Forced to speak French to land my plane.

[@occitaniejemesouviens7508]

Comme disait Chaballe ,”we are in France, we speak french ".

[@katsogogeshvili1918]

So, you understand now what feeling rest of world speaking English in flight

[@thomasdalton1508]

But they just have to learn one foreign language that they can use around the world. Having to learn the local language for every country you fly to is impractical. That's why one language was chosen.

[@raoufamimi4357]

Let's choose french 😂

[@katsogogeshvili1918]

@@thomasdalton1508 yes, but problem is that here in UK pilots very often speacking just a common "local area" language - not approved CAP413 RTF phraseology. So now you can imaging feeling of non-English-language pilots flying in UK airspace.

[@thomasdalton1508]

@@katsogogeshvili1918 Yes, that can certainly be a problem. There were no French people using non-standard phraseology here, though.

[@joelcalmet5710]

⁠untrue sir. All countries without an official ICAO language have to speak English even beetwing forein natives. So Italians or Germans or Dutch have to speak at least basic English since their first school flight. Only French, Spanish, Russian and Chineese people can speak their native language beetwing them, it’s the international régulation. So don’t be so scornful, you are not the only people fliying on Earth. Lot of people not English speaker are better pilot than you, Tell yourself that for a non-English speaker, even if he is speaking a good English, it is often very difficult and very stressful to fly in England or over the United States. Because of your different accents and pronunciations some ATC are truly pain in the ass. We’ll never be bilingual, speaking English like a native. At last , it’s extremely unpleasant to hear the bilingual English on the vidéo (the fat one) saying that "base", "finale" are English words pronounced with a French accent, while they are definitely French words, like 45% of your language. Remenber the UK history 🤣

[@gsbeak]

"English words pronounced with a French accent"... Those English words may actually be French words pronounced with an English accent. Remember 1066 ? 😄

[@guillaumeperron6240]

Actually, all the words spoken in circuits are indeed French words (base, finale)

[@syntheretique385]

@@guillaumeperron6240 OTOH these words have acquired new meanings in the context of aviation phraseology and would be difficult to parse by your average French person. It's all right. British and French have played linguistic ping pong for centuries now. It seems rather silly to bicker about words ownership.

[@davidm8097]

🤣

[@georgeszurbach444]

​@@syntheretique385no.ping pong just reminding you that those words are french like 40% of the english language. As someone said English is badly spoken French.

[@didierpuzenat7280]

@@guillaumeperron6240 And such English words even come from French. For example, I think everyone recognizes "Fin" in finale.

[@kidocq]

If a French, German, Belgian, Dutch, Spanish, etc want to land their planes in the UK, they will have to speak english. Please also note that in Europe, French and Spanish are also ICAO languages …

[@Axel_Soebert]

English is still the official atc language in Europe. Atleast international and regional airports.

[@PetesGuide]

My understanding is that worldwide rules say that pilots can request the use of English. But maybe that’s only for ATC comms and not at uncontrolled airports?

[@terraxel7507]

@@PetesGuide Probably for uncontrolled, yes. But in this case, this should be indicated in the VAC chart that it is French only. In this case, it is indicated (LFOL VAC chart from France AIP). Thus, everyone trying to land there is SUPPOSED to know that before arrival.

[@simonblynch]

Good luck trying to use Spanish, ICAO or not. You might have a little more luck with French (in a couple of places), but wouldn't rely on it - and no pilot would.

[@scialomy]

I'm impressed by the French coach. Is he a native English speaker with an impeccable French accent or the other way around? Can't tell.

[@Abdel11771]

He's french and talks almost like a native English speaker

[@haltux]

He is British living in France. It's said in the video. His French is perfect, though.

[@antoinecine]

I'm French, I fly in La Baule and you did a great job speaking French ! Well done !

[@mirandahotspring4019]

English words with a French accent... you mean English words that were borrowed from French!

[@peanuts2105]

And English is the world standard in science, engineering, aviation, the internet and global brands.

[@mirandahotspring4019]

@@peanuts2105 Only in English speaking countries.

[@guilleminbruno7898]

@@peanuts2105 In science? Which science? In zoology and botanic, latin is the standard language

[@peanuts2105]

@@mirandahotspring4019 incorrect. English is the standard for aviation; the coding language for the Internet is in English, the music you listen to, aerospace engineering (my background) is in English. People from two different languages use English to get by. I could go on and on

[@Jamirio]

​@@peanuts2105well but etymologically not...most of those words were borrowed from French language so also Latin and Greek

[@charlesbremner8792]

Well done, Jon. French pilots appreciate it when visiting foreigners make the effort to use the language. Uncontrolled airfields are French-only but quite a few UK pilots drop into the circuit with all their calls in English. Many, if not most, French private pilots are not proficient in English. At my field, I sometimes translate in the air to explain what UK pilots have just announced.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks Charles. I think that theory follows in all interactions in France. I try (sometimes rather hopelessly) to open all all my conversations in French when in France. They usually reply in English, seeing that it is going to be a struggle, but it is courteous.

[@charlesbremner8792]

@@TheFlyingReporter Thanks. Yes, French pilots are making an effort these days to pass the EASA VFR English endorsement, called FCL-055. James Emery's Lingaero is doing a good job.

[@XX629-Bulldog]

Great video Jon, hopefully debunking the fear a lot of UK pilots have about FR only airfields as they are often the friendliest ones in France. Understanding what is said back from other pilots is the hardest, we once had a reply at Samur basically stating parachutists jumping in 5 mins get on the ground before that! A couple or three seconds of the two of us interpreting it and it all worked out fine.

