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Organizing your speech to report situations

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR SPEECH TO REPORT EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

Cybele Gallo

Source : AvWEB (http://www.avweb.com/ ) – Checklists and Flow

Have you ever heard about "cockpit flow " ?

“A flow is a structured habit pattern that reflects a printed check list. In other words, it is a memorization aid , and can be used for normal, abnormal and emergency procedures.”
“In the figure below you will see a translation of the flow concept into a single-pilot Beech Baron for the task of engine fire.”

Can you match the numbers in the figure with the sentences ?

____ Ignition and alternator switches (failed engine): OFF
____ Fuel selector (failed engine): OFF
____ Mixture control (failed engine): IDLE CUTOFF
____ Propeller (failed engine): FEATHER
____ Auxiliary fuel pump (failed engine): OFF


Now, check the correct sequence :

1.Fuel selector (failed engine): OFF
2.Mixture control (failed engine): IDLE CUTOFF
3.Propeller (failed engine): FEATHER
4.Auxiliary fuel pump (failed engine): OFF
5.Ignition and alternator switches (failed engine): OFF

This technique can help you to memorize things that can not be forgotten or missed, and to develop a discipline to perform other manouvers and tasks that are required in your profession. Why don’t you try to use flow references to better organize your ideas before reporting the situations you will listen to during your test?

Let’s give it a try.

This is a suggestion on how to organize your speech.

1.The context (During a flight from… to … / At the airport/ Flying over the ocean )
2.The main problem (The pilot had a problem with/ A passenger suffered a heart attack/ ATC informed)
3.Any subsequent problem (The engine failed/ The plane depressurized/ The alarm went off )
4.The action/decision/solution (The pilot diverted/ The ATC vectored the pilot to)
5.The outcome ( The pilot landed safely/ the plane skidded off the runway/ The passengers were evacuated)

Now, try to identify in the text below the flow elements numbered above:

The crew of an Avianca Fokker 100, registration HK-4488 performing flight AV-181 from Bogota to Ecuador with 91 passengers and 5 crew, reported landing gear trouble shortly after takeoff from Bogota and entered a holding to trouble shoot the problem. The airplane subsequently returned to Bogota for a safe landing on runway 13R about one hour after departure. 5 passengers needed medical attention due to anxiety attacks.

Check :

Context : During a flight from Bogota to Ecuador, with 91 passengers on board
Problem : The pilot reported landing gear problems shortly after take off
Subsequent problem : No subsequent problem
Action /decision :The pilot entered a holding to check . Then he decided to return to Bogota.
Outcome : He landed and 05 passengers needed medical assistance.

Now, try to the same with the text below:



An Air Canada Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-300, registration C-GTAT performing flight QK-8206 from Prince George ,BC to Vancouver, BC (Canada) with 51 people on board, was climbing through FL180 out of Prince George, when the crew reported smoke on board and decided to return to Prince George. The airplane landed safely 14 minutes later.The Canadian TSB reported that the number 1 cabin pack temperature began to rise steadily as the airplane climbed out of Prince George, then the flight attendant advised there was smoke in the cabin. The crew declared emergency and returned to Prince George. During the descent the smoke cleared. The airplane landed without further incident .

Let’s check

Context : Air Canadá was flying from Prince George to Vancouver with 51 people on board.
Problem: While the plane was climbing ,the number 1 cabin pack temperature began to rise
Subsequent problem : There was smoke in the cabin.
Action/decision :Flights attendants advised the pilots that there was smoke on board. The pilots declared an emergency and decided to return to the airport.
Outcome :The smoke cleared during the descent and the plane landed safely.

safe-safer-safety-safely

The most common mistake related to adjectives x adverbs pilots make during classes is the one with the words : safe /safety/safely/ safer

Safe is an adjective and it modifies a noun : The Airbus 320 is a safe airplane.

Safer is the comparative of superiority: Airplane x is safer than airplane y.

Safety is the noun : For your safety remain seated with your seatbelts fastened.

Safety : personal freedom for physical harm·

Security : prevention of loss or damage They have installed a new security system in the building.

Safely is the adverb. Adverbs answer to the question “How”? : The pilot landed safely.

Practice : Adverbs of Manner

We can form this type of adverb by adding LY to an adjective.

I asked the controller to speak slowly.

The pilot checked the system carefully before calling the mechanics.

Despite the rain, they landed safely.

·The adjective GOOD doesn’t follow the rule.

He is good at computers. He speaks English well.

·Some adverbs and adjectives are the same, such as : fast, hard, late, high, low, right, wrong.

He speaks English fast.

This plane flies high.

The alarm sounded low.

He worked hard to have that problem sorted out.

· Some adjectives finish in LY, but they are not adverbs:

In a lively, friendly, silly way, manner.

·We use adjectives to describe nouns ; we use adverbs to say how things happen.

This bus is slow. This bus goes slowly.

EXERCISES

1. Write the adverb forms of these adjectives

a.sligh …………………..

b.hard ………………....

c.bad…………………….

d.slow ……………….....

e.fast…………………….

f.quiet ……………….....

g. safe…………………...

h.continuous …………

i.careful ………………..

j..quick ………………...

2. Underline the correct form :

a.This all happened very quick/ quickly, but there were several factors that could have changed what happened.

b.It is clear that the weather was changing rapidly/rapid during the time of our approach to landing.

c.The worst indication was wide/widely scattered light rain north of ZZZ VOR.'

d.I was then able to success/ successfully utilize the autopilot to fly a basic heading and hold an altitude.

e.The decision of ATC to immediate/immediately intervene and render me assistance was paramount to the successful /successfully outcome of this event.

f.The plane was shaking violently/violent with all the ice on the props. I had had the ice systems on maximum the entire flight.

g.The 4 of us worked efficient/ efficiently and cohesive/cohesively to execute a safe return to the gate.

h.A B747-400 slid and yawed uncontrollable/ uncontrollably about 120 degrees with the brakesapplied as it turned toward its gate on a taxiway in freezing rain.

i.I immediately pulled the mixture to idle cutoffand the airplane came to a stop on a heading of about 220 degrees.

3.Use the prompts to write sentences:

a.captain levers of to the immediately thrust pushed up the aircraft control regain.……………………………………………………………………………………………………
b. the climb behave the roll initial and airplane normally on take off
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
c. nose up the up aggressively to pitched aircraft 10-12 degrees.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
d. incessantly the ringing cabin was phone.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
e. bounce hard the left firm and aircraft rolled with touchdown
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

A descrição de fotos relacionadas a aviação é uma importante parte do Santos Dummont Assessment Test. Nesta fase da prova, que é a última, o examinador provavelmente estará avaliando o conhecimento lingüístico que o candidato possui para realizar, em inglês , as tarefas de descrever, comparar, organizar idéias, opinar, deduzir, levantar hipóteses , abstrair , entre outras.

