation as in Spain and many other places, but not worse. Plus, France seems quite a good place for VFR flying in general, so please do not go slagging them froggies off gratuitously :rolleyes: