For ICAO compliance

John Kennedy

E n g l i s h

tEachEr’s book

contEnts

Unit titlE PagE

Introduction 4

1 Runwayincursion 8

2 Lost 18

3 Technology 28

4 Animals 38

5 Gravity 48

6 Health 58

7 Fire 68

8 Meteorology 78

9 Landings 88

10 Fuel 98

11 Pressure 108

12 Security 118

iii

introdUction

Thisbookhasbeenwrittentosupporttheteachingofthecoursebook,Aviation English.AirtrafficcontrollersandpilotswhoattendEnglishcourseshavethesamelanguageneedsasanyotherstudentswhowishtoimprovetheirEnglishforprofessionalpurposes.TheyarenotattendingEnglishcoursestolearnthetechnicalvocabularytheyneedfortheirjobs,butrathertoimprovetheirgeneralabilitytocommunicateonwork-relatedmattersinEnglish.

YoumayhavelimitedornoexperienceintheteachingofEnglishforcivilaviation.Ifso,thisTeacher’sBookhasbeenwrittentohelpyou.Therearecomprehensiveexplanationsfornon-specialistsoftheissuesandtheparticularsituationswhichairtrafficcontrollersandpilotshavetodealwith.Detailedteachingnotesarealsoprovidedforeachunit.TheTeacher’sBookthereforehasadualfunction.Toprovidebackgroundinformationandexplanationsonaviationcontextsandtoprovidesomesuggestionsastohowtoteachthematerialmosteffectively.

Language skills for pilots and controllers

Englishlanguagetrainingofpilotsandcontrollersfocusesalmostexclusivelyonimprovingtheirlisteningandspeakingskills.Effectiveverbalcommunicationisessentialtoensuringsafetyincivilaviation.Communicationsarevoiceonly,thatiscontrollersandpilotstalktoeachotheratadistance,throughradiotelephonycommunications.Theverbalmessageistheonlycommunicationtoolattheirdisposal(thoughbasicroutinemessagesaresometimesexchangedelectronically).

Acertaindegreeoffluencyisrequiredbecausecontrollershavetocommunicatewithseveralaircraftatthesametimeandtheycannotwaitforanunreasonablylongtimeforapilottopassamessage.Pilotsneedtoreceiveinformationandinstructionsingoodtimetoreactaccordingly.Theinteractionbetweenpilotsandcontrollersmustbeeffective,asbothpartiesneedtobeabletocheck,confirmandclarifywhenmisunderstandingsoccur.Controllersandpilotsrequiresufficientvocabularytobeabletocommunicateinboththeroutineandnon-routinesituationswhichmayoccurintheirjobs.Inaddition,controllersandpilotsneedtohaveagoodcommandofbasicgrammatical structuressothattheycancommunicateinformationinaformatwhichwillbeunderstoodbytheirinterlocutor.Andfinally,pronunciationneedstobesufficientlyclearandintelligibletotheinternationalaviationcommunity.

Thefivefeatureshighlightedabove(fluency,interaction,vocabulary,structureandpronunciation)arethecriteriawhichappearontheICAO(InternationalCivilAviationOrganization)languageproficiencyscale.Thesixthandfinalfeaturetobeassessedonthescale,whichisalsooffundamentalimportance,iscomprehension.Controllersandpilotsmustbeabletoclearlyunderstandtheirinterlocutorinroutineeverydaysituations,andwhereanunusualoranunexpectedsituationmightcauseconfusion,theymusthaveclarificationstrategiesavailable.

ThecommunicationskillsofbothcontrollersandpilotsareevaluatedaccordingtothisICAOscale,withsixdifferentdescriptorsforeachofthesixfeaturesmentionedabove.Thelevelsaredefinedasfollows:

Level6 ExpertLevel5 ExtendedLevel4 OperationalLevels1–3Non-operational

introdUctioniv

introdUction

Controllersandpilotslearntocommunicateinwhatistermedstandard phraseologyduringtheirbasictraining,andtheyputitintopracticeonadailybasis.Thisphraseologyissufficienttocommunicateatleast95%ofwhatpilotsandcontrollersneedtosay.Itconsistsofsimpleclearmessagesdesignedforroutinesituations.Thereisanabsenceofgrammar,prepositions,complexity,wordsthataredifficulttopronounce,wordswithambiguousmeanings,etc.Themanualonstandardphraseologycanbesimplymemorized.Throughrepetitiononadailybasis,controllersandpilotscanbecomehighlyproficientintheiruseofphraseology.TheycanuseandunderstandphraseologywithoutnecessarilybeingabletospeakorunderstandEnglish.

Theproblemisthatagoodknowledgeofphraseology,whichisappropriateforexchangingexpectedroutinemessages,isnotsufficienttodealwithanon-routinesituation.Anon-routinesituationmayalsobeanemergencysituation,orhavethepotentialtodevelopintoanemergencysituation.

Theonlywaythatpilotsandcontrollerscanbesuretobeabletocommunicateinanon-routinesituationisiftheybothhaveasufficientlevelofproficiencyinacommonlanguage.Fortheinternationalaviationcommunity,thislanguageisEnglish.Duetothisneedtocommunicateinunexpectedsituations,ICAOnowrequiresallcontrollersandpilotstodemonstrateaminimumoflevel4ontheirsix-pointlanguageproficiencyratingscale.Thedescriptorsoflevel4measuretheabilitytocommunicateinwhattheICAOtermsplain language,inordertomakeaclearcontrastwiththephraseologysuitableforroutinesituations.

