Native English Speakers and Aviation Communication

The increased globalisation of aviation requires a large number of aviation professionals, pilots and air traffic controllers, who must cooperate and communicate to ensure safety as well as efficiency.

Native English Speakers and Aviation Communication argues for the need to train and test native English speakers (NES) as well as non-native English speakers (NNES) in aviation communication. While Aviation English is the lingua franca of the skies, it is not a variety of English: it has no native speakers and NES must learn and practise it. Based on the practical experience of the author as a flight instructor and an Aviation English assessor, combined with academic research in language and communication, this book provides strong arguments for the need to teach standard aviation communication to native English speakers. It describes the challenges of aviation communication and the ongoing problems posed by the lack of relevant training or testing for NES, reviews the current state of affairs regarding regulations across a range of countries, and suggests training solutions to be integrated in the ground school curriculum and during flight training.

This book is an essential resource for researchers and advanced students working in English for Specific Purposes, Aviation English and Aviation Communication, as well as for professionals in aviation and aviation training.

Dominique Estival is a researcher at the MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University, Australia, and a flight instructor. She investigates the impact of pilot training and language background on pilots’ ability to follow ICAO regulations for radio communication.