Aqui estão algumas dicas para um bom desempenho nesta etapa da prova.

Você pode começar assim

This picture shows...
I can see....
This is a picture of …

Você pode acrescentar informações sobre

• Parte do dia ( morning , afternoon, evening)
• Condições climáticas (it is sunny, cloudy, rainy, foggy )
• Local (on the runway, on the taxiway, on the ramp / en route / next to the hangar )
• Pessoas (what are they doing, who are they , where are they )
• Veículos (what kind, used for , what are they doing )
• Se tem alguma coisa faltando , a qual deveria estar ali e não está ( a plane without the engine cowling / a plane without part of the rudder/ the xxx is missing )

Algumas frases úteis

•On the left hand side
•in the background, foreground, middle
•in the top left-hand corner
•in the bottom right hand corner

Expresse a sua opinião corretamente

• In my opinion
• To my mind
• I suppose/I believe
• It looks like ( a ground collision)
• It looks as if ( the plane collided with a catering truck)

Use sua imaginação e conhecimento técnico para elaborar hipóteses ou deduções

Para isso você precisa saber usar corretamente os verbos modais , tais quais:

• It might be / It might have been caused by
• It can´t be
• It can be /It could be
• It must have been
• It could have been

ou

• Maybe / Perhaps

Review of Verb Tenses

Review of Verb Tenses

Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verbs in parentheses.

08 Jun 2004 - NASA Tests Aviation Turbulence Detection System

A NASA (1) ………………………..(develop) technology that can automatically alert pilots of potentially dangerous turbulence (2)…………………………(make) its first evaluation flights on a commercial airliner.
The idea behind NASA's Turbulence Prediction and Warning System (TPAWS) airborne radar (3)………………………..(to be) to give flight crews enough advance warning, so they can avoid turbulence or advise flight attendants and passengers to sit down and buckle up to avoid injury.
Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center (LaRC), Hampton, Va., developed TPAWS to detect turbulence associated with thunderstorms as part of the NASA Aviation Safety and Security Program.
Delta (4)…………………...............install the TPAWS/Rockwell Collins radar unit on a Boeing 737-800 this summer. Delta flight crews (5)…………………………… (use) and (evaluate) the technology during regularly scheduled flights in the U.S. and South America. The prototype(6) …………………….( expect- passive voice ) to fly for six to nine months.
Researchers from NASA, the companies involved and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will evaluate interim and final results of the turbulence prediction radar system. If the evaluation (7) ……………………(to be) successful, the technology may be adopted for new and existing aircraft.
"The TPAWS technology is an enhanced turbulence detection radar system that (8) …………………..(detect) atmospheric turbulence by measuring the motions of the moisture in the air," said NASA's TPAWS project manager Jim Watson. "It is a software signal processing upgrade to existing predictive Doppler wind shear systems that are already on airplanes," he added.
"Delta Air Lines is always interested in evaluating new technologies that (9)……………………(offer) the potential for improved ride quality and safety for our customers and flight crews," said Ira Pearl, Delta flight operations technical support director.
Researchers have already tested TPAWS on a NASA Boeing 757 research aircraft. The TPAWS equipped plane (10)……………………… (search) for turbulence activity around thunderstorms for eight weeks. The aircraft (11)…………………… (fly)within a safe distance of storms, so researchers could experience the turbulence and compare the radar prediction to how the plane responded to the encounters. After one severe patch of turbulence, a NASA research pilot (12)…………….(say) his confidence in the enhanced radar had "gone up dramatically," since the plane's weather radar (13)…………………… (show-neg) anything, while the same time the TPAWS display (14)………………(show) rough skies ahead.
Atmospheric turbulence encounters are the leading cause of injuries to passengers and flight crews in non-fatal airline accidents. FAA statistics show an average of 58 airline passengers are annually injured in U.S. turbulence incidents. Ninety eight percent of those injuries(15)………………..( happen, )because people don't have their seat belts fastened. Turbulence encounters are hazardous; they cost airlines money and time, in the form of re-routing flights, late arrivals, additional inspections and maintenance for aircraft.
The NASA Aviation Safety and Security Program is a partnership with the FAA, aircraft manufacturers, airlines and the Department of Homeland Security to reduce the fatal aircraft accident rate, protect air travelers and the public from security threats. Researchers at four NASA centers(16)…………………………… (work) to develop advanced, affordable technologies to make flying safer and more secure. NASA's LaRC; Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.; Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.; and Glenn Research Center, Cleveland are working on the program.

CHECK YOUR ANSWERS

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/jun/HQ_04182_turbulence.html

FRASEOLOGIA X INGLÊS GERAL DA AVIAÇÃO

Vários estudos realizados na área das comunicações aeronáuticas, como os do grupo PRICE, Mell (1997), Printon & Britton (1993) e Delibo (1993), indicam que qualquer transgressão no uso da fraseologia pode causar riscos à segurança do vôo. Sendo assim, acredito que mesmo tratando-se de cursos para pilotos experientes, é importante a inclusão de atividades que promovam a prática e revisão da fraseologia, bem como a constante reflexão do seu propósito comunicativo, ou seja, entender e fazer-se entender pelo controle de tráfego aéreo usando uma linguagem comum e sintetizada. Por outro lado, estudos também questionam a eficácia da fraseologia para a solução de todos os problemas que possam advir de situações de emergência ou não comuns na rotina profissional dos pilotos.
Um evento que sustenta a afirmação de que a fraseologia pode ser insuficiente para o exercício do trabalho do piloto em situações mais complicadas, é aquele identificado por meio das notícias, conforme mostrarei a seguir:

Excerto de notícia:

"The flight crew received an indication that the nose landing gear did not retract; it was confirmed that it was down, but it was turned in a 90 degree position and the front nose wheels were turned sideways .They were advised to lower the aircraft's weight by burning fuel. The aircraft ended up circling the Los Angeles airport for two hours to burn off fuel. The pilot appeared to be favoring the rear landing gear as the aircraft touched down and smoke and flames were seen when the front wheels touched the ground. The front wheels were twisted to one side, MarketWatch reported. The Los Angeles airport was reportedly chosen because the runways are longer and it has more emergency equipment.” (disponível em http://www.lutftcsak.com/)