Aviation Englishfocusesonplainlanguagethroughout.Abrieflookatthecontentspageandthetopicsincludedinthebookwillgiveyouanideaastowhattopicsyourstudentsneedtobeabletotalkabout.

Inmanyotherprofessions,studentshavetheopportunitytouseandindeeddeveloptheirEnglishatworkeveryday.Ifoneconsidersthatphraseologyis‘notreallyEnglish’,andthatneithercontrollersnorpilotsdealwithnon-routinesituationsregularly(norwouldwewantthemto),thenwecanseethatpilotsandcontrollersdonotcommunicateinplainEnglishonadailybasis.ThistogetherwiththepotentiallyseriousconsequencesofanymisunderstandingwhichmightoccurwhentheydoneedtouseplainEnglish,providetwoimportantjustificationsforEnglishlanguagetrainingforcontrollersandpilots.

ManycontrollersandpilotsneedtheopportunitytoimproveandpractisetheirEnglishinalanguageclassroom,guidedbyateacher,andtheyneedsuitablematerialstoaidthemindoingso.

The aviation English teacher

ThefirstandmostimportantpointtomakeisthatanaviationEnglishteachercannotandisnotexpectedtobeanexpertinaviation.Ofcourse,ithelpstohaveageneralknowledgeofhowairports,aircraftandairlinesoperate,aswellashavingsomeideaastowhatthejobsofairtrafficcontrollerandpilotinvolve.Assumingyouhaveflownbeforeasapassenger,thenyouwillalreadyhavesomeideasbeforemeetingyourstudents.

Studentswillwanttolearnaboutanddiscusssituationswhicharerelevanttotheirjobs,buttheyareunlikelytoaskyouanyquestionsofatechnicalnature.Theyknowwheretheycanfindtheanswersthemselvestosuchtechnicalquestions.Indeedyouwillprobablyfindthatyoucanaskyourstudentsquestionsabouttheirwork,abouttheproceduresfollowedandaboutwhythingsaredoneinaparticularway.They,asexpertsintheirownfield,willbeabletoprovideanswerswhichyou,asanexpertEnglishteacher,canhelpthemformulateinEnglish.Theymayderivesomesatisfactionfromthefactthattheyareteachingyoujustasyouareteachingthem.

PerhapsthemostimportantattributeyouneedtobecomeaneffectiveaviationEnglishteacherisanenthusiasmforandageneralinterestinaviation.This,coupledwithadesiretolearnmore,islikelytobeappreciatedbyyourstudents.

introdUction v

introdUction

Components of the Aviation English Teacher’s Book

Eachunitbeginswithatwo-pageintroductiontotheunittopic.Theintroductionhasbeenwrittenfortheteacherwhohaslittleornoknowledgeofcivilaviationandexplainskeytermswhichappearintheunit.ItisagoodideatoreadtheintroductionbeforeyoulookatthematerialtobetaughtintheStudent’sBook.TheintroductionalsofeaturesthesectionFor fun…whichpresentsajokerelevanttotheunittopicthatyoucouldsharewithyourstudents.

DetailedteachingnotesarethenprovidedfortheactivitiestobefoundintheStudent’sBook,aswellasanswerkeysandlisteningscripts.

Theteachingnotesincludesuggestedwarmers,extensionactivities,suggestionsastoalternativewaystosetupcertainactivitiesandsomegeneraladviceandteachingtips.

Attheendofeachunitthereisaone-pagephotocopiableactivitywhichyoucoulduseifyouhavesufficienttimeavailable.

Organization of the Aviation English Student’s Book

Section1ofeachunitintroducesthethemeoftheunit,usuallythroughareadingtextandaseparatepresentationofthebasicvocabularyneededtotalkaboutthetopic.Section2containsadetailedlisteningactivity.Aswellascomprehensionactivities,languagefunctionsandpronunciationskillsarealsotaught(notethatthesesometimesappearinSections1and3aswell).ThemainfocusofSection3isanon-routinesituation(orincident),inwhichstudentslistentothecommunicationbetweenpilot(s)andcontroller(s)tofindouthowthesituationdevelopsandhowitisfinallyresolved.Finally,Section4containsactivitieswhichpractisethelanguagefunctionsandthevocabularytaughtintheunit.Theseactivitiescanbesetashomework.

General advice for using the Aviation English Student’s Book

Letyourstudentsspeak!Thesubjectstobefoundinthebookwillarousetheirinterestandtherearefrequentopportunities,builtintothestructureofeachunit,forthemtoexpresstheirviewsonparticularissues,ortorole-playcertainsituations.Allowstudentstotakefulladvantageofsuchactivities.Speakingisoffundamentalimportanceforbothpilotsandcontrollers.

Makefulluseofallthelisteningcomprehensionactivities.Practisingandimprovingcomprehensionistheothermaingoalforyourstudents,andiftheirlisteningcomprehensiondevelops,improvedspeakingskillsusuallyfollow.

Supporttheeffortsofyourstudentstospeakbydrawingtheirattentiontothevocabularyandthelanguagefunctionscontainedineachunit.Bereadytosupplyyourstudentswithadditionallanguageasandwhentheyrequireit.

Actasaninterestedinterlocutorinclassdiscussions.Ifyoudon’tunderstandsomething,tellyourstudents,asthisgivesthemthechancetoexplaininEnglish.

Aviation English,whiledesignedtobetaughtinorderfromUnit1toUnit12,isquiteflexible.Itwillworkequallywellifyouleaveoutcertainunitsorchangetheorderinwhichyouapproachthem.Ifyouareusingthisbookforashortcourse,andyouknowthatitwon’tbepossibletocompleteallthematerial,youcouldaskstudentstochoosetheunitswhichlookmostinterestingtothem.

