Zagreb and Tenerife

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 22.1-22.14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Cookson

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is currently implementing a program to improve the language proficiency of pilots and air traffic controllers worldwide. In justifying the program, ICAO has cited a number of airline accidents that were at least partly caused by language factors. Two accidents cited by ICAO are analysed in this paper: the mid-air collision above Zagreb in 1976, and the runway collision at Tenerife in 1977. The paper examines the linguistic factors involved in each accident, such as code switching and L1 interference, and uses the ‘Swiss cheese’ model of accident causation developed by Reason (1990) and adapted by Wiegmann and Shappell (2003) to put these factors into a broader aviation context. It is shown that, while linguistic factors were in each case significant, both accidents occurred as the result of multiple causal factors, many of which were non-linguistic. Furthermore, stress and fatigue played a decisive role in exacerbating the linguistic factors in each accident. Finally, the paper suggests lessons that may be drawn from the analysis for the training of pilots and air traffic controllers, both nativespeaker and non native-speaker.

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 22.1-22.14
Author(s):  
Simon Cookson

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is currently implementing a program to improve the language proficiency of pilots and air traffic controllers worldwide. In justifying the program, ICAO has cited a number of airline accidents that were at least partly caused by language factors. Two accidents cited by ICAO are analysed in this paper: the mid-air collision above Zagreb in 1976, and the runway collision at Tenerife in 1977. The paper examines the linguistic factors involved in each accident, such as code switching and L1 interference, and uses the ‘Swiss cheese’ model of accident causation developed by Reason (1990) and adapted by Wiegmann and Shappell (2003) to put these factors into a broader aviation context. It is shown that, while linguistic factors were in each case significant, both accidents occurred as the result of multiple causal factors, many of which were non-linguistic. Furthermore, stress and fatigue played a decisive role in exacerbating the linguistic factors in each accident. Finally, the paper suggests lessons that may be drawn from the analysis for the training of pilots and air traffic controllers, both nativespeaker and non native-speaker.


Author(s):  
Paula Ribeiro e Souza

The Aviation English Proficiency Exam for the Brazilian Airspace Control System (EPLIS) was developed in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) language policy regarding the assessment of English language proficiency for air traffic controllers and aeronautical station operators. A high-stakes test by any account, EPLIS was delivered only to in-service air traffic personnel for the first 7 years. In 2014, however, pre-service air traffic controllers started sitting EPLIS in the last semester of their two-year training program. This study aimed at investigating the washback effect of EPLIS on the English teachers’ perceptions in an Air Traffic Control Initial Training Program. Teachers responded to a questionnaire about the influence of EPLIS on different aspects of language teaching and learning. A descriptive statistical analysis was carried out and the results showed that Aviation English teaching experience andknowledge about the exam interact with washback intensity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyejeong Kim

This paper aims to identify what aviation experts consider to be the key features of effective communication by examining in detail their commentary on a 17-minute segment of recorded radiotelephony discourse between a Russian pilot and a Korean air traffic controller. The segment was played to three practising pilots and three air traffic controllers. Their commentary on the qualities of communication displayed in the interaction was recorded and coded thematically, using a grounded ethnography approach. The analysis revealed that although the Russian pilot was viewed as having limited English proficiency, the strategies he used to make himself understood were evaluated positively as fulfilling the requirements of the professional role. By contrast, the Korean air traffic controller, although not evaluated as having limited proficiency, was criticized for his lack of professional knowledge. The discourse analysis and the feedback given by these expert informants highlight not only the nature of the miscommunication arising in unexpected situations, but also the multiple factors that may contribute to it. While language proficiency is clearly an issue, there are many other sources of miscommunication that emerge during the exchange. These findings are used to critique the narrow, language-focused oral proficiency construct as articulated in the holistic descriptors and the rating scale stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, 2010) as the basis for tests of aviation English worldwide. Instead the paper proposes an expanded construct of oral communication incorporating elements of professional knowledge and behaviour with a focus on interactional competence specific to this context.