Esse texto refere-se a um incidente no qual o piloto recebeu um aviso, pelos instrumentos da aeronave, de que o trem de pouso não pôde ser retraído após a decolagem e que as rodas encontravam-se travadas em posição perpendicular ao trem de pouso. O piloto, então, entrou em contato com funcionários da manutenção da empresa aérea na qual trabalha para obter informações de como solucionar o problema. O mecânico confirmou que o trem estava estendido, mas garantiu que as rodas estavam na posição correta, ou seja, alinhadas ao corpo da aeronave. Para garantir a correta execução dos procedimentos necessários para o pouso, o piloto solicitou um vôo rasante perto da torre para que o controlador pudesse realizar uma checagem visual da posição do trem de pouso. O piloto foi informado a respeito da posição das rodas, que estavam travadas em uma posição incomum, perpendiculares ao corpo da aeronave, o que traria mais dificuldades e riscos na aterrissagem. Essa constatação fez com que o piloto decidisse pousar em um outro aeroporto, o de Los Angeles, o qual possui pistas mais longas e melhores equipamentos de emergência.
A gravação da conversa entre o piloto e o controlador, disponível na Internet[1], evidencia que essa interação exigiu do piloto um conhecimento lingüístico maior do que o da fraseologia para pousar a aeronave com segurança. Ele precisou descrever para o controlador as informações nos instrumentos da aeronave, como, por exemplo: “it tells me not to retract the gear” ou “it also tells me that there is a possibility that the nose gear is extended at 90 degrees”. Também foi preciso conhecimento de inglês para entender a descrição da posição das rodas pelo controlador, que usou as frases “turned sideways” e “twisted to one side”. Na fraseologia aeronáutica encontramos os elementos suficientes, como vimos nos exemplos à paginas 76 , retirados de material didático de fraseologia, para situações de emergência que demandem ações e decisões rápidas, mas não existem frases ou palavras prontas que possam suprir todas as necessidades de uso da língua em situações que exijam uma interação mais complexa entre pilotos e controladores, em termos de confirmações, explicações e descrições, como no evento que acabo de relatar.
Outros exemplos de interações entre pilotos e controladores em situações de emergência nas quais podemos evidenciar a necessidade de um conhecimento de inglês mais extenso do que o das frases da fraseologia encontram-se disponíveis no banco de dados do CVRD[2].
O exemplo a seguir, retirado do CVRD e apresentado por meio do quadro 3.3 a seguir, retrata uma outra situação de emergência também mencionada nos dados coletados, que é a necessidade de pouso de emergência por perda do motor em vôo. Nessa ocasião, algumas frases e orações que não fazem parte da fraseologia padronizada, grifadas, foram usadas pelo piloto e controlador (os turnos foram numerados à direita, para melhor identificação). O uso dessas frases comprova a necessidade de outras funções e formas lingüísticas para o piloto e o controlador chegarem à melhor solução frente ao iminente pouso de emergência.[3]



HZ:21:40.9 Uh okay, I am going to take you... Are you able to take a turn back to the south or do you want to stay closer to the airport? (1)
SWR1111:21:47.0 Uh, standby short, standby short. (2)
SWR1111:21:59.1Okay we are able for a left or right turn towards the south to dump.(3)
HZ1:22:04.2Swissair one-eleven uh roger, uh turn to the ah left heading of ah two zero zero degrees and ah advise me when you are ready to dump. It will be about ten miles before you are off the coast. You are still within about twenty five miles of the airport. (4)
SWR1111:22:20.3Roger, we are turning left and ah in that case we're descending at the time only to ten thousand feet to dump the fuel. (5)
HZ1:22:29.6Okay, maintain one zero thousand. I'll advise you when you are over the water. It will be very shortly. (6)
SWR1111:22:34.4Roger (7)
SWR1111:22:36.2(Du bisch i dr) emergency checklist (fr) air conditioning smoke? [Translation: (You are in the) emergency checklist for air conditioning smoke?](8)
HZ1:22:42.9Uh Swissair one eleven say again please. (9)
SWR1111:22:45.3Ah, sorry it was not for you Swissair one eleven was asking internally. It was my fault, sorry about.(10)

Podemos observar pelo exemplo do quadro 3.3 que tanto o piloto, representado pela sigla SW111, como o controlador, HZ, na tentativa de encontrarem a melhor solução para o problema, lançaram mão de conhecimentos lingüísticos que ultrapassaram as fronteiras das frases prontas disponíveis na fraseologia aeronáutica, como por exemplo, nas passagens que exponho a seguir.
No turno (1), o controlador usou o comparativo de superioridade closer para saber com precisão qual a posição mais apropriada para o piloto.
No turno (6), o controlador alertou o piloto a respeito da rápida aproximação da aeronave na posição sobre o oceano para o esvaziamento de combustível, construindo a frase com o advérbio shortly.
No turno (10), o piloto precisou desculpar-se e esclarecer ao controlador que o que ele havia acabado de dizer não era dirigido ao controlador e sim a outro membro da tripulação.
As interações transcritas no quadro 3.3 sinalizam que as frases que compõe as mensagens de emergência da fraseologia padronizada podem não bastar para que os pilotos e controladores expressem todas as funções comunicativas relacionadas às suas intenções, indicando que talvez seja essencial um conhecimento adicional ao da fraseologia, para garantir o pouso seguro da aeronave em situações de emergência.
É também importante notar que, mesmo que o piloto conheça e tenha à mão todas as palavras da fraseologia, ele precisará estar sempre apto a entender os enunciados do controlador, os quais, como acabamos de ver pelos turnos do quadro 3.3, podem não ser construídos com as frases contidas no manual de fraseologia padronizada.
Como podemos observar em outro exemplo a seguir, apresentado por meio do Quadro 3.4, o uso de frases que não constam da fraseologia, as quais encontram-se grifadas, denotaram a necessidade de uso de outros elementos lingüísticos para o perfeito entendimento, pelo controlador, do que estava ocorrendo. [4]

00.52:22 LIB8807 Ground from Liberté 8807 we have just hit another aircraft on taxi... on take-off. (1)
00.52:29 ATC Confirm that you have hit an aircraft Liberté 8807 (2)
00.52:32 LIB8807 Affirmative (3)
00.52:34 Captain An STOL (4)
00.52:34 ATC 8807, copy. Do you want the emergency services? (5)
00.52:37 Captain Yes... we're going to vacate at the next eh (6)
00.52:39 LIB8807 Yes... we're going to vacate (7)
00.52:42 ATC 8807 do you have any damage? (8)
00.52:44 Captain Ah yes eh eh (9)
00.52:44 LIB8807 Certainly on the wing sir yes (10)
00.52:46 ATC Can you still taxi? (11)
00.52:47 LIB8807- We're going to taxi sir... we're vacating ... we're alerting our cabin crew (12)
Quadro 3.4: transcrição de diálogo entre piloto e controlador 2. (Cockpit Voice Record Database: Liberte 8807 25/05/2000 (Disponível em http://www.tailstrike.com/280488.htm)
Legenda: LIB8807: radio transmission of Air Liberte; Captain: voice identified as Air Liberte Captain; ATC air traffic control.