Don’tforgetthatalthoughyourstudentsallworkincivilaviation,theymayhaveverydifferentknowledge,experiencesandideastoshare.Bereadytoexploitthisintheclassroombyencouragingstudentstoshareexperiencesandtoexplaintechnicalmatterstoeachother.

introdUctionvi

introdUction

Recommended web sites

Thereareliterallythousandsofwebsitesprovidingusefulandinterestinginformationoncivilaviation.Thefollowingareasmallselectionwhichmightbeofinteresttoyoushouldyouwishtofurtherdevelopyourknowledgeofcivilaviation.

Youmightalsoconsiderrecommendingoneormoreofthesewebsitestoyourstudents,fortheirowngeneralinterest,andalsotoencouragethemtoreadandtolistentomoreaviationEnglishoutsidetheclassroom.

Studentsmayalreadybefamiliarwithsomeofthesesites,ortheymayhavetheirownfavourites,whichtheycanthenrecommendtoyouandtoeachother.

AsinanyotherEnglishlanguagecourse,themorethingsyouencourageyourstudentstodousingEnglishoutsidetheclassroom,thebetter!

www.liveatc.net/feedindex.php?type=all

LiveATC.net:Thisisanexcellentsiteifyouwishtolistentosomerealairtrafficcontrolfromdifferentlocationsaroundtheworld.Youcanchooseyourgeographicalareaatthetopofthepageandthelocationswhicharemarkedingreenareaccessible.Mostofwhatyoulistentointhiswayisentirelyroutine,butthesitealsocollectsparticularlyinterestingsegmentswhere‘somethinghappened’,thoughyouneedtojoinuptolistentothese.

www.pprune.com

The Professional Pilots Rumour Network:Thissiteisaninterestingexchangeofnewsandviews.Asitsnamesuggests,it’sasiteforpilots,butanyoneconcernedwithaviationwillfindmanyinterestingtopicsandstoriestoreadabout.

www.virtualskies.arc.nasa.gov

Virtual Skies:Thissiteisanexcellentresourcefortheteacherwhoisnewtotheworldofaviation.Itisaneducationalsite,setupbyNASAeducation,designedforschoolsandfeaturingmanyofthesubjectareasincludedinthiscoursebook.Technicalexplanationsarecleartofollowandinterestinginteractiveactivitiesareincluded.

www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/query.asp

NTSB Aviation Accident Database & Synopses:TheNTSB(NationalTransportationSafetyBoard)isthebodywhichinvestigatesallaviationaccidentsintheUS.TheyalsoinvestigateaccidentsabroadwhenaUSregisteredaircraftisinvolved,orwhentheirexpertiseiscalledupon.Youcanusetheirextensivedatabasetoresearchaparticularaccidentoratypeofaccident.Thereisalsoasectiondealingwithincidents.

www.faa.gov

FAA (Federal Aviation Administration):TheFAAisthecivilaviationauthorityoftheUS.Theirwebsiteisextremelycomprehensiveandcontainsinterestingandofficialinformationandstatisticsonawiderangeofsafetyissues,amongstotherthings.Thissiteisworthbrowsingorvisitingwhenyouhaveaparticularsubjecttoresearch.

www.pilotfriend.com

Pilot resources and aviation weather for general aviation:Thisheadingonthehomepageissomewhatmisleadingasthesitecontainsinformationonmanyissues.Amongstothers,it’sworthlookingattheflightsafetysection,theaviationhistorysectionandthesectiononaviationhumour.

www.atwonline.com

ATW (Air Transport World) Daily News:Thisisanexcellentsiteforkeepinguptodatewiththelatestaviationnews.Youmightwishtoregisterforfreedailynewsupdatestoyouremailaddress.Youcanadviseyourstudentstodolikewise.

www.aopa.org/pilot/never_again

AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) Online:Thisisanotherverycomprehensivewebsiteandthetitlereflectsitscontent.Youmaywishtobrowsethissitetoseewhatcouldinterestyouoryourstudents.Theaddressabovewilltakeyoudirectlytoanextensiveseriesofpilotstories,eachentitled‘Neveragain’.Thesestoriesareallaboutanerrorofjudgementonthepartofaprivatepilot,whichcouldhavebeenfatalandthepilotsexplainwhattheylearnedfromtheseexperiences.

introdUction vii

rUnWaY incUrsion�

Unit 1: rUnWaY incUrsion

sUbjEct backgroUnd:

airPorts and rUnWaYs

Introduction

Thefirstairportsweresimplygrassfields(airfields)butasaircraftbecameheavier,pavedrunwaysweredeveloped.Thisalsomeantthatairplanescouldlandandtakeoffinallweatherconditions.Overtheyearsairportshavebecomebiggerandbusierwithelaborateterminal buildingstoimprovepassengercomfortandofferretailservices.Theworld’sbiggestairportisnowconsideredtobeAtlanta,withHeathrowairportgenerallyrecognizedastheworld’sbiggestinternationalairport,thoughitfacesseriouscompetitionfromCharlesdeGaulle(Paris),FrankfurtandSchipol(Amsterdam).Noteveryoneagreesonthe‘biggest’though,asanairport’ssizecanbemeasuredintermsofthenumberofmovements(landingsandtakeoffs)thatoccurinayear,thenumberofpassengersthatpassthrough,thenumberofrunwaysavailableoreventhesurfaceareaoccupied.TheairportfeaturedinSection2oftheunit,JFK(NewYork),isanotheroftheworld’sbiggestandmostfamous.

