David Learmount / London
Most private pilots should be exempted from having to meet the new proficiency requirements for radio telephony (RT) language that are set to become an International Civil Aviation Organisation standard, says the International Aircraft Owners and Pilots’ Association (IAOPA).
“The required proficiency level will prove difficult and costly both to obtain and to maintain,” says IAOPA, which has recommended that ICAO should exempt pilots who never use controlled airspace or fly under instrument flight rules (IFR) from the RT language proficiency requirement, which is due to become a standard in March 2008. Instead, IAOPA says the new language standards should apply only to specific locations or situations, recommending that the only place where the proficiency levels should be standard is Class A, B or C airspace.
The ICAO standard specifies that air traffic controllers everywhere, and pilots of all aircraft that fly internationally, must prove their proficiency in RT English, not just any of the ICAO languages. The organisation believes this will advance the cause of safety.
IAOPA says “the majority of the more than 1 million pilots worldwide never fly under IFR or penetrate closely controlled airspace”, but the association does not mention the issue of international flying. ICAO says: “On 30 May the Air Navigation Commission will be looking at comment on the language proficiency requirements, including that of IAOPA.”
Source: Flight International