O exemplo acima apresentado mostra as interações durante um acidente na pista entre duas aeronaves. Podemos notar que no turno número (1), o piloto, representado pela sigla LIB 8807, informou a torre sobre um evento recém ocorrido. Para desempenhar lingüisticamente essa função, ele usou Presente Perfeito em inglês com o advérbio just. O uso de frases que não constam da fraseologia como do you have any damage, emitida pelo controlador, ou certainly on the wings, emitida pelo piloto, foram usadas como complementos para que o controlador se certificasse do incidente e de suas conseqüências.
O próximo exemplo, apresentado por meio do Quadro 3.5, ilustra uma situação de emergência causada pela perda de ar pressurizado a bordo, devido a abertura de uma das portas da aeronave.

Co-pilot: Maui tower, Aloha two forty three, we’re inbound for landing. We’re just, ah, west of Makena, descending out of thirteen [13,000 feet], and we have rapid depr… - we are unpressurised. Declaring an emergency… (1)
Tower: Aloha two forty three, winds zero four zero at one five. Altimeter two niner niner niner. Just to verify again. You’re breaking up. Your call sign is two forty - four? Is that correct. Or two forty three? (2)
Co-pilot two forty three Aloha - forty three. (3)
Tower: Two forty - two the equipment is on the roll. Plan [to approach] straight thousand [11,000] feet. Request clearance into Maui for landing. Request the [emergency] equipment. (4)
Tower: Okay, the equipment is on the field…Is on the way. Squawk zero three four three, can you come up on [frequency] one niner one niner point five? (5)
Co- pilot Two forty three. Can you hear us on one nineteen five two, forty three? Maui Tower, two forty three. It looks like we’ve lost a door. We have a hole in this, ah, left side of the aircraft. (6)
Quadro 3.5. transcrição de diálogo entre piloto e controlador 3. (Cockpit Voice Record Database. 28/04/1988 Aloha 293. Disponível em http://www.tailstrike.com/280488.htm)

Podemos perceber, através do turno (6), que o co-piloto precisou descrever para o controlador a condição da aeronave naquele momento, a qual estava sem uma das portas, usando frases e palavras que não são parte da fraseologia aeronáutica, como as que encontram-se grifadas no turno 6 do quadro 3.5.
Os exemplos de transcrições apresentados nos quadros 3.3, 3.4 e 3.5 indicam que, embora a fraseologia disponibilize os elementos lingüísticos para o desempenho de pilotos em situações de emergência, pode existir a necessidade de um conhecimento lingüístico mais amplo do piloto que lhe forneça retaguarda para suprir as lacunas que a fraseologia não satisfaz.
Por outro lado, nem sempre a falta de recursos da fraseologia é a responsável pela utilização de outras formas de linguagem na comunicação entre piloto e torre. Em uma situação de emergência, em condições de stress, as pessoas podem lançar mão de todo e qualquer conhecimento de língua que possuam, e que já esteja automatizado, para se expressarem. Embora as interações entre pilotos e controladores aconteçam em um contexto relativamente restrito, situações inesperadas podem fazer com que pilotos e controladores, por terem ao seu dispor as múltiplas escolhas que a linguagem oferece para produzir significados, não usem as da fraseologia.
Isso implica que tanto pilotos como controladores precisarão estar aptos a pedir esclarecimentos, repetições, confirmações e negociarem significados sempre que as interações forem realizadas através de elementos lingüísticos que ultrapassem os que compõem a fraseologia.
Concluindo o exposto até aqui, a fraseologia padronizada é a linguagem que deve ser privilegiada na comunicação entre pilotos e controladores de tráfego aéreo. Para as situações de rotina de voar, parece-me que a fraseologia é a única forma de linguagem que assegura o entendimento mútuo entre pilotos e controladores e faz com que a aeronave seja conduzida com segurança de seu ponto de partida até o seu destino final. Para as situações de emergência, no entanto, não existe uma lista de palavras e frases que possa suprir todas as necessidades de comunicação de pilotos e controladores, tendo-se em vista a infinidade de situações e eventos que possam ocorrer no contexto de atuação profissional dos pilotos que demandam uma comunicação em inglês.
Os dados mostrados aqui sinalizam para a necessidade de um conhecimento da língua inglesa que vá além da fraseologia, que possa garantir que o piloto desempenhe suas funções profissionais satisfatoriamente. Professores envolvidos na elaboração de cursos que objetivem preparar o piloto para desempenhar satisfatoriamente suas funções em situações adversas devem considerar a inclusão de atividades que promovam a prática da fraseologia padronizada e o ensino da linguagem específica que permeia todos os contextos nos quais os pilotos precisarão fazer uso da linguagem para voar.

[1] http://flywithjoe.com/, episódio 8
[2] Cockpit Voice Record Database
[3] Os grifos são meus e representam as frases que não fazem parte da fraseologia aeronáutica.
[4] Os grifos são meus e representam frases que não compõem a fraseologia aeronáutica.

GEAR UP LANDING - LISTENING ACTIVITY

VIDEO ACTIVITY
Cybele Gallo
Transcripts: Lisa de Vries

1. Watch the video and explain to your teacher/peer what you understand.

2. Now listen to the speakers and tick (√) the phrases you hear.

( ) This is slightly familiar to him
( ) He might have done a simulator run
( ) He might have done a low pass
( ) See as he goes down
( ) The engine stops, very nice move
( ) right down the yellow line
( ) Those props stalled
( ) If they had been spinning it would have spun those PT -6 engines
( ) he has had some help there
( ) They had to take off quickly
( ) There are more people… here they come


3.Listen again and fill in with the missing words


Speaker 1: The pilot is doing something that is slightly unfamiliar to him, because he is used to coming down at this altitude at this speed (1) _________ the runway with that gear hanging out there slowing him down; so he’s, he’s doing something that he is not …uuhh you know, he might have done a simulator run on this every now and then again or he might have done a low pass like this; and let’s watch. See as he comes down.
Now watch as he (2) ______________ those props all right, the engine stops, very smart move. Okay, now hold it, hold it; hold it again as slow as you can, slow it down, slow it down nice and slow, right down the centerline. This is picture perfect, picture perfect!”
Female: “Wow, that is beautiful”
Speaker 1: “Beautiful, beautiful job”
Female: “Remarkable”.
Speaker 1: “Beautiful job!”
Female: “Wow, that’s incredible piloting”
Speaker 1: “That’s some hull (3) ______________. I bet those engines are not adversely impacted uuh because the props were… did you noticed how he feathered those props? Those props stopped”.
Female: Woohow!
Speaker 1: “If they had been spinning… it would have spun those PT-6 engines which are(4) ____________ engines right off their mounts and that would have been a big problem
Female: “Pheew. I’m tailing for them, I mean my heart was just pitter patter, as I know everybody else’s was too”.
Speaker 1: “I’ve got to tell you, that should go on the (5)_______________ tapes. And off he goes. Okay, one two, so he’s had some help there, and that‘s all they had on board. Two of them and uh welcome to Fulton County airport, gentlemen”
Female: “Either that or everybody else on board is just catching their breath.”
Speaker 1: “Oh I suspect their instructions would ere to(6)_____________quickly, they had to get off quickly, time to get off the airplane”.
Speaker 2: “Oh No. Here comes somebody else”
Speaker 1: “There are more people, here they come. I’m gonna’ guess that …. that there, with the (7) ______________, there’s your hero."
Female: "really ready to get away from this plane eh?"
Speaker 1: "See if you can zoom in on that WSB, give us a close up, yeah they’re (8)_________________ his hand uhh, attaboy”.
Female: “And on the cell phone already. We’re safe, we made it”