Airportsaresometimesreferredtoasaerodromes,thoughthistermisconsideredold-fashionedandoftenimpliesasmallairport.Thetermairstripisusedwhennotmuchmorethanasmallbasicrunwayisprovided(oftenusedbythemilitary).

Whentalkingaboutairports,‘big’isnotalwaysbeautiful.Inrecentyearstherehasbeenconsiderablecontroversyconcerningtheenvironmentalimpactofincreasingtrafficatlargeairports(seeUnit10).Noisepollutionisaparticularlycontroversialissue,andexpandingexistingairportsorbuildingnewonesisbecomingincreasinglydifficultinmanypartsoftheworld.

Organization

Airportsaredividedintolandsideandairsideareas.

Airsideareasarewheretheairplanescanbefound.Theseincluderunwaysandtaxiways,aswellasstands,whereaircraftareparkedforprovidingdirectaccesstotheterminalbuildingthroughanair bridgeorjetway.Theairsideareaalsoincludestheapron,whereseveralaircraftmayparkatadistancefromtheterminalbuilding(busesthentakepassengerstoandfromtheaircraft).

Accesstoallairsideareasissubjecttotightsecuritycontrols.Landsideareas,ontheotherhand,whichincludeshops,restaurants,carparksandcheck-inareas,aremoreaccessibletothegeneralpublic.

Air Traffic Control(ATC)isusuallyprovidedfromacontroltowersituatedon-site.AtmajorairportsATCisseparatedintoground control(responsibleforaircraftandallothervehiclesusingtheapronandtaxiways)andtower control(responsibleforaircraftlandingandtakingoffontherunways).Approach controlhandlesaircraftwhichhavejusttakenofforareabouttoland.En-routetrafficiscontrolledatanareacontrolcentre,whichcanbesituatedanywhere,astheaircraftareonlyvisibleonacontroller’sradarscreen.

Runways

Smallairportsmayhaveonlyonerunwaybutmostmajorairportshaveseveral.Whenanewairportisbuiltoranexistingoneexpanded,runway layoutisofprimaryconcern.Runwaysneedtobelaidouttomakeoptimumuseoftheprevailingwindsbecauseaircraftneedtotakeoffandlanddirectlyintothewindifpossible.Crosswindscanbeadangeroushazard.Assumingthattheairportwillbebusy,thelayoutshouldalsobeefficient,ideallyallowingrunwaystobeusedsimultaneously.Afurtherimportantconsiderationisthewayinwhichlocalresidentcommunitieswillbedisturbedbynoise.AttheendofSection2intheunit,studentsaregiventheopportunitytodesigntheirownairportlayout.

Thethreemainrunwayconfigurationsareparallelrunways,open-Vrunways(theydivergebutdonotintersect,whenviewedoverheadtheshapeisa‘V’),andintersectingrunways.Thelattertwotypesarerelevantinlocationswherethedirectionoftheprevailingwindchanges.

Runwaysarelabelleddependingontheirdirectionrelativetothemagneticcompass(tothenearest10°,withthezeroleftoff).Thisnumberisclearlyindicatedattheendofeachrunway.Ifarunwayislabelled09atitsstartingpoint(runway threshold)becauseitrunsdueeast(90°),thenitwillbelabelled27attheotherendwhichistherunwaythresholdshouldthepilotneedtolandinawesterlydirection(270°).Inthisway,whenawindreversesdirection,landingsandtakeoffsfollowsuit.Allrunwaysarethusdesignatedbytwonumbersthedifferencebetweenwhichis18.Forexample,onrunway13-31pilotscaneitherlandortakeoffwithaheadingof130°or310°.

Atinternationalairportsallrunwaysmusthaveground markingsandstandardized lightingaccordingtoagreedinternationalstandards.Thethresholdanddirectionofarunwayshouldbeclearlymarkedaswellasthetouchdown zoneanddistance markersatvariouspoints

rUnWaY incUrsion �

for fun

toshowapilothowmuchrunwayisleft.Thecentrelineshouldalsobeclearlyvisibleaswellastherunway exitsleadingtotaxiways.Standardizedlightingisasfollows:

• Greenthreshold lightsmarkthebeginningofarunway.• Redlightsmarktheendofarunway.• Whiteoryellowlightsmarktheedgesofarunway.• Bluelightsindicatetaxiways.

Runway incursions

Peopleoftenthinkthatyouaresafeonceyouhavelandedontherunwayandthepilothasslowedtheaircraftdown.Infactmostaccidentshappenonthegroundandnotintheair.Theworld’sworstevercivilaviationdisaster(disregardingterroristattacks)wastheaccidentatTenerifeairportin1977whentwoBoeing747scollidedonarunwaykilling583people.Astrafficincreasesatmajorairports,sodotherisksofcollisionsontheground.

Arunway incursionistheunauthorizedentryontoarunwaybyanaircraft,avehicle,apersonoranobject.Insuchsituationsthereisaseriousdangertoanyairplanewhichmaybetakingofforlanding.AclearillustrationofthisistheincidentinSection3oftheunit.Arunwayincursionmightbecausedbyanoperationalerroronthepartofanairtrafficcontroller,apilotdeviatingfromissuedinstructionsorbythedriverofanairportvehicle.

Miscommunicationcanbethecauseorakeycontributingfactorinarunwayincursion,asseeninthereadingtextinSection1.Problemswiththelightingormarkingsofrunwaysortaxiways,orjustageneraldisorientationorfailuretoseeasituationcorrectlyareotherpotentialfactors.