[@TheBioniXman]

@@XX629-Bulldog Interesting name there. I was the modification controller on the Bulldog as part of the Engineering Authority at Wyton while they were being disposed of. I was trying to buy one but was not allowed to as I was still in uniform at that time. I joined the RAF in 75 and as a young airman used to check the Bulldog "Streakers" (unpainted) as they came into service. Now l live in France full time.

[@XX629-Bulldog]

@@TheBioniXman feel free to have a look at my videos of my Bulldog XX629. Have flown her all over Europe in the last 12 years of ownership- I’m still serving and the older line engineers love seeing it when I attend various mtgs!

[@paulmakinson1965]

I fly from Auch. It is not a controlled airport (AFIS during the week from 9 to 5). It has 2 runways, both 18 and 36, one paved, the other grass. Many people don't speak English, notably, the pilot of the tug, a local farmer, who is sometimes the only one doing the rounds towing gliders. The custom is to ask him what QFU he is using and adapt. In light or no wind, he will use 18 for takeoff but the gliders will land on 36. I remember a British plane landing, he was obviously not understanding anything spoken on the radio, making all his calls in English, and going opposite to the tug and me. I went around and waited until he was out of the way. I also often go Catalonia, Spain (La Cerdanya). I speak fluent Spanish, but all the radio chatter was in Catalan! I make my call and make sure I get some feedback if there is activity. Usually from the tug pilot.

[@Tiwow]

So nice to see James out there helping a British man learn French radio after he's helped sooo many French pilots to learn English radio!

[@lynx3rdwing973]

Hello, as a FISO in "Paris Information", believe me , I've hear way worse... At least you try ! Just an advice, you can say it in english and double in french, so if a pilot mastering Shakespeare's'aeronautical chatter, can inform you and/or the others... Was great, give you à 9 out of 10 !!!

[@johnpipping3848]

French pilots, especially those training and building hours for professional licences, often speak in English with ATC just for the practice, despite not having any language endorsement. I have never heard of any pilot being given a hard time in France for speaking French. That in itself would be counter intuitive!

[@geltiix2575]

I spoke with one of my teachers in ATPL courses that told us it's actually allowed apparently, as FCL seems to only apply when you don't fly in a country which has not your native languaga. According to him it's therefore allowed to speak english as a french with a french ATC !

[@imFeroxi]

I was flying near the aeroport and i have heard your radio call ! What a surprise to discover you on KZbin !

[@Bugy34]

i'm french... i can understand it may be annoying but actually, it's a remote airfield there...most of pilots flying there are older, retired, don't speak necessary english... second point, french is ICAO language... aviation in france has a long history as well. Sure you fly to Paris, Lyon Marseille and so on, you do the radio in english no problem. But a small local airfield ? well, you have to adapt. :) Welcome to France though, have safe flights

[@terraxel7507]

It is indicated on the VAC chart, thus authorized since it is an ICAO language, I guess :)

[@guilleminbruno7898]

Ou que ce soit dans le monde (et j'ai passé ma vie à parcourir le monde) , pour un anglais, les gens sont supposés comprendre et parler anglais et ils ne font absolument AUCUN effort pour tenter de faciliter le travail à des gens dont l'anglais est parfois sommaire. C'est insupportable et il m'est arrivé d'en rembarrer un ou deux qui manifestaient de l'agacement et étaient sarcastiques vis à vis de leur interlocuteur qui avait du mal à comprendre

[@101jtag]

Off topic : if you teach your son the very basics of controls, and he sits up front, in case of emergency he could assist you or if you get incapacitated he could try to save himself. I find it awkward to have a passenger with the 2nd set of ocntrols unattended.

[@thomasdalton1508]

There are even training courses for regular passengers where they will teach you how to land the plane in an emergency. Taking a course like that seems like a very good idea.

[@101jtag]

Just this week : Turkish airlines captain died at the controls, and the non-pilot wife of an incapacitated King Air pilot succesfully landed the plane.

[@reddogaviationltd]

@@thomasdalton1508 We offer exactly these sorts of courses - in your aeroplane or ours. Teaching someone how to make an urgency call on the radio, how to change a frequency, the basic effects of controls and how to control an aircraft safely down to a suitable place to land could be a lifesaver one day. It is certainly a confidence boost, makes flying partners/family feel more involved in a flight and can lower the workload for a pilot when things get really busy. It's a win-win. 🙂

[@thomasdalton1508]

@@reddogaviationltd It seems like a very sensible thing to do to me. (I think pilot incapacitation is a full distress call rather than urgency, though!)

[@willemm]

you did better than a lot of pilots speaking English at other airports. And that's with English being the official aviation language.

[@papics]

Besides the not mandatory ADS-B in/out (but this is a looooong topic), this language madness is my biggest pain in general aviation. I live in Belgium, where there are 3 official languages (Dutch, French, and German), none of which are my native languages (Hungarian), and I have a Level 6 FCL.055 in English on my licence (and English is the language I use at work and at home most of the time, mixed with Dutch). Now in Belgium - which is historically a very multilingual country - all aerodromes operate on English, while typically the local language is allowed as a second option. Still, most pilots communicate in English, as we are sure that will be understood by everyone. Even though it is nobody's mother tongue. In The Netherlands, English is the primary language at every airfield, and while here and there you hear a Dutch sentence on Flight information frequencies, I have never heard that in the circuit, but always English. During my PPL training we often flew to an uncontrolled French airfield for circuit/touch-and-go training, because it had no landing fee (and my base is a Class D international airfield, so not often could I get a slot there), and I was shocked when my instructor first told me, that I will have to make calls in French. So like everybody, I made a cheat-sheet, and used that, and of course I learned those basic phrases very quickly. But I find it ridiculous that for aviation, where you can cross borders very quickly, and where every controlled airspace will accept English, there can be these local fields, which are allowed to put French (or German) only on their charts... But this is not only a French problem. In Germany I encountered many fields where while English is allowed, the local pilots will 90% of the time speak German. So that was a bit of a shock on my first visit to such a field, because my situational awareness was seriously lower as I had no idea what the German pilots were saying. For my next flight to Germany, I had studied tha German phrases and had a cheat-sheet is German too, and things went much better, I could understand 95% of what the pilots were saying in German. In that sense Germany is better, pilots seem to stick more to phraseology, while the French seem to tell their life's story in every call to make any foreigner's lie more difficult. Even with English not being my mother tongue, I think English should be at least accepted everywhere, and I am glad to see in a thread below that legally there is no requirement to have another language certificate if you have your English FCL.055, as I also got - albeit a friendly - reminder under one of my videos where I flew to a German only airport, that I could get trouble doing that. I was pretty sure that cannot be the case, but now I know what to refer to next time somebody brings this up.