Activities

Part One

a.What is the difference in meaning between:

He is used to coming down and He used to come down? Give more examples.

b.In the sentence ‘He might have had a simulator run” – Is the narrator sure about the pilot training in a simulator or he is saying that it is possible that the pilot did it?

c.Paraphrase the expression: “every now and then”.

d.What is another way to say “… my heart was pitter patter”?

e.“I am tailing for them” means :

I am talking about them
I am following and watching them
I am rooting (cheering) for them

f.What does “feather the engine” mean?

Part Two : Put the parts of the report in the correct order.


Even though the Captain saved two propellers and two engines, he received a punishment or taking too many risks, considering he had landed with both engines feathered.

This flight arrived at it's destination which was a US Naval Base with very long runways. As soon as they entered the landing pattern, they noticed that the landing gear would not come down.

While he was on a long final, he feathered engine number one, and with the starter he placed the propeller with one of the three blades in the vertical position, knowing that when he landed, the other two blades would not touch the ground.


They landed with the normal damage to the belly of the plane, and after a crane was brought, the plane was lifted, the landing gear was extended, the gear pins were put in place , The engines were started and the DC3 taxied gallantly to the Hangar.


They tried all the emergency systems, but the gear remained retracted. The weather couldn't be better and no wind, the Captain decided he would burn the maximum amount of fuel off and then proceed to land on the belly.


When he was absolutely sure that he could reach the runway in a shallow glide, he feathered engine number two and did the same procedure with the propeller


ANSWERS :

Activity Part One

He is used to coming = He is accustomed to coming.
He used to come = He did it in the past as a habit or repetitive action
He might have had a simulator run = The narrator is talking about a possibility
Every now and then = Sometimes
My heart was pitter patter = it was beating fast
I am tailing for them = My heart goes out to them ( I am cheering for them)
Feather the engine = Turn the propeller blades of an inoperative engine into the relative wind to reduce the drag as much as possible.



Part Two













This flight arrived at it's destination which was a U,S.Naval Base with very long runways. As soon as they entered the landing pattern, they noticed that the landing gear would not come down.

They tried all the emergency systems, but the gear remained retracted. The weather couldn't be better and no wind, the Captain decided he would burn the maximum amount of fuel off and then proceed to land on the belly.

While he was on a long final, he feathered engine number one, and with the starter he placed the propeller with one of the three blades in the vertical position, knowing that, when he landed, the other two blades would not touch the ground.

When he was absolutely sure that he could reach the runway in a shallow glide, he feathered engine number two and did the same procedure with the propeller.

They landed with the normal damage to the belly of the plane, and after a crane was brought, the plane was lifted, the landing gear was extended, the gear pins were put in place , The engines were started and the DC3 taxied gallantly to the Hangar.

Even though the Captain saved two propellers and two engines, he received a punishment or taking too many risks, considering he had landed with both engines feathered. Conclusion: "Regulations are Regulations."

PILOT WORKSHOPS

BOB A : Another thing is...if you have given a position report that is 235 miles southwest of Bar Harbor, well it is nice that you have these sort of toys in the airplane, but we don't recognize that. We don't have that. If you work in the center, fine; they will be able to see you because they go out 500 miles in the sector. (TRACONs) only go out 30 to 40 miles. The other thing is we could say radar contact to somebody 5 miles southwest of such and such a place. "Well we're actually 5.2 miles." Don't start.

JOHN : Stuff like 20 questions. That 's the, you know...
"Approach, 1 2 Alpha."
"1 2 Alpha, go ahead."
"We've got a request."
"Say your request."
"We want a shortcut."
And you do this 20 questions back and forth. Or you'll hear it sometimes with the initial call:
"Approach, 1 2 Alpha."
"Go ahead."
"Request VFR advisories."
"Well where are you?"
"235 miles southwest of Bar Harbor."
"Can you give me a closer point?
And you know, it's: "What altitude are you at?"
And then they come back with that.
Then: "What's your type of aircraft?"
And you play 20 questions back and forth.

BOB A : You're tying the frequency up; it does us absolutely no good. It is going to do you any less, and some people's patience might be a little bit exasperated by then. So it is just best to just give "I'm 10 miles southwest to Lawrence." Or give me a shorter range fix.

JOHN:And everything - "10 southwest to Lawrence, 5500 to Nashua, in a 172." Just very, very concise. We don't need to know that you are a red and white Cessna 172 - just the basics.

BOB A :And the first thing that I have always preached at any seminars is, proper communications. With all communications, get our attention first. And we can either say, "Go ahead," because now we reserve time on the frequency. If you start with 20 questions, at least we got room for about 4 of them. But if you just start going off saying everything that you wanted to do, where you are, and everything else - or worse, "We would like practice approaches at…." And they start listing all the approaches that they want to do - I am not writing it down because, first of all I should have been prepared for this, and I do not have that a good memory.

SONG ACTIVITY - LEARNING TO FLY

LEARNING TO FLY - Tom Petty http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5BJXwNeKsQ
Cybele Gallo
1. Listen to the song and fill in with the missing words

Well I started out down a dirty road
Started out all …………………………
And the sun went down as I ……………………………..the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got …………………………
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well the good old days may not …………………………..
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got …………………………….
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well some say life will beat you down
……………………….your heart, steal your crown
So I've started out, for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get ……………………….
I'm learning to fly, around the ……………………………,
But what goes up must come down
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got ……………………………..
Coming down is the hardest thing

2. Find in the song above :

a. One sentence that expresses an action that is happening now, at the moment:
………………………………………………………………………………………………
b. One sentence that expresses certainty
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
c. 03 prepositions
………………………………………………………………………………………………
d. Two sentences that express finished actions ( past)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
e. One sentence that expresses a possibility
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
f. One sentence that expresses a future action
………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. What are the questions?
a. ___________________________________________ ?
I am learning to fly
b. ___________________________________________ ?
It is to come down.
c.____________________________________________?
They may not return.
d.____________________________________________?
They say that life will beat you down.

4. LINKING WORDS
And/But/ Or/So

Look at these two sentences:

The weather was good. The pilot took off.