Whenarunwayincursionoccurs,thereisoftenmorethanonefactoratwork.In2001atMilan’sLinateairport,anMD-87collidedinfogontherunwaywithaCessnacorporatejetkilling118people.Thepilotsofthecorporatejetwereunfamiliarwiththeairportandwronglyfollowedtheinstructionstheyweregiven,theairtrafficcontrollersondutyfailedtopickupclearsignsthattheywereonthewrongcourseandthoughtherewasaground radar warning systemavailableatthisfrequentlyfogboundairport(whichwouldhavealertedallsidestotheproblem)ithadnotyetbeeninstalled(ithasnow).

When a pilot gets nervous ...

Beech Baron:Uh,ATC,verifyyouwantmetotaxiinfrontofthe747.

ATC:Yeah,it’sOK.He’snothungry.

A Beech Baron is a small aircraft, usually with four seats, a 747 was, until very recently, the largest passenger aircraft. The initial instruction from air traffic control was quite normal. Taxiing behind a 747 could be very dangerous due to the jet blast from its engines.

rUnWaY incUrsion10

1 Asairtrafficincreasesandairportsbecomemorecongested,groundoperationsatinternationalairportsarebecomingmorecomplexandthisisanincreasingareaofdifficultyforpilotsandairtrafficcontrollers(thoughthelatterareatleastfamiliarwiththeirairport).Aswellastryingtotaxiaroundanunfamiliarairport,apilotmayalsohavesomedifficultiescommunicatingwiththelocalcontrollers.

Studentsshouldhavesomeinterestingideastoshareonthetwodiscussionquestions.But,withregardtoQuestion2,theywillprobablyalsopointoutthatmiscommunicationcanbeanissuebetweennativespeakersofthesamelanguage.Iftheydon’tmentionthis,youmightliketopromptthemtodoso.

2 Notetheexampleofthemaintenancetruckatthebeginningofthearticle.StandardICAO(InternationalCivilAviationOrganization)phraseologyisnowpass your messageratherthango ahead,toeliminatethepossibilityofsuchadangerousmisunderstanding.

3 Askstudentstocheckanswersinpairs.

1 misunderstood2 misheard3 boththepilotandthecontroller4 donotinvolve5 verycomplicated6 simpleEnglish

4 (Suggestedanswers)

1 Speakclearly/usestandardICAOphraseologyatalltimes/bereadytorephraseifapilothasn’tunderstood

2 Situation1:thecontrollershouldhavesaidpass your message;Situation2:couldbeavoidedwithamorecompletemessagesuchashold short of runway 26;Situation3:couldbesolvedbyreplacingthepronounsheandwewiththecallsignoftheaircraftconcerned.

Vocabulary – Communication1 make2 receive3 give4 readback5 realize6 repeat7 confuse8 give

section one - avoiding miscommunication

Thissectiondealswiththeimportantareaofmiscommunicationbetweenpilotsandcontrollers.Itintroduceskeyvocabularywhichrelatestotheroutinemessagesexchangedbetweenpilotsandcontrollersforaircraftmanoeuvringontheground.ItteachesthelanguagefunctionofaskingforinformationandprovidesstudentswithanopportunitytotalkabouttheimportanceofEnglishintheirprofessionallives.

Unit 1

rUnWaYincUrsion

rUnWaY incUrsion 11

Functional English – Asking for information

1 Beforestudentsbeginthisactivity,youcouldreviewhowquestionsareformedinthefollowingtenses:

Presentsimple:(do / does)+subject+verb,e.g.Do you fly?Presentcontinuous:(am / is / are)+subject+verb(-ingform),e.g.Are you flying?Pastsimple:did+subject+verb,e.g.Did you fly?Presentperfectsimple:(has / have)+subject+verb(pastparticiple),e.g.Have you flown?Presentperfectcontinuous:(has / have)+subject+been+verb(-ingform),e.g.Have you been flying?Future:will+subject+verb,e.g.Will you fly?

Youcouldalsoreviewformingquestionswithquestionwords,e.g.how, what, when, how much / often / long.

Makesurethestudentsknowthatsomeverbswillbeusedtwice.ForQuestion3,willratherthandocanbeusedifstudentswanttotalkaboutfutureintentions.

1 did 2 have 3 do/will 4 have 5 do 6 do 7 does 8 are 9 will 10 must

2 Thisisaninterestingintroductoryactivityatthebeginningofthecourse,particularlyifthestudentsdon’tknoweachotherwell.Eveniftheydo,it’sarelaxedwayofdiscussingsomeimportantissues.Iftimeallows,studentscouldchangepartnersseveraltimes,conductingseveralinterviews.Forfeedback,youcanchooseparticularstudentsandasktheirpeerstotellyouoneortwointerestingthingsaboutthem.

Speaking – English in aviation(Suggestedanswers)

1 Probablydisagree:mostFrenchairportshaveinternationalflights.Eveninanairportwithnoscheduledinternationalflights,anaircraftmayneedtodivertinanemergency,andclearcommunicationsinEnglishwillbevital.SomearguethatthereshouldbeapolicywherebyFrenchcontrollersspeakEnglishtotheFrenchpilotssothatforeignpilotsinthevicinitycanunderstand.

2 Possiblyagree:Americansaresometimescriticizedfornotmakingenoughefforttoadjusttheirrateofspeech,tousestandardizedexpressionsortomoderatetheirregionalaccentsinordertobeeasilyunderstoodbytheinternationalaviationcommunity.

3 Probablydisagree:underICAOregulationsonlyapilotwhonevercrossesinternationalbordersispermittedtoflywithoutEnglishlanguagecertification.

