That Aussie drawl!

[Kaptin M]

In Oz airspace it's pretty often par for the course.
But in overseas environs, it stands out like dog's balls...especially the occasional transmission when the sender seems to take extra delight in "Orstralianising" local names.

And it ain't just QANTAS pilots - CX also sport an Ocker or two who appears to speak Strine more proficiently than Slim Dusty or Bob Dork!

Is it laziness, lack of (aural) observation, or deliberate mis-pronunciation that makes some Ockers' radio calls overseas seem less than professional?

[429 CJ]

Ah yairs, yairs, that'd be it cobba!

Sorry Kap, couldn't resist it!

[alidad]

Kaptin M- You seem to be one of those people have a cultural cringe. Be proud of where you are from. As a bit o' help you'd better go out the back and "feed the chooks, flog the log or if you prefer "shake hands with the unemployed!"

[Slasher]

Well I call Hanoi Har Noy as its meant to be called, but for "localising" accents mate you cant beat the Yanks!

"Fedex XXX report over Shimitzu"
"Rarger, call over Shymitsoo"

[OzExpat]

Are ya finding that in the land of the rising sun KM? But, seriously mate, I reckon yer right. It's about the only way that Ozmates can recognise each other on the R/T thingey! I've found something similar (but different ) whenever I come back into Oz airspace in a P2 aeroplane and lob at a place that's a bit off the beaten track.

That's when ya find all the ATC and FIS blokes who've ever worked in PNG! They're always straight into Melanesian Pidgin, even in the framework of an ATC clearance. When that happens, I can usually end it with a complete read-back in Pidgin!

Of course, I can see how you can't really use the same tactic in your sitation...

I have to agree with Slash tho... the Yanks really are the experts at "localising" things. Makes for some spectacular R/T here, that's fer sure!

[Sean Simpson]

Oh I don't know Kap - I don't think the boys/girls go far enough.

If we were really proud of our heritage surely we should start to incorporate Australian phonetics into our calls ?

I suggest the following....

A: Avalook ( Avalook at that will ya cob )
B: Bloody ( Bloody Hell Mick )
C: Coor (Coor Blimey)
D: Dogs Dinner (Now that's a DD Baz )
E: Effin ( Effin ump is a Tossa)
F: Furk (Furk me the footies finished )
G: Goor ( Goor Blimey )
H: Harry ( Your buy ya old bast-ard )
I: Ima ( Ima gunna get wrecked tonight Baz )
J: Jacked ( I'm really Jacked off cobber )
K: Koor (Koor Blimey)
L: Luv ( Show us ya tit_s Luv )
M: Melbourne Bitter ( Geez that MB tastes like crud Davo )
N: No ( No you cannot have my last MB Stevo )
O: Onya ( Onya Mate - pay ya back next week I promise )
P: Pissed ( Geez I am Pissed as a maggot )
Q: Qantas ( naturally )
R: Ruth ( Damn she's Good )
S: Strewth ( Strewth ya ****tin me - no way did you do that )
T: Tossa ( Now that ump is a Tossa )
U: Ump ( Now that Ump is a Tossa )
V: Victorian Bitter ( I'll have a Vic thanks Mate but only if there's no EB left )
W: ****** ( Now that ump is a ****** )
X: FourX ( Geez boyz we're all out of pi_ss cept for XXXX - think I'll drink my own urine instead )
Y: Ya ( Ya Tossa ump )
Z: Zac ( I don't give a Zac if she's ya wife or not - a bet's a bet )


For example - SIP would become .....


Cleared to Land
Strewth Ima Pissed

C'mon help get the Ockerphons happening - start today !!!

[imnomaverick]

Kaptin M,

PLEAAASSSEEE its not just Aussie Pilots that mispronounce the place name. I have heard many an American and Asian Pilot mispronounce australian place names...Its not a sign of any of your theories. Its simply not knowing the local language and the pronunciation for those local place names...It's definitely not a sign of unprofessional behaviour.or R/T... Aussie Pilots are some of the best in the world .I bet you sounded pretty funny to some of the Overseas ATC's with you first attempts at some place names

[Rich-Fine-Green]

C'mon it's not just Ozstrayians.