We can join them together to from one sentence like this:

The weather was good SO the pilot took off.

SO is a conjunction and shows that the second idea is the result of the first one.
Conjunctions have different functions.


AND : Joins two related ideas together.

The Captain said to the controller we had an RA and we would like a heading to the runway.

BUT : Joins two contrasting ideas

I think I heard them talking to another aircraft but I cannot be sure.

OR : Joins two alternative ideas

The passenger had to stow his bag or his bag were going to be checked in.

SO : Shows that the second idea is the result of the first

The passenger continued to use his cell phone, so the Captain requested that the passenger’s services supervisor met the flight.

1) Complete the sentences with and , but, so, or

a. Vinicius was cold , …………………… he asked his friend to close the window.
b. To get to the airport you can take the bus …………….. the subway.
c. We were having some problems with the brake indicator lights ……………… we returned to the ramp for maintenance checks.
d. As I leveled off, the plane was hard to fly ………….. ATC vectored me to the ILS at Prescott.
e. The Captain instructed us immediately to take a seat, …………………. The instruction came simultaneously with the turbulence. ………………., in our case, it was too late.
f. I noticed that the passengers were standing, trying to get the flight attendant ‘s attention, ……………………. I went to investigate.
g. As we were on short final, my attention remained on the aircraft flight path …………….. airspeed .
h. The captain asked the flight attendant to call for a doctor on board, …………… there wasn’t any.
i. There was no room on the ramp to the loiter,…………….I requested taxi clearance to runway 24 before completing my ‘before taxi’ checks.

LISTENING ACTIVITY - CIRRUS AIRPLANE

CIRRUS

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1840777



LISTENING ACTIVITY Cybele Gallo


WARM UP

Explain the difference between an accident and an incident in aviation.
Have you ever heard about Cirrus?
Where do you think the parachute is fitted in the airplane?
How do you think the system works?


A) As you listen to Mr. Alan Klapmeier describing how the parachute is activated, number the steps into the correct sequence:

( ) the rocket pulls the parachute out of the airplane.
( ) the pilot pulls a handle in the airplane
( ) the airplane is lowered to the ground
( ) the handle fires a rocket


B) Mr. Klapmeier is now describing two situations that happened recently involving Cirrus airplanes. As you listen to the interview, complete the sentences below.

On Thursday, an airplane was flying in ……………………………………. with ……………… people on board. It was crossing the mountains of British Columbia at night. The pilot ………………………………………………… and as he was trained, he could deploy the parachute quickly, and they could land on the side of a mountain at …………………… feet with the four people alive.

On Saturday morning, a pilot took off in ……………………………………….. ………………………….. conditions , that means , ……………………….. and ………………………….. , and he had some disorientation problems and decided to …………………………………………………….. . He was able to land in a …………………….. in Ft l Lauderdale, Florida .



C) Listen to the recording again and circle the correct answer:

1.The way the parachute is fitted to the airplane is in a canopy / canister in the back of the airplane the 15 / 50-pound parachute resides.

2.Cirrus is a six/ four-seat, general aviation what we would call a private/ personal aviation airplane.

3.It's actually equivalent to about a 10- or 11-foot drop in big/ free fall, but that works out to be about 15,000/ 1,500 feet per minute,

4.This technology was developed out of ultralights and hang gliders; has grown up into the size airplanes that we have, which is about 6,400/ 3,400 pounds and 100/200 miles an hour.


4. Mark True or False:

This technology was developed out of ultra-lights ( )
Boris Popov survived an ultra light accident. ( )
Boris Popov started BRS - ballistic recovery systems- ( )


5. Complete the following text with your own words:

The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), standard equipment on every Cirrus aircraft, is indicative of the visionary commitment to general aviation safety. The parachute system is (1) ……………………………….. to protect occupants in the event of an extreme (2) …………………….. by lowering the aircraft to the ground after deployment by the pilot. CAPS revolutionized general aviation safety by providing a final measure of safety to occupants similar in theory to the role of airbags in automobiles. No other certified general aviation aircraft manufacturer in the world provides this safety feature as standard equipment.
To (3) ……………………………… the parachute, a person must use approximately 35 pounds of force to set off a magnesium charge, which will ignite a solid-fuel rocket. The rocket will blow out a pop hatch that covers the compartment in which it is (4) ……………………………. As the rocket deploys to the rear, the aircraft will slow, and buried harness straps will unzip from both sides of the airframe.
Within seconds, the canopy will position itself over the aircraft and allow it to (5) …………………….. gradually. The final impact, an equivalent of jumping off a 10 foot ladder, is (6) ……………………………. by the specialized landing gear, a 3g roll cage and 26g seats, producing a survivable landing.

As important as sending clear and precise messages to the controllers, is the ability to make good announcements to the passengers. It is also your duty to keep passengers informed of the progress of the flight, weather conditions and any other events that might happen during a flight.
Good announcements can enhance your professionalism and assure passengers of a more comfortable and safe flight. Passengers can perceive if a pilot is competent, trustworthy, caring, responsible and well trained by the messages he sends during the flight.
Your messages must be well planned, though. You have to select the words carefully, to avoid ambiguities and misunderstandings. Planning also eliminates those gaps, such as ah…; uh; hum…. . The messages must be put across loud and clear, too. It is important that all passengers on board understand what you are saying.
You should also try to provide most information using the fewest number of words.
Avoid using slang, jargons or very technical vocabulary.
It is better to say “we have a technical problem related to our left main gear”, than “our left main gear “disagree light” illuminated and we have now a message in our EICAS, etc “
In case of a mechanical or weather difficulty, for example, try to tell the passengers exactly what is going on. They probably don’t know much about airplane systems, air traffic control or Metars, but they will appreciate an explanation if it is given in a simple way.
In this lesson, you will learn the standard structure of cabin announcements and tips on how to adapt it for your needs or special communications during your flights. Let’s then make your speeches more interesting and effective.
______________________________________________________________________________
CABIN ANNOUNCEMENTS

PATTERN ONE – ROUTINE
1. INITIAL GREETINGS
Good morning, afternoon, evening

2. INTRODUCING YOURSELF
This is Pedro Souza, the first officer

3. EN ROUTE INFORMATION/PLACES OF INTEREST
Welcome to flight 123, heading for …………..
Our flight will take an estimated 3 hours and 20 minutes…………..
We will be flying at …………… fee, with an average speed of xxxx miles per hour.
We are just passing by Manaus
We will be stopping briefly in …………. before arriving in ……………

4. WEATHER INFORMATION
The weather in route is good,
We are expecting some turbulence at…, but we will do our best to avoid it.
Miami is hot and sunny, and the temperature is xxx

5. INFORMATION ABOUT TIME
The time at our destination is 7: 35

6. APPROACH/LANDING INFORMATION
We are beginning our descend to… and expect to be at the gate at …. local time.
The current weather in……… is ……………

7. CLOSING
Thank you for choosing xxxx. It‘s been our pleasure to serve you.

PATTERN TWO – MINOR PROBLEMS, EMERGENCIES AND ABNORMAL SITUATIONS

1. ADDRESSING THE PASSENGERS
Ladies and Gentlemen

2. IDENTIFYING YOURSELF
This is Paulo Souza, The Captain

3. INFORMING ABOUT THE PROBLEM
We have just rejected our take off due to a failure in one of the computers.
We are returning to the ramp due to a mechanical problem.

