The US Federal Aviation Administration has signed a five year contract to develop a standard aviation English test to meet a International Civil Aviation Organization mandate to standardise the language used by pilots.
The contract with Menlo Park, California-based Ordinate is to develop a test of standardised aviation phraseology by early 2007, in co-operation with FAA researchers at the agency’s academy in Oklahoma City and its technical centre in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Under an ICAO mandate, by March 2008 all pilots flying internationally must be fluent in English or the language used by ground stations. Air traffic controllers must also be proficient in English as well as other languages used by ground stations. The test being developed by Ordinate is considered by the US regulator to be the final phase in rating language and phraseology proficiency, the FAA academy’s aviation language training programme manager Graham Elliott says.
Ordinate’s director of business management Larry Rothenberg adds that candidates will be able to complete the 20min exam by either phone or Internet, which will then be scored by a computer. Rothenberg says the test, when developed, will be available for general sale.
The cooperative research agreement signed 17 January provides that any direct expenses incurred by the FAA will be reimbursed by Ordinate, says the regulator. The FAA is also to receive “a percentage of the gross sales of every aviation English test sold”, it adds. Rothenberg will not confirm the financial details of the contract.
Source: Flight International
