multi_engined

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I just looked at the ASL website...

WTF is this?

ASL are introducing a test to make sure pilots and ATC can speak english? Fair enough to foreign guys who come here but to rip us off with exams, stupid ASIC cards and now some stupid english exam is just getting unbelievable anyway.

Especially for Australians who half of us can't be afford to be flying anyway. How much are they gonna charge? another $200 and a $65 delivery fee.

What a joke.

pakeha-boy

I agree.....you ozzies need an english test....christ .....you forgot the "u" in quantus.....ya cant spell either........nope,I reckon you buggers need to be tested for sure....good call for sure

kiwi chick

Hahahahahahaha, well done Pakeha Boy!!

But seriously now.... WTF?????? Are you kidding me?

Is a pass in School Cert or Sixth Form Cert English not enough?

(I'm showing my age now, but whatever the equivalent is these days to SC & SFC)

KC

Islander Jock

I wonder if maybe someone from ASL was listening on CTAF around Merredin and thought this would be a good idea?

The fact that this has come up as an agenda item means that some testing officers have probably not been doing their job properly when issuing FROLs.

pakeha-boy

.....that also means they should chuck in a course called...

...."a sense of humour 101".....wiff va inglish course two!!!

Fragnasty

It's about English.

Dumbass.

multi_engined

Well duh, but why should we be charged for a test on our own native language smartass.

kalavo

Cause Dunnunda we speak ostralian, not english! So the Poms and the Yanks might not be able to understand us...

The exam only applies to people wanting to conduct international operations doesn't it?

Or is there fine print in there saying we get Level 4 to begin with then all the PPL holders have to renew it in 2011 even if only flying domestically?

xXmuffin0manXx

it wont be hard =.=;;

Looking

Gee Wiz,

Looks like u Fly Boys are gonna get jipped yet again.

Still, there is no regulation ruling that the person testing you can speak a word of English or Ozie or Yankee or Whateva is expected.

Maybe you should lobby to remove the use of radio all together, then there would be no language issues.... Oh hang on, wasn't that what the NAS was all about???

Capt Fathom

Even if born in Australia these days, English may not necessarily become your language, native or otherwise!!

kalavo

Surely this is already included with the current ATPL exams anyway?

I mean how many people have failed because of the way the question and/or answers were worded?

VH-XXX

If any of you have flown in Melbourne near Mangalore and sometimes near Melbourne / Point Cook you would understand. Case closed!

PyroTek

i think its just because airlines (ex. J*) are going to foreign countries to hire recruits willing to work for crappy wages

multi_engined

so what if someone fails the test?..

I'm sure they'll be happy spending the next few months out studying the language when in the end there will be only a financial benefit to those pr**ks sitting behind desks.

The system is a joke.

VH-FTS

Settle down folks...

The international requirement is a joke though.

Capt Fathom

FTS. You forgot to post this bit!

Obtaining a new flight crew licence after 5 March 2008

You will need at least a level four English proficiency to be issued a licence. This can be assessed when applying for your PPL licence or above by the ATO testing you. Level six English language proficiency assessors are limited to rating at level six only as the subtleties of the lower levels are difficult to define without intensive training. However, an approved language centre will be able to assess you at all levels. For more information on these approved language centres see Language centres. If you are assessed by a centre to have a level four English language proficiency or above, you can give this certification to your ATO, which they will send with your flight test to CASA.
Obtaining a Student Pilot Licence (SPL) after 5 March 2008

People applying for a Student Pilot Licence shall be assessed by the school’s Chief Flying Instructor (CFI), Approved Testing Officer (ATO) or a CASA Flight Operations Inspector (FOI) as having at least the minimum proficiency to communicate orally in the English language. Additionally the CFI, ATO or FOI will need to sight that the applicant pilot has one of the following documents having:

* The student’s undertaking or completion of his/her secondary education in an Australian, New Zealand educational institution or the equivalent of an Australian secondary education in a specified country; or
* The student having spent at least three in the past five years of employment in Australia, New Zealand or specified country; or
* The student meeting or exceeding the General English Test criteria specified in Civil Aviation Order (CAO) 40.0. For more information on these criteria see General English test criteria.

Level 6 assessors – Approved Testing Officers (ATO), Chief Pilots (CP), CAR 217 Check and Training Captains

CASA is recommending that Approved Testing Officers (ATO) continue their important role in assessing English language proficiency. As well, CASA is recommending that Chief Pilots and Check and Training Captains (C&TC) of international operations be trained to assess their company's flight crew's English language proficiency. Level six assessors will be able to assess level six English proficiency only, as the subtleties of the lower levels are difficult to define without intensive training. If a flight crew licence holder does not reach level six English proficiency, they need to be assessed at a CASA approved language centre. For more information on these approved language centres see Language centres.

To be a CASA approved English language proficiency assessor, firstly you must have a level six English language proficiency rating. CASA has developed a package to both assess and approve you for this role. The package comprises a self instructional book and a telephone interview. The self instructional book will include the ICAO standards and easy to follow examples and test questions which you can complete in your own time.

Once CASA has approved you to be an English language proficiency assessor, we will inform you of your approval and send you a copy of the instrument, which allows assessors to conduct assessment of English language proficiency at level six only. In addition CASA will hold a national seminar series at which you can discuss problems and talk with an approved language expert about any concerns or questions you may have on English language proficiency. Details of this seminar series will be posted on the CASA website in late 2007.

PyroTek

couldn't *most* international pilots afford it easily anyway?

mingalababya

When I got my Radio Operators License (or was it the PPL? .. can't remember ... too long ago) in 1988, CASA (or known as the CAA back then) required me to sit an English proficiency test because I was born outside of Australia, despite the fact that I had done all my schooling in Australia, completed HSC English, have a Bachelor of Science degree as well as a Diploma in Education, and was working as a Secondary School Science teacher at the time! LOL! Go figure!

PH-SCP

In the Netherlands, all controllers did their tests during the last few months of 2007. I did mine in November. It's an Australian made test using local RT, not completely ICAO-standard, in my opinion. Anyhoo, the first portion is a listening exercise with multiple choice questions, the second part is basically the same but requires a little more effort and the last part is a speaking exercise in which one has to use standard and non-standard RT. I had an emergency requiring a priority landing, other aircraft holding and internal RT with fire brigade, airport authorities, supervisor etc.

Nothing to worry about really