Except when operating in France.
Bien sur!
However, even knowing the French words for take-off & landing can help enhance SA a littleâŚ
Whilt operating a C130 across France, using a military TACAN route, we were asked for our estimate for waypoint XXXXX. So given, with our flight level included. About 7-8 mins later, the controller asked another aircraft (in French) the same thing, same waypoint. Reply in French, same time, same FL as our previous RT. We waited for the inevitable instruction (turn, descent, whatever) to avoid the confliction - rien! So we queried this - 2 aircraft, same waypoint, same altitude, same timing⌠Machine gun speed French to the other aircraft, âTournez a droitâŚâ
The CDG crash was a disaster waiting to happen - lots of causal factors, but speaking English would probably have caught the problem.
I represented our company at the UK Flt Safety Committee at the time, & the senior CDG Safety Officer came & gave a shocking presentation - a trial (English only at CDG) had to be curtailed after a day as it was too dangerous. ATC controllers were even transmitting - âVive la France, parlez seulement Francais!!â
I operated into CDG (cargo contract for Air France) - all Brit crew on an all Brit aircraft, but with an Air France callsign⌠Guess the problem!
Air France quatre vingt deux, descendez vous⌠ENGLISH ONLY PLEASE!!
Change to next freq, Air France quatre vingt deux, tournez a gauche⌠ENGLISH ONLY PLEASE!!
Now itâs getting busy (0800 local at CDG), Air France quatre vingt deuxâŚ
So I said (in French): English ONLY. If you talk to me in French again, I will declare a Mayday.
Silence for 10 secs. Air France Eighty Two⌠
Sadly, ICAO supports this for countries to use their national language. Even last year at CDG, French to French aircraft, English to others. Very hard to establish SA.
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Hmmm, a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), seems that runway stop bars (& taxiway centreline lighting) were inoperative:
J2253/23 NOTAMN Q) RJJJ/QLRAS/IV/NBO/A/000/999/3533N13947E005 A) RJTT B) 2312271500 C) 2402211500 E) REF AIP SUP 225/23 ITEM TWY:2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,33,38,44,54 TWY-CL-LGT FOR M1,R1,W11(BTN W AND R1)-U/S TWY-CL-LGT FOR E10(BEHIND SPOT 53)-PARTLY U/S TWY-CL-LGT FOR D5-U/S TWY-CL-LGT FOR A(BTN W AND A2),A(INT OF W1),A1,A2(INT OF A),W1 -PARTLY U/S TWY-CL-LGT FOR A16-U/S TWY-CL-LGT FOR K(BTN SPOT 304 AND C),R(INT OF K)-U/S TWY-CL-LGT FOR R(BTN K AND Y),R(INT OF Y)-PARTLY U/S STOP-BAR-LGT FOR C1 THRU C14-U/S TWY-CL-LGT FOR T12,T14,Q,Q1,Q2-U/S TAXIING-GUIDANCE-SIGN FOR T12,T14,Q,Q1,Q2-U/S TWY-CL-LGT FOR C(INT OF C3),C(INT OF C5)-PARTLY U/S TWY-CL-LGT FOR T(BTN T2 AND SPOT 909),T(INT OF T4),T(INT OF T6) -PARTLY U/S TWY-CL-LGT FOR C3(INT OF RWY 16L/34R)-PARTLY U/S RAPID EXIT TWY INDICATOR LGT FOR D5-U/S
Who wants to bet that that NoTAM has been repeated so frequently (prior to Dec 27th) that crews skimmed over it.
All the more reason to reformat NoTAMs. That one certainly should be split up, having Stop Bar lighting as a separate NoTAM to Taxiway lighting
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Or, knew of it via local operating experience?
NOTAMs - the bane of everyoneâs life! At least the USA has thrown money & legislation at the issue.
My current masters want to ensure that NOTAMS are user-friendly especially for modernisation of airspace & associated use of EFBs (NOTAMs to highlight / pop up across routes, airport control zones, etc).
Need to find the most in-date links, but EASA / ICAO are also working to more streamlined & higher tech solutions. The current NOTAM system is so antiquated - from 1947 & teleprinters!!!
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The 5 mins between the collision and the fire engines arriving on scene must have felt like an eternity for the crew of the airliner.
Sweet jesus.
First time watching that in HDâŚ
20 years in Aviation, and that is still horrificâŚ
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Double incident - no idea if their resources were split because of the Dash on the runway.
If you look at the Milan Linate accident, where the SAS MD87 aircraft hit the Citation biz jet (that had gone the wrong way, non-standard apron / taxiway markings, etc), the fire trucks only went to the baggage hall as in the fog, no-one saw the wreckage of the Citation on the runway. Ground radar kit still in boxesâŚâŚ the surmise is that there may have been survivors from the Citation had they had immediate rescue options.
Lots of issues - eventually successful corporate manslaughter prosecutions against ATC managers.
Operated there from late 2002 for 20 yrs - even if you only had 20m to taxi to the northern taxiway, wait for the follow-me car! All signage updated, ground movement radar installed & in use. Shame that so many had to die because of ineptitude.
Somewhat off-topic, but just what Gods do the Japanese have and how have they managed to annoy them so badly?
2024, Day 3 of 366.
With ref to the short video from inside, with the outside very clearly on fire. They are all staying considerably calmer than I would be if I saw that out the windowâŚ
I wouldnât be screaming, jumping up etc. But damn. Theyâre pretty chilled out considering.
The first thing (when I saw the original clips) that flashed through my mind (it works in very mysterious ways!) was Kipling:
But to stand anâ be still to the Birkenâead drill
is a damn tough bullet to chew,
Notionally the sinking of HMS Birkenhead from when the âwomen & children firstâ protocol originated.
History probably unknown to many of the Z generation!
Very much the Japanese cultural mentality - everything ordered & as directed. Incidentally, I wonder if this was causal factor relating to the Coastguard crew - seemingly waiting on the runway for 45(?) secs but with no take-off clearance given. Most Western pilots (including me) would have been asking (or confirming âready for departureâ) after about 15 secs if no previous reason had been given (or heard on RT, or seen).
Yet another incident in Japan, fortunately, compared to the last one, minor in nature.
Good old Daily Wail:
Danger, danger!!
The accident happened when the Korean Air plane was preparing for take-off, the airline official said.
I suppose even if you have powered up an aircraft for a flight, at some stage, you are preparing for take-off⌠
But of course, one was parked on the apron, nowhere near a runway.
Relatively simple âwho didnât see the the aircraftâ error.