Books
‘Washing the Traffic’
Flightpath: Aviation English for Pilots and ATCOs
Shawcross, Philip. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 192 pp. Illustrations, student exercises. Includes three audio compact discs (CDs) and one DVD (digital video disc).
“Flightpath is intended to assist pilots and air traffic control officers [ATCOs] in reaching and maintaining a robust ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] Operational Level 4, keeping in mind that language proficiency is soon eroded over time and considerably reduced in stressful situations,” Shawcross says.
The emphasis in English-language training for pilots has expanded beyond the ability to use standard phraseology in radiotelephony, although that remains a firm baseline. ICAO member state personnel are now required to meet at least Level 4, “operational,” proficiency. Among the criteria for Level 4 are: “Responses are usually immediate, appropria…