Try this one from an un-named European cargo hauler;

"Ach Mon, canna make the profile, reqwest a wee orbit."

Don't be so Anal retentive - It's all part of aviation. Until Jepps are published with pronunciation examples that is.

[Kaptin M]

How hard is it to listen to ATC's pronunciation of a place name when told "Report at such and such" (eg. as Slasher points out in his post) and to read back the SAME name? Or to listen to OTHER aircraft?

You're right alidad, I do suffer from "cultural cringe" syndrome when another Ozmate overdoes the Strine!

The one that used to get up my nose was the Singaporean pronunciation of Ayer's Rock - Eye ers Rock! Understandable because in Malay "ayam" (meaning chicken) is pronounced "eye um". However that is NOT the way we in Oz say it, and as a well-known landmark and something with which all Aussies can identify, I'm sure we'd prefer the 400 odd pax heard the correct pronunciation, rather than some b@stardised version.

In return I think it behoves US, as professional pilots to offer foreign countries the same respect when (attempting to) pronounce their names.

As for the Yanks the classics from them are "Checkin' in at three five oh.......Leaving seven point five for two six oh...." and the usual "Fukioko" instead of Fukuoka!

Rippabewdybottlermate! Seeyouseround

[Spodman]

Outstanding effort Sean, however KOOR is a bit too close to GOOR to get past ICAO.

[Fubaar]

Hey Kap, I think you’re just a tad bored now that you’ve lost your all time favourite target to shoot at - (AN), so now ya just lookin’ to stir somewun – anywun – up wifa bita controversy.

Speaking of Aussie place names… anyone out there who’s ever flown VFR into and out of YCCB? It took me months to get my tongue around “Call passing the Goodradigby River”.. (Try it – and try remembering it!! – and I’m a native English speaker.)

I’ve always loved the yarn about the plum in his mouth Speedbird skipper on his first trip to Thailand. (This yarn goes waaaaay back.) He gives a position report of Phuket in his best ‘BBC-pretentious’ accent until he comes to the place name, which he pronounces ‘phukkit’. The Thai controller corrects him, saying, “Speedbird xx, it’s ‘phU-ket’.
The Brit replies ‘Listen, my good man, I’ve been flying for 25 years - and I’ve been waiting almost that long to overfly this place so I could say that name. Today, it’s ‘phukkit’.

And when are the PC people going to make’em change ‘Ayers Rock’ to that other, politically correct but unpronouncable name?

[429 CJ]

What, Oooo-Laa-Rooo?

Hoo-Roo

[Centaurus]

Ten years ago, Australian R/T was clear and concise. Read backs were strictly AIP and this meant that the vast majority of ATC instructions were acknowledged with just the call-sign. There was a cult of excellence in radio procedures and any idiot yakking too much was quickly told to pull his head in.

Then a quantam change occurred when someone in Qantas got picked on by ATC for reading back too much. Someone in Qantas had friends in high places who got on to CASA demanding that in Australia the R/T was all wrong and we should copy the rest of the world ie read back all instructions and more, regardless.

So Australia slavishly went all ICAO for political correctness sake and read-backs increased by 100% - quickly followed by cordial greetings at the beginning and end of each change of frequency so the skies became full of "Good-days, Cheers, See you later, good evening, good afternoon, good-night and whatever (which is what happens overseas).

I recall being cleared for take-off in a 737 at Hamburg. The first officer was a German CPL with 500 hours in his log book. He acknowledged the take-off clearance adding "See you later" to the man in the tower. I asked him why.
He looked astonished at my impudence in questioning him and said "I have to say Good-bye then, because after take-off, when I change to Departures frequency, I would not have time to say Good-bye".