[@PilotVianney]

shout out to James from Lingaero ! Such a great company he created !

[@SimonHollandfilms]

I have a US PPL and fly in France. The landing and takeoff phrases are pretty easy BUT.. I had difficulty understanding other pilots position reports in our busy local area...that made me nervous about flying in France. So I take a French pilot friend flying with me.. he does the radio calls. wish i was better.....the local French flying club encouraged members to learn English, as ATC in France speak English. they find that hard.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Yes Simon, that is an issue. I think once you know the 'key' phrases, you can build the picture in the circuit/pattern, but I would be very careful at an airfield with parachuting/gliding etc, as there'd be language used that you probably wouldn't know if you weren't French.

[@MikePalladino]

I have a US PPL and would like to fly in France and Italy. Would you mind giving a short list of what you did to enable you to fly in France? Also, do you rent a plane, or have joined a local Aviation Club?

[@glujaz]

@@MikePalladinoFrench pilot here : you can rent a plane, but usually, it's more available in flying clubs. You still rent the plane, but at a flying club, and it includes already everything. Look for an airport name and add Aéro-club on google, and you will find everything there, including prices.

[@mikegoldsmith7860]

Love thd video jon, im an English pilot living in France and yes disgracefully i struggle with speaking french, however i can fly the circuit in french ok and French ATC is excellent for speaking in English and so helpful! ..word of advice to visiting English pilots,,yes uou can us a crib sheet to tell your intentions...but please be very care to try and understand the tome of a message if you don't understand a reply in french.....an airfield near me does a lot of glider towing and they tow the wrong way around or near the circuit at times.... coming face to face with another ULM / plane towing a glider gives rise to a whole new language!!!!! Just becare full guys! Nice to see our friend james featured aswell!

[@stephenmccarthy6892]

12:35 "Nautiques" for miles Jon. Currently I'm studying for FCL.055 Français as I live in France and my aeroclub are unhappy about me flying when there's not a FISO in the tower however the DGAC exam is notoriously difficult. For safety's sake I am not sure the cheat sheet is sufficient except it does warn French pilots that there's a mad foreigner out there. One big problem is the way the French really dont adhere to ICAO phraseology in particular numbers which for a non french speaker is very difficult.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks Stephen. I was wondering what miles was.

[@fclanglais]

Bonjour Stephen, excellente remarque, très utile 👏 Bon weekend, à bientôt,

[@alexreynier5991]

@@TheFlyingReporter actually - mile is "mille" pronounced "mill" but you do need to precise which type of mile you're using hence why most French people will just say "dix nautiques" to mean "dix milles nautiques".

[@dayabloom9634]

Oh my, I think I've never heard such a perfect french from a non french, that's astonishing, you can't tell if his british or french !

[@boblatham7696]

My understanding based on "Arrêté du 24 juillet 1991 relatif aux conditions d'utilisation des aéronefs civils en aviation générale...updated July 2024) is that French pilots can fly VFR without needing English language skills but an aircraft wishing to fly IFR must have an English language qualified pilot onboard even if he is not the pilot in command.

[@fclanglais]

Yes

[@siwa654]

"You might think that English is the common language of aviation, but in fact there are quite a number of places where you can't land unless you speak the local dialect" French is spoken by 321 million of people. It's a language itself.

[@GlensHangar]

I fly a lot in Eastern Canada (East Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick) and all ATC is in either French or English depending on how the pilot initiates. With most non-controlled / non-MF airports is this area being French only. That circuit entry... wild!

[@bernardbesson9909]

Sapristi ! 😄

[@12345678941160]

it was just like watching a TV episode 'Allo 'Allo!

[@cavok1984]

Fair play Jon. That was good to watch. I did GCSE French at school and honestly I don't remember a thing, so I'd likely end up flying the wrong pattern or something!

[@JeanLucCoulon]

BTW, it is fine, and everybody would be able to understand what you say/where you are! And, after the first message, you can shorten your callsign (G-IV) as usual. Congratulations. It is time now to learn a bit more :)

[@ludo5866]

As a French speaking I rate you 7/10 Wich is already better than some native French speaking pilot 😅

[@britfrog]

i have been flying throughout France for ovwer 40 years and never had a problem on the contrary I have found most ATC's to be very helpful and understanding , try flying in Spain and using English.

[@fclanglais]

Thank you Jon for this great video, and thanks for interviewing the best specialist for this subject - James Emery, Lingaero's CEO. The more you practice, the safer you are. I wouldn't dare to give you a score out of ten, but I got your radio communications in French. Keep up the good work 👍

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thank you.

[@exosky4966]

Honestly, as a french pilot, you integration announce on the radio was pretty good, continue try it and you will be better everytime

[@brentsummers7377]

Just waiting to see if Rocket French & Duolingo decide to incorporate ATC language into their lessons😂🤣

[@pilotworldshop]

Well done Jon 👍👨‍✈️✈️

[@DomDom-tw5jk]

6:10 The coach James Emory has an impressive level in French prononciation...