4 Probablydisagree:R/Tphraseologyisonlysufficientinroutinesituations.

5 Probablyagree:level4,toberetestedafterthreeyears,istheminimumrequiredlevel.Foryoungercontrollersandpilots,level5,toberetestedaftersixyears,orevenlevel6,certificationforlife,mightbedesirableandrealisticaims.

rUnWaY incUrsion12

section two - airport layout

ThissectiondealswiththedifficultiesforpilotsintaxiingaroundJFKInternationalAirportinNewYork,withadescriptionofsomeparticularareasoftheairportwhichcauseproblems.Thestudentslistentoacontrollertalkingabouttheseproblemareas.Thesectionalsointroducesprepositions.

1 BeforeopeningtheStudent’sBook,askstudentsabouttheworld’sbusiestairportsandwhethertheyhaveeverflownintothem(ifyouareteachingpilots),oriftheyhavepassedthroughaspassengers.YoumightthenaskthemaboutanyexperiencesorknowledgetheymayhaveoftheJFKAirport(e.g.How many runways are there? How busy is it?).Thenaskthemtoopentheirbooksandexplainthetask.

Aswellasprovidingpracticeindescribingpositionsanduseofprepositions,thisactivityfamiliarizesstudentswiththeairportdiagraminpreparationforthelisteningcomprehensiontask.

2 01, 02, 03 Askstudentswhathotspotsmean.Inthiscontext,hotspotsareareasofanairportwherethereisariskofpilotsbecomingconfusedwhentaxiingandadangerthattheywilltakeawrongturning.Havestudentslookatthefivepossiblehotspotsbeforelistening.

1 D 2 E 3 C

Unit 1

OurfirsthotspotistaxiwayEasweapproachfromtaxiwayCenroutetorunway22R.Thesignageisconfusing,andablastfenceblockstheviewoftheendoftherunway.Aircrafttaxiingto22RviaC,oftenturntoosoonandendupontaxiwayE.Thiscanmeanaverylongtaxibehind22R.

01 Listening script

AsecondproblemareaistaxiwayZcrossingrunway13R/31L.Arightturnisrequiredwhencrossing13RtotaxiwayZontheoppositeside.Therearetwotaxilinesleadingacross.Ifyoufollowthewrongone,youcouldendupwithaconflictwitharrivaltrafficonrunway13R.Inthissituation,adviseATCimmediatelyandgetofftherunwayasquicklyaspossible.

02 Listening script

AthirdareaofconcernisusingJuliettotransitionfromAtoBsouth-eastbound.AircraftoutboundfromKandKKmaysometimesbeissuedtheinstruction‘TaxileftA.AtJ,transitiontoB.’It’sveryimportantnottomisstheturnontoB,becauseJleadsacrossrunway22R.

03 Listening script

3 01, 02, 03 Studentsmayneedtolistenathirdtimeiftheyarehavingdifficulty,oryoucouldchoosetoreferthemtothelisteningscript.

1 C 2 D 3 E 4 D 5 E

4 Fortraineeswhodonothavemuchfirst-handexperience,thisactivitycouldbesetasahomeworktask.Theycouldspeaktotheirinstructorsormoreexperiencedcolleaguesandreportbackonwhattheysaidtotheclass.Controllerswhoworkinen-routecentresratherthanairportsmayneedtodothesamething.

rUnWaY incUrsion 13

Pronunciation – The ICAO alphabet

1 04 Ifstudentsareunfamiliarwiththeconceptofwordstressinpronunciation,youcoulddemonstratewherethestressliesonQuebec(secondsyllable).

Youcouldeitheraskstudentstolistentotheotherlettersandcompletethetableortopredictwherethestressliesbeforelistening.

Vocabulary – PrepositionsStudentscouldreferbacktotheoriginalairportdiagramforafullerpicture.Youmightneedtoexplainthattaxi towardsmeansin the direction ofwhereastaxi toisaninstructionto go to that point.Notethatrunway holding position markingsreferstoplaceswhereanaircraftmuststopbeforereceivingpermissionfromthetowertocrossarunway.Anactive runwayisarunwaywhichisinuseatthattimeforlandingsortake-offsorboth.

1 on 2 from 3 to 4 via 5 along 6 across 7 onto 8 into 9 At10 aheadon11 towards

Speaking – Sketching out an airport

1 / 2 Thisactivityprovidesstudentswithfreepractice.With1,100movementsperday,thiswillbeaverybusyairport.IFR/VFRimpliesthatlightaircraft(VFRtraffic)aswellaspassengerjets(IFRtraffic)willbeusingtheairport.SeetheintroductorynotestoUnit2forafullexplanation.

Studentsmayaskadditionalquestions,e.g.How much land is available? How many runways are planned? What are the environmental constraints?Suggestthattheyshouldtrytobeascosteffective,spaceefficientandenvironmentallyfriendlyaspossible.

Youcoulddothisactivityingroupsratherthaninpairsifyouthinksomeofyourstudentsmaystrugglewithit.Alternatively,studentswhoarestillhavingproblemscoulddescribeanexistingairporttheyknowwell.Preparationcouldalsobesetasahomeworkactivity.

Allocateeachpairorsmallgroupsometimetopresenttheirplanstotheclass.Theirpresentationshouldpromptfurtherquestionsandprovideusefulcommunicativepractice.

oO Oo Ooo oOo

H Z,A R,J N,S

QuebecRomeoZuluNovemberHotelJulietSierraAlpha

04 Listening script

2/3 04 StudentspractisesayingtheICAOalphabet.Notethattheseletterswerechosentobeperfectlycomprehensibleevenwithaneutralstresspattern,whichisthewaytheyareoftenpronouncedinpractice.