4. GIVING ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT THE PROBLEM
due to technical difficulties/ we have to hold cause there is an emergency in progress at the airport / the gate is occupied due to our early arrival/ checks will determine if the landing gear is in the right position

5. INFORMING ABOUT A COURSE OF ACTION AND INTENTIONS
We will be returning to the airport /we are returning to the ramp to reconfigure the aircraft for departure/
We will divert to the nearest airport / we will circle the airport for some minutes until…

6. GIVING INSTRUCTIONS
Keep your seat belts securely fastened until the aircraft has completely stopped.
Follow the flight attendants instructions carefully

8. APOLOGIZING
We apologize for this delay…

9. CLOSING
Thank you for your understanding

WAME - Rome Presentation

WAME - WHERE AVIATION MEETS ENGLISH

Presentation : ESP teachers x SME - Teaching ab intio pilots Cybele Gallo

This presentation was revised by Prof Armando Silvério.

The role cards for the sample lesson were developed by Prof Bruno de Souza Macedo.

There has been a lot of discussion about how much specific knowledge ESP teachers should have to be good aviation English teachers. Conversely, it is also debatable how much pedagogical knowledge should SMEs possess to be efficient language teachers.
This presentation aims to point out to how the limitations of an ESP teacher who lacks the knowledge of some specialized areas of aviation English can hamper the teaching/ learning process of pilots. This will be better demonstrated when I start sharing with you my experiences and challenges while teaching ab inito pilots at the university.
I will offer you some examples of the importance of having this technical knowledge along with the knowledge of the fundamental principles, theories and methodologies of teaching /learning ESL, through sample activities from the book I have chosen to use at the university, where I have been teaching ab initio pilots. Before, however, I would like to briefly describe my experience while teaching qualified pilots.

(In retrospect) most of the pilots that I had taught or who had looked for classes at our school were experienced pilots.
Their motivation to learn the language was always more likely to be extrinsic: to pass the English tests applied by the airlines as part of the recruitment process or for promotion, and more recently to pass the ANAC’s test.
Because there was a general assumption that these pilots knew how to communicate well using phraseology, our courses were geared to the area of English for General Aviation Purposes in order to meet their more urgent needs and wants . I describe EGAP as “ the language needed by pilots for briefings, announcements, flight deck communication; to communicate with maintenance technicians, flight dispatchers, managers and officials within the aviation industry, to interact with controllers when the standard phraseology is not enough or hasn’t been conceived yet for determined situations. “
Despite the fact that experienced crew has the background knowledge which can reduce the need of an ESP teacher to struggle to master highly specialized areas of aviation English, there are several reasons that influenced us to keep on looking for ways to improve our technical knowledge :
●to minimize any damage we can cause if we provide our students with inaccurate, misleading information or explanations;
●to contextualize the language items we aim to teach;
●to set work-related scenarios and therefore make the lessons relevant to the students;
● to create real-world problem solving situations, and consequently make the lessons meaningful for the students;
●to be taken seriously by the students;
●to foster materials’ face validity;
●to keep students motivated.

To become more specialized field is a task which is easier said than done. However, we can start by:
›attending simulator sessions;
›resolving our doubts by speaking to the most experienced pilots we know;
›reading specialist text books and flight magazines;
› relying on all available internet resources;
›working with SMEs ;
The ideal situation would be to have a SME in a classroom with us, but this it is impracticable from several points of view: time constraints, schedules, high costs. We realized that a coordination strategy (by consulting or employing an SME ) can work smoothly and effectively and that cooperation can be useful for both professionals - the ESP teacher will get more information about the needs for the target situations, while SMEs can become more aware of the students’ language problems.
In my present situation we are fortunate to work with three SMEs.We have regular meetings with a Training Captain who consults with us. We arrange our meetings according to his and our schedules. We also have two qualified and experienced Air Traffic Controllers as part of our teaching staff.
Some people believe that meeting the specific needs of experienced crew does not demand a lot of specialization in the subject matter because the teachers wont have to explain , for instance, what a secondary radar is, or how to select the runway numbers . The major concern during a class should be with language learning for practical communication tasks in day to day aviation communications.

I have selected one lesson to demonstrate how , to a certain extent , I agree on this point of view.

Sample Lesson :

MAIN FOCUS: REVIEW OF VERB TENSES

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

I. St is introduced to ways of checking the meaning of verb tenses

II. Present more controlled exercises to practice the distinction of verb tenses.

III. St is introduced to ways of providing practice


I- Read the report below and answer the questions:

1. How do we know that sentences 1, 2,7 and 8 refer to completed actions in the past?
2. How would substituting was doing and was trying by did and tried change the meaning of sentences 3, 4?
3. Would changing the first conditional for the second conditional alter the meaning of the sentence 13?
4. Is the choice of the modal must in sentence 11 crucial to the meaning of the sentence?
5. How do we know that the pilots made an error in sentence 14?


(1)Inbound to PHX on the EAGUL Arrival at FL 380, ATC issued : "Cross 15 miles

(2)east of SLIDR at 360." The First Officer and I discussed how best to set up the

(3) FMC to cope with the clearance. While I was doing the math and trying to enter

(4)the point 3 miles east of DOJOE, my First Officer was trying to delete DOJOE

(5)and create a new waypoint.
(6)We then cooperated our efforts and got the restriction correctly entered in the

(7)FMC ,but we neglected to set 360 in the altitude window. Late recognition and

(8) diagnosis of why the airplane did not descend at the appropriate point led to
(9) missing the crossing restriction. When the controller gives you a crossing

(10)restriction that is just 2000 FT below cruise altitude, there is very little time to

(11)correct a late descent. Automated descents must be carefully monitored to
(12) insure correct response .
(13)More focused attention just prior to top of descent would be key to timely

(14)corrections. An immediate descent would have also prevented the error at negligible fuel cost.


(OPTIONAL )

II -More controlled exercise to practice distinction among the verb tenses:

1. Finish the sentences :

a. If the pilot had set 360 in the altitude window ……………………………………
b. If the pilot had descended immediately …………………………………………….
c. If they hadn’t cooperated………………………………………………………………...

2. Worst Scenarios….

Complete the dialog with words/sentences that will best fill in the gaps.