[@jeflehardi91]

c'est clair ! perso si je n'avais pas eu l'information dans la vidéo, j'aurai été incapable de savoir si c'est un anglais ou un français

[@TheFroztv]

I feel you !! currently working on my English communicatins exam FCL055 !!

[@ramoneortiz]

Interesting video. I really enjoy watching pilots fly in other countries. Maybe someday I can fly in Europe. For now, I will stick to flying on the west side of the Atlantic. Greetings from a Turbo Arrow III owner, pilot and CFI based in 1T7 (Kestrel Airpark) in central Texas, USA.😁

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks for watching and following from the US. And a TA3 owner too - yay!..

[@brieuc104]

You know my friend James!😂🫡👍

[@fmaali721]

Hello Jon, I am French and you were just perfect

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Merci Beaucoup!

[@19Edurne]

7:01 Except "base" and "final" are actually French words passed into English... just coming back home.

[@Fragann]

Franchement, tres bon, mais 10/10 pour l'effort

[@jlnrt]

As a french pilot, this was perfect ! Thanks for sharing 👍 Next Germany :)

[@Boating_David]

Very interesting, language barriers can be difficult without trying to fly too ! 👏

[@TheFlyingReporter]

To be honest, once you've been flying a while, it's a bit like riding a bike!

[@rockmod9866]

surprised to see Sherburn im currently doing my ppl there.

[@DonovanN_]

ça ne s'est pas trop mal passé finalement 😁 un petit 6/10 pour la prononciation ^^

[@PetesGuide]

My understanding is that worldwide rules say that pilots can request the use of English. But maybe that’s only for ATC comms and not at uncontrolled airports?

[@FoxMikeHotel]

Yes, ATC speaks either in the local ICAO language or English. But you can't force pilots speaking to each other at non towered fields to speak in English

[@seraphina985]

@@FoxMikeHotel They are not necessarily even required to know it if they know the local ICAO language and plan to conduct their flight VFR wholly in uncontrolled airspace. So not only are they not under any obligation to do that for you they are not even necessarily going to be able to do so even if you ask.

[@eco-beehive]

Well done sir

[@bernardbesson9909]

Baguette power is in the air !😀

[@andyb.1026]

Lots of places in UK hardly speak English, Bimingam, Neuk,asill 😮, Liverpool 😮

[@bertrandthomasflylover2306]

Very très intéressant! happy to see you took it from the funny side. I'm french and have the FCL-055 English(level 5) and 950 at TOEIC, I love English, fact is I'm better with American English than true Uk English, and speaking more than understanding is always the hardest part because we don't practice as much we should. In any controlled airfield in France if you speak in English they have to answer in English, and we French pilots should be able to understand at least to have a better situation awarness and get the most of it : registration, position, altitude and speed, intentions...But with uncontrolled airfield most of the time it is mendatory to speak French. I know it can be hard, but would any airfield in UK allow any other language than English ? I also think it's important we keep our language in aviation, even if the international language is English. I'm sad when I see videos of 2 french pilots in an airliner cockpit landing in a French airport and speaking almost 80% in English... And don't forget that about 70% of English comes from French words...and that Richard "The Lionheart" spoke barely a word of English... Keep the good job going, love your channel ! Btw I have to cross it (the channel) in flight and exercise my poor English to go to a nice UK airlfield😂🛩🤞🍻

[@rudyberkvens-be]

Only on uncontrolled airfields so no radio required. Just state your intentions in english and don’t worry about the rest.

[@ufm10xxl27]

Tres Bon Bon Jon

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Merci Beaucoup.

[@roelcoert9074]

As a courtesy to a foreign visitor aviator and for the saftey of the pilots in the circuits, would it not be advisable for all to reverse to engllish for the brief time?

[@robh4671]

I have to bring up my similar experience while flying in the south if France many years ago, I had just joined the circuit and called down wind in English another aircraft called up just after me in French, after landing I was told by my CFI there was a complaint that I had turned inside of a twin in the circuit, I explained that I did hear another aircraft but as he spoke French I didn't understand a word he said, I thought the international language of aviation was English 😅😅

[@philippelambert329]

You thought wrong ;-). ICAO recognises 6 languages (all international, mind you) : Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. So if you fly regularly in an area wher one of those is vernacular, learning some basic aeronautical vocabulary and expressions would be wise.

[@kazaktchoc8115]

Il m'est arrivé le même genre de problème aux abords de Londres. Le contrôleur refusait obstinément de parler Français. Il était visiblement énervé. Impossible de de le sortir de son erreur.

[@axelmallet1957]

As a French, when people from other countries come to our airfield we speak english on the frequency. It makes it easier for everybody, since every pilot should speak english (my personnal opinion). I did it once when a German plane came in, but it was a little different since we didn't speak German and they didn't speak French. Anyway thanks for your efforts, I can understand your French very well! Fly safe

[@mathieu1964]

Je suis partagé sur votre réflexion. Effectivement chaque pilote devrait réussir à comprendre et à dialoguer avec les autres pilotes. Si on veut bien faire les choses, il faudrait que le FCL055 soit obligatoire. Maintenant dans le monde réel, il y a des pilotes de tout âge et de tout horizon (pros, amateurs, élèves) qui évoluent dans le même espace. C'est un peu la même chose sur la route avec les voitures sans permis... Tant qu'il n'y a pas de loi interdisant aux "amateurs" de voler, il ne peut y avoir une vraie sécurité en vol. Donc soit on accepte, ou plutôt on tolère, soit on interdit et dans ce cas la sécurité des vols sera grandement améliorée.