4 Thisactivityprovidesfurtherpracticeofalltheletters.Encouragestudentstomaintainthecorrectstresspatternsduringthisactivity.

rUnWaY incUrsion14

section three - ground operations

Thissectiondealswithanincidentrelatingtoadangerousrunwayincursionbyapilotwhowasconfusedanddidnotcorrectlyfollowhistaxiinginstructions.Aswellasfurthercomprehensionpractice,theactivitiespresentandpracticethevocabularyandlanguagefunctionfordescribingactionsandposition.

1 Runwayincursionsareoneofthekeysafetyissuesatmanyairports.Arisingincidenceofrunwayincursionsalertsexpertstotheriskofaseriousaccident.Studentsarelikelytobeawareoftheseriousnessoftheproblem.Nevertheless,someoftheirstoriesmaybehumorous,involving,forexample,theappearanceofunusualanimals.

1 Anincidentwhereanaircraft,apersonoravehiclemistakenlygoesontoarunwaythathasbeenassignedforthelandingortake-offofanaircraft.

2 (Suggestedanswers):miscommunication,animals,pilot/controllererror,constructionwork,unauthorizedpersonnel,lackofvisibility.

3 (Suggestedanswers):improvecommunicationasinrecommendationsfromSection1,improvesecurityandmaintainperimeterfencestopreventunauthorizedpersonneloranimalsfromentering.

2 05 Tellthestudentsthatthislisteningisanexampleofcommunicationproblemsduringarunwayincursion.

Youcouldaskstudentstoreadthesummaryandpredictorspeculateonthelikelyanswers.Atthesametimetheyshouldaskyouaboutanyvocabularyintheparagraphwhichisunclear.Askthemiftheythinkthatrunwayincursionsaremorelikelytooccurinmarginalweatherconditions.Althoughit’seasiertotakeawrongturninginconditionsoflowvisibility,ingoodweatherconditionstheremightbeatendencytobecomecomplacent.

marginal,inbound,active,takesoff,stop,clears

Unit 1

C = Controller, P = PilotC MC798,sayyourposition.P We’reclearoftherunwayon…er…NbyB,MC798.C MC798,thankyou.TaxitotherampviataxiwaysNandT.Reportcrossingrunway16.P Roger.N,Tandreportcrossing16,MC798. MC798isonNbytherunwayshere…er

…wecan’tseemuchbecauseit’ssofoggy.AreweclearedtocrossstraightaheadonN?C MC798,crossrunway16.JointaxiwayNTontheoppositeside.P NTontheoppositeside.We’reapproachingKilohere…oh…There’ssomebodytaking

off!C MC798,youshouldn’tbenearK.Holdyourposition!P Tower,thisisMC798.Weareonarunway.I’mcurrentlylookingtotherightatK.Weare

on23Rattheintersectionof16.WedidnotconnectonN.WearebyK.Kistoourright.We’reonanactiverunway.MC798.

C MC798,23Risnotanactiverunway.P Er…I’msorry.Ma’am.We’reon23Land16andIamfacingK.I’mlookingoutthe

windowandIcanseeasignthatsays‘23L’tomyrightandthereisasignsaying‘16’tomyleftandayellowsignsaying‘K’tomyrightandanothersigntomyleft.

C MC798.Justgostraightahead.Tellmewhenyougettothenextsignplease.P OK,we’reon23L.WeareapproachingKnow.TWR MC798.Roger.TurnrightatKandmakeaslightleftturnontotaxiwayC.Holdshortof

runway23R.P We’reonKandwe’reclearoftherunway.We’reapproachingConK.

05 Listening script

rUnWaY incUrsion 15

3 05 Aftertheycorrectlymarkwhathappenedonthediagram,youcouldaskhowthisincidentcouldhavebeenavoided.Studentsmaychoosetocriticizethecontroller,thepilotorboth.Inthisparticularlisteningitseemsthatlightingandrunwaymarkingswerenotuptotherequiredstandard,sostudentsmayalsotalkabouttheresponsibilityoftheairportauthorities.Iftheyseemparticularlyinterestedinthedeficienciesincommunication,youmightdirectthemtothelisteningscriptforfurtheranalysisanddiscussion.

Vocabulary – Verbs describing actions and positionNotethatpush backisthefirstmovementanaircraftusuallymakesafterstartingengines.Wecansaycolloquiallythattheaircraftorpilotpushesbackorthattheaircraftispushedback(byatugortruck).Thelatterismoretechnicallycorrectasthisiswhatactuallyhappens(mostaircraftcannotreverseundertheirownpower).

Roll for take offmeansthattheaircraftisacceleratingdowntherunwaytogenerateenoughspeedtotakeoffsafely.

AirlineTerminalRamp

23L23R16

34

05R

05L

T

N N

B

N

4

3

2

1

C K

K

Pronunciation – Numbers

1 06 Ifyouareteachingcontrollers,askthemiftheyhaveanycallsignconfusionstoriestotell.Thengetthestudentstocompletetheactivity.

2 AQ6293 correct4 LN5885 HY55716 JM422

1 FR3962 AQ6293 CZ3104 LN5885 HY55716 JM422

06 Listening script

no movement slow fast

wait approach rollfortake-offqueue turn touchdownface pushback head taxi

exit

Functional English – Describing actions and positionBeforestudentsbeginthisactivity,reviewtheformationandusesofthepresentcontinuoustense:

Form:(am / is / are)+-ingformoftheverb

Usage:theprincipalandmostimportantuseinpilot–controllerdialoguesistotalkaboutsomethingwhichishappeningatthemomentofspeaking

Itwouldbeagoodideaalsotocontrasttheusageofthepresentcontinuousandthepresentsimpletense.Askstudentsiftheirlanguagecontainsasimilarcontrastintheuseofpresenttenses(manylanguagesdon’t).

