Pilots may only fly in a country if they have entered the relevant language proficiency in their licence and this is also valid. The entry in the licence must therefore include the language, the language level ("Proficiency") and the validity date. UL and glider pilots do not necessarily have to demonstrate language proficiency. However, they are then restricted to flying in Germany.
Overview
The ICAO defines six language levels. At least level 4 ("Operational") must be achieved in order to obtain a pilot's licence. For this, the applicant must prove that he is able to speak the respective language
- Communicate effectively via radio and face-to-face
- Being able to speak accurately and clearly about everyday and professional topics
- Use communication strategies to exchange information and resolve misunderstandings
- Being able to deal with complicated or unfamiliar issues
- Speak in an understandable dialect
At the end of the article you will find a table from the Part-FCL. This provides an overview of the different levels and their respective requirements.
A "Level 4 ICAO Language Proficiency" must be renewed every 4 years. Level 5 ("extended") is valid for 6 years. The highest Level 6 ("Expert") is valid for life and does not need to be renewed.
For which languages do you have to prove this language proficiency? If you only want to fly according to visual flight rules and only in Germany, then proof of language proficiency in German is sufficient (see also the article on radio certificates). However, if you want to fly outside Germany, or for the instrument rating or training as a commercial pilot, proof of language proficiency in English is required.
Examination procedure
The examination basically consists of three parts
- Listening: With subsequent verification of understanding
- Speaking: Checking pronunciation, fluency, structure and vocabulary
- Interaction: Testing of communicative interaction skills
How exactly these three aspects are checked and whether this is done separately or in combination is up to the testing institute or the auditor. The following guidelines apply as a framework:
- It must be checked whether both radio phraseology and "normal" communication are mastered
- The review must include "voice only" elements (as is the case in real life with sparking), as well as "face-to-face" situations
- It should also deal with pilot-specific topics
- It is about listening, understanding and speaking skills in the respective language. It is explicitly not about reading, writing or grammar
- Language skills should be assessed on the basis of pronunciation, structure, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and interaction
The examiner must be specially trained and certified for this and must have the language skills, but should also come from the world of flying and have the relevant experience.
Sometimes flight schools have certified language examiners so that the exam can be taken as part of the training.
Finally, the examiner issues a certificate stating the language level achieved. This certificate must be submitted to the authorities so that the corresponding entry can be made in the licence.
The following applies: As a German native speaker, level 6 is automatically entered in the licence for German. All you need to do is submit a declaration (for Germany, for example, this can be done here: https://www.lba.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Formulare/L4/Lizenzierung/Erklaerung_zu_Sprachkenntnissen_Deutsch.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=6) For English, however, if you are not a native speaker, you must take the relevant ICAO language test with a certified examiner.
Recognised bodies for language examinations
Language examinations can now also be conducted online. This has been published in the "Guidelines for the authorisation of online examination procedures".
We have a mapped summary of the language testers here put together for you.
Summary
The ICAO Language Proficiency describes the necessary language skills of a pilot. If you want to fly in Germany under more than just visual flight rules, you need a certificate of English language proficiency. At least level 4 language proficiency must be certified, which must be renewed every 4 years.
As a pilot, a valid entry of language skills must be included in the licence.