[@GeoffreyEngelbrecht]

Just caught the beginning but do you have French proficiency on your license? It doesn’t matter how good your French is you can get into trouble if your licence is checked after landing. I have a Swiss friend who is fluent in French but only has German and English proficiency on his pilots license and got into trouble landing at a French only airport when he was spot checked after landing.

[@anthonytester484]

Came here to ask the same question. I used to fly into German speaking airfields and despite having a conversational level of German would only make calls in English as that was a limitation of my FRTOL.

[@ghoflyer]

CAA won't issue language endorsements as far as I know as English is the ICAO language. The rule is below, reading the sentence proficiency in English or the language spoken suffices: FCL.055 Language proficiency (a) General. Aeroplane, helicopter, powered-lift and airship pilots required to use the radio telephone shall not exercise the privileges of their licences and ratings unless they have a language proficiency endorsement on their licence in either English or the language used for radio communications involved in the flight. The endorsement shall indicate the language, the proficiency level and the validity date.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

lingaero.com/flying-in-france-fr-only-and-issues-surrounding-the-use-of-french-for-radio-communications-2/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2NaeuhuwjjGi9DcK253PL064UehUYmmSvj_s5T0IifhfyldOcLUXR4yHo_aem_0ldkIfdBIbXOq-lJpjvufQ

[@anthonytester484]

@@ghoflyer there’s 6 official ICAO languages, Russian, French, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic in addition to the universal English. There’s a number of local derogations allowing local language e.g. German for non-commercial, non-IFR. I know a number of individuals with foreign language endorsements on their 3rd country ICAO licences but I’m not sure whether the CAA would transfer these in the event of SOLI transfer.

[@GeoffreyEngelbrecht]

@@TheFlyingReporter As the website is not an official government website, I have a friend who was fined by the French authorities for speaking French on the radio without a French proficiency and I would question what the value of language proficiency on your license is if it is not to authorise you to be able to speak that language on the radio I am doubtful as to the validity of the information on that website. Also France is not unique as the article suggests. Many countries in Europe and North America allow local languages to be used at small airports where it is specified.

[@In_the_air61]

Bravo Monsieur la prochaine fois venez donc sur Argentan. là bas ils parlent anglais

[@Oli-yr2pe]

How is your CRI going? Would love to hear more about that, and if you think it's worth getting.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Good question - I'm due for my renewal (after 3 years) in November and have just booked the training for that. I don't do too much if it now to be honest. I do enjoy doing it now - didn't at first, felt quite nervous taking that responsibility. Need to do more of it really.

[@karma_letracteur3277]

you can tell its france when you see 10 roundabout in 1 frame

[@a.duanny6978]

The idea is not only for you to be understood by french pilots, but for you to understand wha'ts going on around you. Quite recently, on such a french airfield, a foreign crew not speaking french didn't catch that a glider was beeing cable-launched, the cable hit their aircraft, they crashed and died...

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Can you please send me the report on this one. The video refers to this risk.

[@a.duanny6978]

​@@TheFlyingReporter Full report is not out yet, it happened May 9th 2024 in LFLE (Challes les Eaux) near Chambery, aircraft Bristell B23 was registered OE-AMK

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

Speaking French with a cheatsheet is one thing... what about making sense of any transmissions received?

[@darth_patzer]

Bonjour, même quand ce n'est pas "FR only" vous aurez beaucoup de chance si vous communiquez en anglais et que vous êtes compris. Hello, even when it's not "FR only" you'll be very lucky if you communicate in English and be understood. The only good solution is to speak communicate in french everywhere in France.

[@battz99]

Hello, I'm a Brit living and flying in France. I don't want to be too harsh but your efforts were a good try but I'm afraid rather inadequate! You need to say where you are and what your intentions are and then report position in the normal way so I suggest that when approaching an aerodrome with 'AA FR seulement' you don't just advise when you'll be 'verticale' but also say what you'll then be doing. So you'll be 'verticale en 5 minutes' or 'verticale 25' (overhead at 25 past the hour) for runway 25 for a full stop (complet) or a touch and go (touché). It's also important to say that you'll be flying a left hand (main gauche) or right hand (main droite) circuit. So 'Golf Alpha Whisky Papa Whisky approche vos installations du nord (approaching your airfield from the north) à deux mille pieds (at 2000 feet), destination vos installations (destination your airfield ie I'm not overflying, I'm going to be landing), verticale en cinq minutes (overhead in 5 minutes) pour intégrer vent arrière 25 main gauche (to join downwind left hand for runway 25) pour un complet (for a full stop). It's not difficult if you follow the logical sequence. It also helps to practice a bit of phonetic pronunciation. P (pay) A (ah) etc.. Otherwise you'll find that the French are very warm and forgiving but there is always the odd jobsworth, same as anywhere. Bons vols en France!

[@LingaeroFCL055]

The purpose of this ultra-simplified phraseology is to reduce the amount of things to remember, while letting other traffic you are joining the circuit. Yes, you could say something like : "Nous ferons une verticale terrain à 2,500 suivie d'une intégration en début de vent-arrière gauche pour un complet à l'issue".....BUT..... How many average "schoolboy French" speakers are going to be able to pronounce a mouthful like that? Also, French visual approach charts show the direction of the circuit, so no real need to say it on the radio, unless you are flying the opposite side of the runway for some reason. Better to focus on very key, core terms and make sure they are intelligible.

