French in Radio

[Beefitarian]

So the controller may have been finding out where the french pilot's plane was in french, then passing that information on in English? That seems ok.

Might be weird hearing a fairly long exchange in one language followed by, "GXXX is x miles away, no conflict." or similar short explanation in your own language.

[AirFrame]

A fine French pilot once said: "I would no more speak French in the cockpit than I would speak English in the bedroom..."

Words to live by.

[bushhopper]

French speaking pilots will fly to Ontario and speak French at an airport where everyone else is speaking English. Is that safe?

Fact is all Pilots in Canada can speak English. Why do they choose to speak French? Is there a specific reason for that? Does it improve safety? situational awareness? Just a simple question; why?

Why add more human factors to the Swiss Cheese Model.

Plus NORDO should be banned out right. If you can not afford a radio, you should not be flying. Handhelds are to be had for $200. NORDO is just reckless, not needed in our modern times.

[jeta1]

Ok this annual or biennial useless drivel has once more (or is about to) turned into a mindless shitstorm. Mods... Time to stop this one in the bud...

[bmc]

Ok this annual or biennial useless drivel has once more (or is about to) turned into a mindless shitstorm. Mods... Time to stop this one in the bud...

+1

It tends to bring out the yahoo's.

[Colonel Sanders]

Somebody call?

NORDO is just reckless

Yes, I agree. People don't need to look outside for
other aircraft. They should always rely upon their
VHF comm to provide safety and separation.

[bmc]

I just though if another timely current issue facing pilots today. Flying twin engines jets across the Atlantic with only two pilots. It's a matter of time before we regret making that big safety blunder.

I think we're a good thirty years away from starting the discussion on single engine turbine corporate aircraft, like the Pilatus PC-12.

[Colonel Sanders]

single engine turbine corporate aircraft

I'm rather a fan of them. Good for promotion.

Mind you, two engines didn't help the Falconbridge
execs very much when they had to .. run because
ATC went on strike.

I always wondered how those ATC union guys felt
about their hefty contribution to those fatalities. All
long since retired with their fat PS union pensions
intact, I'm sure.

[Siddley Hawker]

Mind you, two engines didn't help the Falconbridge
execs very much when they had to .. run because
ATC went on strike.

Was that the Saberliner that went in east of Frobe awhile back?

[Rockie]

I always wondered how those ATC union guys felt
about their hefty contribution to those fatalities. All
long since retired with their fat PS union pensions
intact, I'm sure.

Unless controllers held a gun to their head and made them go flying I don't see how they're at all responsible. My understanding is that the PIC is responsible for the safety of the flight which includes assessing the conditions. Maybe they do it differently in your neck of the woods.

[Beefitarian]

Fact is all Pilots in Canada can speak English.

Is this true? I suspect there is more than a couple people with PPLs that do not.

[Jet Jockey]

Long time lurker and now my first post on here...

It’s been said many times by many people already so I’m not going to repeat it for the millionth time.

Since I have been in aviation a long time I clearly remember some francophone only pilots (mainly private pilots but also some bush pilots) flying into the Montreal control area without contacting the terminal or control tower and flying through their airspace just because they could not speak English.

Is the above scenario safer than having allowed French to be available to those pilots that don’t speak a word of English to communicate with ATC in French and for ATC to respond to them in French?

Like many have said before, if you are under a radar controlled environment the controllers will speak to you either in English or in French as required. The language in which ATC will respond to you and continue to respond to you in is automatically set on your initial contact.

In uncontrolled airspace or at small airport (mainly in Quebec) where a lot of people don’t speak English, chances are communications will be in French or at best in broken English. As a pilot do the recommended communications procedures as required in your language and all should be fine.

You will find that some of the smaller airports will try to communicate to you in English when they hear you unless it is really a unilingual French speaking person on the ground. I, as an international corporate pilot who is bilingual in both French and English, I will do my position reports going into an uncontrolled field in both languages and if I hear an English speaking crew on the same frequency, going into the same field then I will do my position reports in both languages. You will find this is true of most crews that can speak both languages. In fact I will most likely contact them directly to make sure we are on the same wavelength.

Having ATC speaking in both French and English in certain areas of Canada is IMHO a lot safer than going unilingual English.

Just my $0.02.

[cpt.sam]

So the controller may have been finding out where the french pilot's plane was in french, then passing that information on in English? That seems ok.

Might be weird hearing a fairly long exchange in one language followed by, "GXXX is x miles away, no conflict." or similar short explanation in your own language.

The aircraft had past us before the controller got back to us.
I didn't even know if the a/c in question was IFR or had taken a VFR departure from YWK, in IMC...it's common
The crew of the other plane speak english, why would they gargle and ummmm and aghgh for several minutes with the controller instead of stating altitude and radial?
I don't think it is against any CARs, but it is very much against common sense!
Very much against airmanship.
Just because they're too proud to speak English.
I'm sure it won't change until there are corpses to prove it is unsafe.
Sad really, isn't it?

[cpt.sam]

French speaking pilots will fly to Ontario and speak French at an airport where everyone else is speaking English. Is that safe?

Fact is all Pilots in Canada can speak English. Why do they choose to speak French? Is there a specific reason for that? Does it improve safety? situational awareness? Just a simple question; why?

Why add more human factors to the Swiss Cheese Model.

Plus NORDO should be banned out right. If you can not afford a radio, you should not be flying. Handhelds are to be had for $200. NORDO is just reckless, not needed in our modern times.

If all a/c in area are french, then situational awareness is likely hieghtened by the use of french, IF FRENCH IS THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE.
If the aircraft in question do not all speak french, its just as well to throw situational awareness out the window.
we all speak English, that's exactly right.
I'm not against the frenchman speaking their language when it is safe, but having long gargled conversations over a position report and requiring a translation is moronic. They could have easily stated position in English!

[cpt.sam]

Ok this annual or biennial useless drivel has once more (or is about to) turned into a mindless shitstorm. Mods... Time to stop this one in the bud...

MODS;
while your at it, block this fool
if jeta1 doesn't want to discuss the topic, jeta1 can browse elsewhere
Sam

[cpt.sam]

Fact is all Pilots in Canada can speak English.

Is this true? I suspect there is more than a couple people with PPLs that do not.

Can you get a PPL without speaking English?
Serious question, not sarcasm!

[AuxBatOn]

You haven't been out east, have you?

[TeePeeCreeper]

Fact is all Pilots in Canada can speak English. Why do they choose to speak French?
we all speak English, that's exactly right.
I'm not against the frenchman speaking their language when it is safe, but having long gargled conversations over a position report and requiring a translation is moronic.

Not every aviator in Canada speaks English and even if they did, it is THEIR RIGHT to speak in their native tongue.

The amount of disrespect you have shown in this thread and others towards your French Canadian breathen is frankly sickening to say the least.

How about showing French Canadian aviators a little bit of respect? (RE: Francophones not "Frenchmen") If you can't at the very least do that, perhaps an attempt at keeping your bigoted views to yourself may be of better use for the rest of us?

As for your pitiful attempt at voicing a non existent threat (re: French on the radio) how about trying to make an effort at learning just enough of Canada's other official language as to alleviate your concerns of trading paint with another aircraft?

All the best mon ami petit cul, (That means "Friend" see... Learning French isn't that hard!)
TPC

[Beefitarian]

I don't think sam's intentionally trying to be malicious.

I thought honglaise was the international language of aviation once too.

[petpad]

I don't think sam's intentionally trying to be malicious.

Disagree totally beef, sorry. His inference to the Battle of the Plains of Abraham was blatantly obvious and malicious, and was obviously unrelated to aviation. TPC said it best, stie.