Table 1 - Level of Language Proficiency (from the EASA Part-FCL)
| Level | PRONUNCIATION Assumes a dialect or accent intelligible to the aeronautical community | STRUCTURE Relevant grammatical structures and sentence patterns are determined by language functions appropriate to the task | VOCABULARY | FLUENCY | COMPREHENSION | INTERACTIONS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert (Level 6) | Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation, though possibly influenced by the first language or regional variation, almost never interfere with ease of understanding. | Both basic and complex grammatical structures and sentence patterns are consistently well controlled. | Vocabulary range and accuracy are sufficient to communicate effectively on a wide variety of familiar and unfamiliar topics. Vocabulary is idiomatic, nuanced and sensitive to register. | Able to speak at length with a natural, effortless flow. Varies speech flow for stylistic effect, for example to emphasise a point. Uses appropriate discourse markers and connectors spontaneously. | Comprehension is consistently accurate in nearly all contexts and includes comprehension of linguistic and cultural subtleties. | Interacts with ease in nearly all situations. Is sensitive to verbal and non-verbal cues, and responds to them appropriately. |
| Extended (Level 5) | Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation, though influenced by the first language or regional variation, rarely interfere with ease of understanding. | Basic grammatical structures and sentence patterns are consistently well controlled. Complex structures are attempted but with errors which sometimes interfere with meaning. | Vocabulary range and accuracy are sufficient to communicate effectively on common, concrete, and work-related topics. Paraphrases consistently and successfully. Vocabulary is sometimes idiomatic. | Able to speak at length with relative ease on familiar topics, but may not vary speech flow as a stylistic device. Can make use of Appropriate discourse markers or connectors. | Comprehension is accurate on common, concrete, and work-related topics and mostly accurate when the speaker is confronted with a linguistic or situational complication or an unexpected turn of events. Is able to comprehend a range of speech varieties (dialect or accent) or registers. | Responses are immediate, appropriate, and informative. Manages the speaker or listener relationship effectively. |
| Operational (Level 4) | Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation are influenced by the first language or regional variation but only sometimes interfere with ease of understanding. | Basic grammatical structures and sentence patterns are used creatively and are usually well controlled. Errors may occur, particularly in unusual or unexpected circumstances, but rarely interfere with meaning. | Vocabulary range and accuracy are usually sufficient to communicate effectively on common, concrete, and work-related topics. Can often paraphrase successfully when lacking vocabulary particularly in unusual or unexpected circumstances. | Produces stretches of language at an appropriate tempo. There may be occasional loss of fluency on transition from rehearsed or formulaic speech to spontaneous interaction, but this does not prevent effective communication. Can make limited use of discourse markers and connectors. Fillers are not distracting. | Comprehension is mostly accurate on common, concrete, and work-related topics when the accent or variety used is sufficiently intelligible for an international community of users. When the speaker is confronted with a linguistic or situational complication or an unexpected turn of events, comprehension may be slower or require clarification strategies. | Responses are usually immediate, appropriate, and informative. Initiates and maintains exchanges even when dealing with an unexpected turn of events. Deals adequately with apparent misunderstandings by checking, confirming, or clarifying. |
| Pre- Operational (Level 3) | Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation are influenced by the first language or regional variation and frequently interfere with ease of understanding. | Basic grammatical structures and sentence patterns associated with predictable situations are not always well controlled. Errors frequently interfere with meaning. | Vocabulary range and accuracy are often sufficient to communicate effectively on common, concrete, and work-related topics but range is limited and the word choice often inappropriate. Is often unable to paraphrase successfully when lacking vocabulary. | Produces stretches of language, but phrasing and pausing are often inappropriate. Hesitations or slowness in language processing may prevent effective communication. Fillers are sometimes distracting. | Comprehension is often accurate on common, concrete, and work-related topics when the accent or variety used is sufficiently intelligible for an international community of users. May fall to understand a linguistic or situational complication or an unexpected turn of events. | Responses are sometimes immediate, appropriate, and informative. Can initiate and maintain exchanges with reasonable ease on familiar topics and in predictable situations. Generally inadequate when dealing with an unexpected turn of events. |
| Elementary (Level 2) | Pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation are heavily influenced by the first language or regional variation and usually interfere with ease of understanding. | Shows only limited control of a few simple memorised grammatical structures and sentence patterns. | Limited vocabulary range consisting only of isolated words and memorised phrases. | Can produce very short, isolated, memorised utterances with frequent pausing and a distracting use of fillers to search for expressions and articulate less familiar words. | Comprehension is limited to isolated, memorised phrases when they are carefully and slowly articulated. | Response time is slow, and often inappropriate. Interaction is limited to simple routine exchanges. |
| Pre- Elementary (Level 1) | Performs at a level below the elementary level. | Performs at a level below the elementary level. | Performs at a level below the elementary level. | Performs at a level below the elementary level. | Performs at a level below the elementary level. | Performs at a level below the elementary level. |
Source references:
LBA language requirements