[@battz99]

@@LingaeroFCL055 I disagree. If you want to come and fly in France you need to achieve a minimum level of safety just as you do in the UK and the level of French shown in this video is inadequate in my opinion. If you can't be bothered to spend an evening or so mugging up on some procedures I'd say don't come and certainly don't try to join a circuit in which I'm flying with this level of language skill. My 'minimum level' is evidently somewhat higher than your 'ultra-simplified' and I have a suspicion from my experience that French pilots in the same pattern would probably agree with me. But then again I'm not running a business whereas you are. And suggesting that all you need do is use English terms with a French accent is not only laughable, it's insulting.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

The intentions were not known until overhead and I had seen the windsock. Once overhead I declared my intention to join downwind. I followed the published circuit pattern so no need to say direction of the circuit. Thanks for watching.

[@battz99]

@@TheFlyingReporter Sorry, that's not the way it works in France. The reason is that 'avions' (GA type light aircraft) and 'ULMs' (ultralights/microlights) frequently use opposite circuit directions and/or circuit heights. Check the chart for Saumur (circuit heights different) and Figeac Livernon (different directions). You can't just come blundering in putting everyone else at risk. Surely you of all people must know that flying safety is a serious business. The other thing is that many airfields, especially smaller ones, have a preferred runway. However, if there's little or no wind local pilots may not be using it (eg the take off start point happens to be closer to the apron) and if you come blundering in without knowing what they are calling in the circuit and not letting them know what you're doing you could well end up with a Cessna coming at you when you're on final. And BTW the term 'final' is often not used (rarely used?) in France. Instead pilots call 'dernier virage' (final turn) when turning from base onto final. A little knowledge as seemingly proposed by this video is a dangerous thing - for other pilots as well as yourself. Sorry, we wouldn't like it if French pilots were blundering around our circuits in the UK and the same applies the other way round.

[@yumyum7309]

Ton Français est très bon pour un non natif. Congrats😜 Come and see us in LFIS. See ya

[@matthewwilliams2128]

Why does Bertie sit in the back? Does he prefer it?

[@TheFlyingReporter]

He does Matthew. Being a teenager, he's not too keen at constantly being on camera. He doesn't mind the odd shot of him in the back, which I check with him before releasing the video.

[@matthewwilliams2128]

@@TheFlyingReporter Yes - it's fascinating the way the concept of consent has evolved in the last few decades - and quite rightly so. I do hope he gets the chance for *some* (private) stick time though!

[@guilleminbruno7898]

Bonne leçon! Vous comprenez ainsi ce que c'est d'être obligé de parler une autre langue dont on n'a pas envie!

[@loicvi217]

J'aime bien l'accent anglais

[@dargaard93]

You have a nice english accent but your french is quite good. But please, remember that if you come to France, in no way english is required or mandatory.

[@gerhardwesp3995]

I see a concerning amount of head down time in the video. Be safe out there.

[@ian757]

Thanks for a very useful video and extra content. It’s much appreciated. Fair play for giving the old French a try but if you’re going to fly there where there’s any other traffic you will need to learn some French and practice your pronunciation. People are being generous to you when they say 9/10 for your French but I’m afraid it was more like 3/10. Some of the pronunciation would have been unintelligible to a French person such as ‘Aygal’ which they would only have guessed you meant Aigle because of where it came in the RT. I’m not trying to be mean or knock your confidence but you need to do better if you want to fly safely in France where there are other aircraft. One further criticism I’m afraid to say is that, unusually gorgeous you, there was an evident lack of planning in your RT show by the fact that you hadn’t even looked up what the French word for miles is. Perhaps you can fly to a few airfields with a French-speaking co-Pilot and learn that way. Again though, thank you for some very useful content here.

[@gabrieltrm2275]

good vid ! But i'm wondering how this is even legal, isn't it required to have the FCL0.55 qualification for the language you're using ?? Why does it exist then ? If anyone got the answer.........

[@TheFlyingReporter]

This is answered in a detailed comment thread below.

[@englishclive]

I got a quote for an Adventures Travel Insurance policy, covering travel in a light aircraft and it was over twice what Traffords are charging. Been using Traffords flying travel insurance for years and although it['s getting more expensive I've never found any company close price wise. It's a shame you can't just buy flying cover as I have normal travel insurance through my bank. Please do a plug for Traffords and get me 5% for next year about April 2025 Jon.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks Clive. As with all insurance, I suppose it comes down the cover you're buying. I'm not sure how the cover with Traffords, compares with that on the adventures policy and whether there is a direct comparison.

[@vassimb]

because of the metric system !

[@Sophal27]

Most of these words come from french, so they are just french words but correctly pronounced 😁

[@richardtruesdell8289]

I thought you said "Dom Perrier"

[@caprica_13]

Oh dear, that french circuit entry seems like a recipe for disaster. You could easily find yourself climbing into arriving traffic after take-off. Yikes

[@georgeszurbach444]

Its amazing when I fly to the UK no one speaks French at the control tower Go figure!

[@manekdubash5022]

Miles in French? Try km !

[@terraxel7507]

It is still miles. Km are used in aviation for meteorological concerns, for example visibility. However, the base unit for distance measurement in navigation is nautical mile in aviation, wherever you are in the world :)

[@DanielsPolitics1]

Is this not in breach of ICAO things? Can we now dump the Brussels Convention?

[@GlensHangar]

Nope - not a breach. It's the same in parts of Eastern Canada; mostly French or French only... and this is where ICAO is based.

[@alexreynier5991]

Actually there are SIX ICAO languages... English is just one of them... But any country can override it to allow their language to be used too - most countries do exactly that!