Like the back-to -front baseball cap drongos, who slavishly follow American culture, one sometimes hears Australian and some Pacific islander pilots mimicking American accents in their R/T.
Yeah pal - those Yank accents and short-cut R/T sound Reeeeel cool, man. Just like on TV...

The instructor schools with their sausage machine output tell their instructor students that it is a Good Thing to read everything back - which has resulted in hordes of CPL and PPL rabbitting on with lengthy read-backs that do nothing for safety except block the airwaves.
It's called Progress..

[Slasher]

Centaurus you not wrong. In the days when Oz RT was professional the required read-backs were only AWC assignments/amendments, SID/STAR assignments/amendments, altitude clearances, xsponder code assignments/amendments, or anything you were unclear about. In essense the important stuff only.

OS here in SE Asia its really bad. Takes the locals 7 bloodey long xmissions for something that couldve been said in 3:

SEA AC: "HKG App XXXX good afternoon."

ATC: [sigh] "XXXX HKG yes go ahead!"

AC: "Passing FL225 for FL150 sqawk 4444."

ATC: [another sigh] "XXXX mode Charlie check not required on handover. Confirm in receipt of information Foxtrot?"

AC: "XXXX ah..negative. Received Echo only."

ATC "XXXX Foxtrot now current descend to 7000 on ameded QNH 1008"

AC: "XXXX.....um.....decend to 7000....QNH 1008"

Instead of:

AC: "HKG App XXXX on descent F150 received Echo"

ATC: "XXXX Foxtrot now current. Descend 7000 on amended QNH 1008"

AC: "XXXX 7000 on 1008"

Drives me up the friggin bloodey wall especialy when the freqs are jam-packed.

[Kaptin M]

Yep, agree with you on that one Centaurus (and Slash..man did YOU miss a good p!ssup at the Oz Bash! ) - I find the length of the R/T transmissions is inversely proportional to their experience. Not only is all the UNnecessary cr@p read back, but in the process the MANDATORY items are often stuffed up, resulting in more "Say agains."

Another one that amuses me is the apparent "necessity" to give a reason for requesting a change of level, eg. "Request climb/descend to FL310 due to (sometimes there's an "ummm", as he decides exactly WHICH reason is suitable for this controller) strong headwinds/turbulence/cloud."

I'm just waiting for a controller to come back one day with the response,"Negative, maintain present level. Your reason wasn't good enough!"

[waterops]

BBC accents? Musta been a QF driver...

Kaptin Snooze... Relax, man, you're hanging on too tight... Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does.

As for accents, many Singaporeans 'cringe' at the use of Malay, and prefer not to speak it. it is very much a "working class" language in Singpore, as far as they are concerned. The letter 'A', in Malay, is always pronounced the same ("ah" and "ahm", not "um" in 'ayam' ) no matter which letter follows it. It's very simple, really.

"Ah-yum" is the way a fair dinkum aussie would mis-pronounce it. Really gives the locals the sh!ts. A "professional" would never make that mistake, of course.

"professional pilots"? With a name like 'Kaptin M' ? Ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA....!!!!!!!

I rest my case...

[OzExpat]

KM ...

I'm just waiting for a controller to come back one day with the response,"Negative, maintain present level. Your reason wasn't good enough!"

Be careful what ya wish for mate!

[luna landing]

Speed Bird

Remember Derby in WA. Speed Bird always called it Darby even though the Controller said Derby. They should know they were locals...

Ah takes me back to the first time I had to cancel SAR at Argadagada !!

[Kaptin M]

That's why I NEVER give a reason OzsEx.........just like a woman! "Request 181 or lower."

(BTW, did the Bundy OP live to see Saturday morning at GG's & Stu's........and "Yes", I haven't forgotten about the CF card. Expect mail!! And how come I seem to have developed a bosom-buddy relationship with old tram photos? )

[Slasher]

KM dont I know it mate! More storys I hear of the OzBash the more bloodey upset I get for not bein able to get there.

Also saw your missus is a knockout too (Phillipina?). BTW Junior M doesnt look a thing like you at all!