Author(s):  
Anton MATVEEV

Since 2004, the International Civil Aviation Organization has imposed pilots and air traffic controllers elsewhere in the world to comply with the established language proficiency standards as a safety measure against language and communication problems during flights. Currently, one of the problems that aviation English practitioners face is the lack of training materials on aviation specifications to learn various language aspects. This article discusses peculiarities of technical English used in aerospace. Thus, technical English not only facilitates communication between native and non-native English speakers but reduces the risk of errors and overall risks as well. In this regard, appropriate teaching approaches should be chosen, various tools and forms of teaching English aviation language should be used to form the language competence of future specialists.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Adnan Waseem

Purpose – The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of job stress on job satisfaction of employees and also to find out the drivers for the job stress, which contribute to create job stress which ultimately negatively affect job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – The study is mainly based on review of the existing literature and collection of data through an adopted questionnaire survey, conducted from the selected sample of Air Traffic Controllers of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. A total of 134 questionnaires were distributed among the sample which is selected using the technique of cluster sampling. 122 respondents returned the questionnaire, which are utilized for the analysis purpose. Findings – The results of the current study indicate that there is a negative relationship between job stress and job satisfaction. Those air traffic controllers who had high level of job stress had low job satisfaction. Research limitations – This research paper is based on a specific case of Air Traffic Controllers of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. So the results are applicable specifically to Air Traffic Controllers of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority or other fields in the same industry. A quantitative methodology is used to investigate the problem. Future research can investigate the problem by using a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methodology. Practical implications – The practical implications of the paper include implementation of the results provided by researcher to decrease the employees’ level of stress and increase job satisfaction level. Originality/value – The study is conducted first time in the field specifically highlighting the stress issue. It can be a base for the future research in this area.   Keywords – Job Stress, Job Satisfaction, Air Traffic Controllers


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Ng ◽  
Isaac Levi Henderson

Air traffic controllers play a vital function with regard to ensuring the safety and efficiency of international civil aviation. Despite this, there is a lack of research addressing how air traffic controllers are trained. This paper collects opinions about the air traffic control (ATC) training programme in Singapore from a group of 30 instructors who were working within the aerodrome training team. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants and thematic analysis was used to identify key opinions. Significant advantages and disadvantages of the current training programme were identified, such as pre-training and simulator constraints. In addition to findings relating to the learning of required skill sets, interviews also highlighted the need for a just culture in the workplace and human factors training.


Aviation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 252-261
Author(s):  
Haryani Hamzah

The increasing number of aircraft flying around the world has led to the requirement for air traffic controllers to improve their communication skills to face high demand traffic in the future. The paper examines the communication errors in the pilot-controller communication of six ab-initio air traffic controllers during simulation training. More than three hours of conversation were collected and analyzed qualitatively using conversational analysis. The transcribed data yielded a total of 62 instances of communication errors. The data revealed that clarity and pronunciation of ab-initio controllers contributed to problematic communication and reduced the efficiency of the air traffic controllers in communicating. In contrast, pronunciation errors rarely diminished comprehension amongst the controllers and pilots who share a similar first language and are familiar with the use of English in a lingua franca setting. The study also describes other instances of communication errors in pilot-controller communication. The results indicate that ab-initio air traffic controllers need to be proficient in three main areas in pilot controller communication to improve their performance: aviation phraseology, aviation English, and aviation knowledge. The findings suggest that pilots and air traffic controllers should achieve level 4 (operational) in aviation language proficiency test, before proceeding to aviation training that requires them to be proficient in their language skills.


Author(s):  
Tetiana Shmelova ◽  
Yuliya Sikirda ◽  
Nina Rizun ◽  
Vitaliy Lazorenko ◽  
Volodymyr Kharchenko

This chapter presents the application of new information technology in education for the training of air traffic controllers (ATCs). Machine learning, multi-criteria decision analysis, and text analysis as the methods of artificial intelligence for ATCs training have been described. The authors have made an analysis of the International Civil Aviation Organization documents for modern principles of ATCs education. The prototype of the neural network for evaluating the timeliness and correctness of the decision making by ATCs has been developed. The new theoretical and practical tasks for simulation and pre-simulation training have been obtained using expert judgment method. The methodology for sentiment analyzing the airline customers' opinions has been proposed. In addition, the examples of artificial intelligence systems and expert systems by the authors, students and colleagues from National Aviation University, Ukraine and Gdansk University of Technology, Poland have been proposed.


2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 25.1-25.16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Lynn Moder ◽  
Gene B. Halleck

This study investigates the variation in oral proficiency demonstrated by 14 Air Traffic Controllers across two types of testing tasks: work-related radio telephony-based tasks and non-specific English tasks on aviation topics. Their performance was compared statistically in terms of level ratings on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) scale. The results demonstrate significant differences in the performance of the test-takers across task types, differences that were not fully predictable across subjects. The differences between general English proficiency and specific purpose proficiency were even greater than those we would expect for other LSP situations. We discuss the implications of these findings for fairly and safely assessing Aviation English using ICAO standards in a politicized context.


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