[@76notam]

Hello... là, je vais m'exprimer en Français... déjà, en France les secours sont gratuits pour tous !.... Et oui , enfin presque ce sont les Français( comme moi ) qui les paient par les impôts et oui ... même une évacuation ou un SAR par Hélicoptère ( Marine Nationale , Sécurité Civile..) le Français est une langue aéronautique de l ' OACI . Alors , être " forcé" il ne faut pas exagérer...les terrains contrôlés avec une ( tour de contrôle) possèdent un AFIS à certains horaires pour les moins importants, qui parle Anglais...les plus grands ou quand le trafic est plus important, possède un "contrôleur aérien" qui vient de la DGAC ( Direction Générale Aviation Civile , c'est à dire de l' État Français) . Alors , le terrain que vous avez choisi à l'Aigle ,ne possède pas de tour de contrôle, donc aucun AFIS ou "contrôleur aérien"... là, vous êtes en "auto gestion " , voir et éviter ....mais , pour faire votre intégration et votre final...je ne sais pas si est mentionné sur la carte du terrain ( voir carte Jepsen ) si le Français est obligatoire pour ce type de terrain non contrôlé... Voilà ce que je voulais préciser.. Bon vol à vous ...😉🤙

[@pierrehuyard401]

Comme c'est triste.

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

I'm shocked, you were wondering what the French was for Miles, but they use Kilometres. Tut tut, I would have thought you would have known that.

[@JeanLucCoulon]

km in the cars, nautical miles in the planes. knots or kph for the speed... Aviation is not an area of simplicity for units.

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

@JeanLucCoulon Just reading up I'm surprised, French aviation is still imperial

[@thomasdalton1508]

​@@SimonAmazingClarkeI think Russia is the only country to use metric in the air.

[@edmondgautier8301]

@@SimonAmazingClarke "Mile" in this context is not at all imperial. In aviation or navy, mile is an abbreviation for "nautical mile" (NM). It's a metric unit and is exactly 1852m as defined in the SI standard. Knot is a nautical mile per Hour. Note for British people : Royal museum of Greenwich indicates a wrong value of 1853m for the nautical mile. Don't confuse with the weird US Customary Unit "international mile" or statute mile, which is exactly 1609.344m.

[@lucmatter9601]

English pronounced in a French way? No, that is the Franglais almost all French ATC speak. But if you want a bit more colloquial air French, shout out to me.

[@annoncesboncoin1681]

oh my god forced to speak french in France such a shame !!!!!!!!!!!!🤣🤣🤣😅😅🤪😉

[@Halli50]

Frankly, the arrogance of the French Aviation Community is off the scale. EVERY bloody country in Europe has it's own language that they use in local aviation but, with one notable exception, they will instantly switch to the accepted easy-way-out language of aviation, English. I am Icelandic and fly locally in the West Fjords of Iceland, and Icelandic is what we use for communication on a daily basis - EXCEPT when we hear someone speaking English on the frequency, which is when EVERYONE will switch to English, if only in the interest of safety. We ALL need to be on the same page, wherever we are.

[@reloading_and_gun_channel]

Mate you get a 10 easy

[@idlewise]

During my cross-country for my PPL I had to fly into a strip in the French speaking part of Switzerland. It was quite a busy strip with many in the circuit and a few gliders operating nearby. I made my initial call in English about 10 miles out. Silence for about 10 seconds then, in broken English, came the reply: "Do you speak in Français?" And my reply was a definitive: "Negative!" (not even "Non!"). About 15 seconds later came a call for all stations to operate in English until I was on the ground. When I finally got over the strip I was the only one in the air, as they had just called in quits and landed or flown away. So, I trundled up to the C office and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife! "Ah! You the English man. You better leave quickly!" I got my Flugbuch stamped and was on my way. As I cleare dthe circuit the calls suddenly started again - in French!

[@andre199017]

There’s too many ads in your videos John, nearly 3 mins of sponsored content in a 12 min video. Getting a bit tedious to watch a segment in full knowledge it’s for the plug at the end and the opportunity to use the code TFR somewhere.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thank you for the feedback Andre. Do let me know if you have an alternative business model I haven't already tried. I disabled Google/KZbin adverts on this video deliberately as I knew my own integration on this one was longer than normal. I was probably a little bit wordy on explaining why I think pilots should take out specific insurance on this one, as I had a lot to say - hopefully that information was informative as well as ultimately promotional. If I didn't have these sponsors, the channel would cease in 4 weeks. I don't think you're exposed to more commercials than you would be say on commercial television, Sky, ITV, Channel 4, Prime, etc and no one questions that. For a completely advert free experience, advert free versions of my videos are shared with Supporters' Club members for a nominal monthly or discounted annual fee, and so if they annoy you that much, there is a way to help support the making of the videos while avoiding the brief commercial interludes. Alternatively, the commercial promotions can be skipped.

[@fclanglais]

@@TheFlyingReporter Thank you for this ad as insurance issues are very little mooted on aviation KZbin channels and podcasts. Given this UK-EU flight, I see this more than an ad - good advice.

[@2.718e]

Do you have ICAO level 4 or higher for French? If not you just posted a video of how you are in breach of regulations, EASA as well as ICAO, and using a cheat sheet to “safely” get on the ground.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Do please cite the legislation you say I have breached. There is a thread in the comments dealing with this already.

[@ez-clip]

@@TheFlyingReporter www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/dvd/eAIP_05_SEP_2024/Atlas-VAC/PDF_AIPparSSection/VAC/AD/AD-2.LFOL.pdf Have a look at your "Carte VAC" for the airport it has "A/A 126.855 "FR seulement/only" In theroy you are not allowed to t/o

[@fclanglais]

Hello! Cite your sources, explain and comment, please.

[@2.718e]

@@TheFlyingReporter EASA FCL.055(a), ICAO Annex 6 Chapter 3.3.1.5 as well as ICAO Annex 1 Chapter 1.2.9 and Annex 1 Appendix 1, and one could also argue Annex 10 Chapter 5.2.1.2. From ICAO Annex 6: 3.3.1 Compliance with laws, regulations and procedures 3.3.1.5 The operator shall ensure that flight crew members demonstrate the ability to speak and understand the language used for aeronautical radiotelephony communications as specified in Annex 1.