3 ’sexiting 4 Thereare,heading 5 isfacing,’swaiting 6 isrolling 7 istaxiing 8 thereare,waiting 9 aremoving10 arestanding11 ispushingback12 isapproaching

Speaking

1 Thisactivityroundsofftheunitandallowsstudentstheopportunitytopractisewhattheyhavelearnedinthissection.

2 ForQuestion1studentsmightmentionpoorgroundmarkingandlighting,obstructiontoviews,e.g.buildingsandincreasedtraffic.

2 Thisactivityprovidesadditionalpracticewithcallsigns.Studentsmaybekeentopracticefurtherwiththeirpartner,dictatingcallsignsoftheirownchoosing.

Unit 1

rUnWaY incUrsion16

section four - language development

Functional English – Question forms

1 1 Whendidyoustartyourcareerinaviation?2 Whataspectofyourjobdoyouenjoymost/mostenjoy?3 Whichairportshaveyouworkedat?4 Howmanyhoursaweekdoyouusuallyworkon

average?5 Whendidyoulastexperienceacommunication

probleminEnglish?6 Howoftendoyouhavetoattendtrainingcourses?7 Howmuchlanguagetrainingwillyouhavethisyear?8 Howlongdidyoutraintodoyourjob?

2 Students’ownanswers.

Describing actions and position

3 1 istaxiingtowards2 isexiting3 Thereis,takingoff4 Thereare,standing5 isexiting6 istaxiinginto7 arequeuing8 isapproaching9 istaxiingalong

4 1 landedon2 taxifrom3 taxiedalong4 continuedstraightahead5 wentacross6 taxiinginto7 carriedontowards8 camenose-to-nose

Vocabulary – Communication

1 1 readback/repeated,misunderstood2 keep3 wait4 misunderstand5 issued6 responding,include7 mispronounces8 gives,repeat

Parts of an airport

2 1 hotspot2 taxiway3 arrow4 blastfence5 signage6 pavementmarkings7 intersection8 terminal

PhotocoPiablE activitY

Thistextisatrueaccountofanincidentwhereabaggagehandlerwastrappedinthecargohold,butwasrescuedbeforeatransatlanticflighttookoff.Acomprehensionactivityfollowsthetextandthenadiscussionactivity.

1 Onesentencehasbeenremovedfromeachofthefourparagraphs.Studentshavetocorrectlyinsertthesesentences.

Key

Paragraphs1,2,3:penultimatesentenceParagraph4:secondsentence

2 1 Thelastparagraphisdeliberatelyvague.Thetwobaggagehandlerswhowerenotrescuedintimesurvived.Allowstudentstodiscussthequestionsfullybeforetellingthemthis.

2 Itispossibletosurviveasthecargohold,whichoftencarriespets,ispressurized.

3 (Suggestedanswers):shock,exposuretocold

4Suchincidentsarerarebuttheyshouldnothappenatall.Letthestudentsexplaintheirideastotheclassforasystemthatensuresthisisthecase.

Unit 1

PhotocoPiablE activitY

17

1 Readthetext.Onesentenceismissingineachoftheparagraphs.Markthepositionwhereitshouldbeinserted.

Baggage handler saved by his mobile phoneIn December 2005, a 55-year-old baggage handler was trapped in the hold of an Airbus A330 at Dublin airport. The aircraft, with 325 passengers on board, had pushed back and begun taxiing towards the runway. The aircraft was bound for Los Angeles. Luckily the baggage handler was able to use his mobile phone to call his company representative who then alerted the air traffic controllers. The cargo hold door was opened and the baggage handler released.

The incident occurred because the baggage handler, who was the leader of the team loading baggage for that flight, had entered the hold at the last minute to move some baggage. Not realizing that he was still inside, one of his colleagues shut the cargo hold door and gave the ‘thumbs up’ signal that the flight was ready to depart. The aircraft was cleared to push back and commence taxiing. It was only when the engines powered up

that the baggage handler realized he was trapped.

The baggage handler was not injured though he was in a state of shock. It was thanks to the fact that he was carrying his mobile phone that he was able to raise the alarm and save himself from the traumatic ordeal of a transatlantic flight. In it, they recommended that procedures relating to last-minute adjustments or removals of items from the hold be tightened up.

While this incident was unusual, it was not the first time that it has happened. In March 2005, a trapped baggage handler flew for almost two hours from Chicago to Philadelphia in the cargo hold. In 2001, another trapped baggage handler flew all the way from Dallas to Puerto Vallarta, a three-hour flight. In both cases the men tried to escape before take-off by banging on the cargo door. They were not as fortunate as the man involved in the incident at Dublin airport.

Paragraph1:Theyimmediatelyinformedthepilotswhoreturnedtothestand.Paragraph2:Duringpushbackthelightsinthecargoholdremainedon.Paragraph3:ThefinalreportonthisincidentwasissuedbyinvestigatorsinApril2007.Paragraph4:Insomecasestheproblemhasnotbeendiscovereduntilaplanehaslanded.

2 Workinpairs.Discussthefollowingquestions.

1 Doyouthinkthetwobaggagehandlersmentionedinthelastparagraphsurvivedtheirflights?2 WouldtheDublinairportbaggagehandlerhavebeenabletosurviveiftheaircrafthadtakenoff?3 Ifabaggagehandlercansurvive,whatmighttheperson’sphysicalconditionbeonarrival?4 Howcansuchincidentsbeprevented?

Unit 1

PhotocoPiablE activitY

aviation English tEachEr’s book©MacmillanPublishersLimited2008