[@fclanglais]

@@2.718e This is what I can read on Regulation (EU) 2020/359 FCL .055 (a) - "pilots required to use the radio telephone shall not exercise the privileges of their licences and ratings unless they have a language proficiency endorsement on their licence in EITHER English OR the language used for radio communications involved in the flight." ICAO shall not enforce a text in sovereign States which have this legal privilege. The EU regulations are officially and legally enforced within the European Union. However, MoCs and AltMoCs can amend the EU regulations to suit specific national requirements. My questions are - why might Jon have breached any rules regarding RTF use? What is the publication stating that a pilot, and especially a non-native French speaker - shall speak French? "FR ONLY" put on chart isn't enough. It means the service is provided in French only. Because if "FR ONLY" meant any pilot shall speak French, it might come from a French order or regulation infringing EU regulations which stand above the French regulations. Maybe you're right, and there may be an AltMoC somewhere. Please, let us know about any mandatory ICAO French level required in this case. We simply don't know, please help us if you know the official statement concerned.

[@riddepk]

he's speaking realy fluently French i'm amazed !!!!!

[@gabimoreno9895]

Honestly, that's a bit crazy... ! I usually fly from LECD (La Cerdanya), an untowered airfield near the French border, which attracts many French visitors. When only locals are flying, Catalan (not an ICAO language) is often used on the frequency. However, as soon as a pilot speaks in Spanish, everyone switches to Spanish. If a call is made in English, most traffic in the pattern will then switch to English, even though most of these pilots don't have an international radiotelephony endorsement or have passed an ICAO English proficiency test (I said most traffic because there's always the guy with null English skills, but that does not make that airfield Spanish only). This is done to aid situational awareness. Despite Spain not being renowned for English proficiency, aviation is aviation, and pilots strive to understand the basics of English communication. When crossing an international border, you need the ICAO English proficiency test and all that stuff to communicate with ATC just to find minutes later that at some airfields, only French is accepted (luckily, I speak basic French). Cheers!

[@guillaumeperron6240]

Sad that English is not accepted for basic comms on non controlled fields. And I’m French.

[@alainfournol6786]

Non c’est parfaitement normal !

[@battz99]

@@alainfournol6786 Absolument! C'est la France et le plupart de pilotes en France sont français! C'est pareil en Angleterre ou les pilotes français doivent parler anglais.

[@JeanLucCoulon]

What is sad is that international French airports accept both languages. In the circuit, you cannot have a clear situation awareness. On small uncontrolled airport, you cannot ask ULM/students/local pilots to lean English only to stay local.

[@JeanLucCoulon]

@@battz99 Partout dans le monde, l’anglais aéronautique est accepté… On ne va pas mettre l’espéranto comme langue aéronautique ! Mais je suis d’accord que sur les terrains non contrôlés, ce soit "FR uniquement".

[@jacquesdeloche4277]

Si vous travaillez sur un terrain non contrôlé en France, vous devez parler français.

[@MichaMazaheriMittsh]

It's great to watch this! LFOL was actually my first cross country flight (along with LFAX / Mortagne), out of LFOR / Chartres when I trained for my PPL, and it's where the examiner made me fly on the checkride! L(f)OL :) p.s. also your French is better than most French pilots' English!

[@pawepluta4883]

Making a whole video about the fact that people speak their native language in their own countries and don't necessarily need to speak English... You, Americans, are funny.

[@koolcat]

He isn’t American though…

[@pawepluta4883]

@@koolcat Ah, right, Britain hasn't yet enrolled officialy as 52nd state. Or 51st? However they count.

[@JetstreamAviation747]

English is the Language of aviation.

[@pawepluta4883]

@@JetstreamAviation747 It is not. Local language is the language of aviation. English is a second language the aviator can hope for, however where international aviators often meet, this hope is usually fulfilled.

[@JetstreamAviation747]

@@pawepluta4883 That’s what I meant, if you were only allowed to speak English then this airport wouldn’t exist.

[@thomasdalton1508]

I expect most French pilots would understand you better if you spoke English rather than broken French. This seems like a very unwise rule...

[@etymology3]

Now imagine a French pilot flying to the UK and making a video titled "forced to speak English to land my plane"

[@alexterminator1371]

so true…

[@finnleithomczyk5292]

That’s different. English is the international accepted language for aviation, French is not.

[@PetesGuide]

The correct answer is similar to that famous reply to a German pilot who asked an American pilot who made a wrong turn on the ground if he had ever flown to Frankfurt before. “Yes, but it was nighttime and I didn’t land.” Actually, there’s a better one that’s told, but I think this one is funnier. In this case, the correct response is “Because we didn’t fly a white flag and start saluting Sieg Heil.”

[@davidm8097]

I had to take an exam to acquire my French radiotelephony privileges so I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t just be rocking up reading off a cheat sheet, not least because it’s highly probable that you won’t be able to understand anyone else in the circuit. Even with good French it can still be incredibly hard in a noisy cockpit to decipher what French natives are announcing on their radio. It’s hard enough in English sometimes. I would never usually criticise someone for trying but under these circumstances I think it's dangerous and irresponsible - your accent needs work to say the least. Imagine you were flying in to a British airfield and someone with rudimentary English was a potential collision risk...

[@endi5739]

Sorry to say it guies, it's NOT english words pronounced with a frenh accent, but the other way round, YOU are using french words in your language, remember England was a french colony once, since then your own language is NOT only germanic but also roman and somewhat french pronounced the wrong way ;-)