Flight Attendant1: I smell burning coming from the air conditioning.
Flight Attendant 2 : You’d better notify the Captain. If you don’t notify him right now, the cabin will ____________________________.
Flight Attendant 1: I will check the galleys first.
Flight Attendant 2: If smoke _______________ the cabin, the passengers _________________
Flight Attendant 1: Ok, You’re right. I will report it to the Captain now.
Flight Attendant 2: If the Captain is notified about smell of burning in the cabin, he _________ probably ___________________________ .
Flight Attendant 1 : And if he ____________________ to divert, I ________________________ to make one announcement to the passengers.
Flight Attendant 2: For sure. And when the passengers _______________the news , they will probably get ______________________________ .

II – LANGUAGE OUTCOME / FLUENCY

■Which other tasks must pilots perform with close attention during a flight?
■Have you or one of your colleagues already had a similar situation?
■At the airline where you work, how would your superiors react if a pilot made such an error?


While teaching experienced pilots using this lesson, I would not have to explain to them , for instance, why not setting 360 had such consequences to the flight. However, without the help of an SME I would certainly have difficulty in setting an operational context from this text and preparing a lesson that would promote the practice of real life language for this situation. I am a believer that to do so, you must have the knowledge an SME does.
That is why I agree only to a certain extent that ESP teachers don’t need to be very specialized to teach qualified pilots.
Since I started teaching at Anhembi Morumbi University, where the students haven’t yet completely acquired this specialized knowledge, I’ve faced a very different reality.
The lack of both, operational and aviation English knowledge of my students was not the only thing that influenced my teaching approach. The classes are large and non-homogeneous in terms of command of English, and generally last for almost 03 hours. Their motivation to learn the language is also of another nature. It is more likely to be intrinsic. They like to study English, they know that it is important to have a good command of the language for safety purposes. And unlike airline pilots, they don’t feel under pressure to learn.
All of these findings led me to carry out a deeper learning needs analysis and also define how I would handle this new situation.
The first thing that I did was to select a course book.
I think that there are many advantages in adopting a book to teach large groups:
› Students like to work through a well-written book, and progress to a new one.
›The teacher does not have to constantly think about what to teach, how to teach, and which material to use.
› The syllabus of a course book gives students a sense of clarity and direction.
›Furthermore, the more content-based a course book is, the more motivated to learn the language students feel.
If the book doesn’t cover vital areas or contains irrelevant material you can supplement or omit parts of it to suit your classes, as I will demonstrate throughout this presentation.
However, as the book that I selected focuses heavily on lexical items, I also needed to develop a grammar syllabus , in order to certify that my students would learn the relevant vocabulary along with the necessary basic structures that will be required for clear communications in the flying environment .

Finally, I compiled a reference list of language teaching-learning theories geared to working with large multi-level groups .

Now, I will show you to what extent I really feel comfortable teaching my students at the university. This activity is part of unit 2 of the book Cleared for Take Off 1.

CFTO BOOK 1 - UNIT 2
Lesson Plan
Focus: speaking
Aim: review and introduce vocabulary in the context of airport layout / generate interaction and negotiation to facilitate language acquisition/develop learning strategies.
Vocabulary:fence/airportboundary/refuelingpump/holdingpoint/cone marker/windsock/threshold/markings/ stripes/run up bay/hangar roof
Other areas that can be exploited: comparative :bigger/larger/stronger/passive : is broken/ are closed/ possession x to exist : there is x have
Personal aims: Give learners the opportunity to practice new vocabulary items in spoken communication

Assumptions: students will be familiar with some vocabulary related to airport layout /students have learned comparatives and superlatives

Procedures

Before the students open the book

●Elicit from Sts the relevance of studying the layout of an airport and later compare their answers with the author’s answers.

● Brainstorming (to recall and reactivate language and vocabulary.)

What are the movement areas at an airport? /what are the non movement areas?/ What are airport signs used for? /Why should pilots pay attention to the surface markings? Where should cone markers be positioned and what for?

●Activity - group work - from the supplement material for teachers (power point). Students compare 02 airport diagrams and spot the differences between them. They write down their answers.



Why working in groups?

- it maximizes students participation
- students are more likely to help each other
- dominant students can only dominate a few students at a time
- everyone can be involved at their own level
- it promotes collaboration / keeps everybody more engaged
- students learn how to compromise/they negotiate meaning/they take more risks; more advanced students can also learn while explaining to a less able student/ they can provide good models of language performance in speaking;
- the teacher can also mediate and help weaker students

Why writing?

By spoken to written, or written to spoken use of the language, they will be practicing various language skills and it would be an opportunity for the students to refine and transmit the language they have learned so far.

Optional :

●Sts do the activity in the book (pages 02 and 03) or it can be assigned as homework.

●Language outcome

- Another airport diagram is shown in the Power Point(from the task 2.10 in the book)
-Students get together in pairs
-Students receive role cards and role play



HAND OUT - Role Cards

Runway 6/24 is shorter than runway 09/27.
Vrg 123 is approaching to land on rnw 24. The pilot detects a flap failure. They don’t extend. A is the pilot / B is the ATC. Prepare a dialog and include in it the comparative form of “long”.

Taxiway Charlie doesn’t support airplanes whose wing span width is 18 meters . You are Gulfstream xxx . You leave hangar 10 to take off from rnw 09 , and the ATC clears you to proceed via Alpha, then Charlie and Bravo. A is a pilot and B is the ATC. Use the comparative form of adjective “wide”

STUDENT A : You are the pilot of a xxx. You are taxiing to rwn 09 via Delta.
STUDENT B : You are the ATC. There are men working on Delta but it is not completely obstructed. You have to inform this to the pilot and advise him to reduce his speed. (use the adjective “slow” )

You are the pilot of GOl 221. While taxiing you notice that your engine is making a funny noise. You request atc to perform a check on the main runway but permission is denied because this is not allowed at the place. Request instructions to perform your check in the right spot.

ATC wind equipment is not working. You are ready to take off from rnw 27. ATC informs you about the malfunction and asks you if you are able to take off. Prepare a possible dialog between the pilot and the ATC (use the the word “windsock”)

You are Cessna 123. AtC clears you to take off behind an A 380. Complain and tell ATC why you are requesting to take off before the A380. Here you can not use the word “ jet blast”.




NOTE :

If while monitoring the groups I realize that the students are having difficulty in using the grammar/ vocabulary correctly, I assign extra vocabulary or grammar work such as :

a. Combine information from a dictionary definition or my own knowledge

1. It is the place where airplanes perform engine checks …………………..
2.It is the place where helicopters land ………………………………………

Or

b. Meaning in context – fill each gap with an appropriate word

Once an aircraft crosses the boundary between a non-movement area such as the (1) __________or ( 2) _____________ and a movement area such as a (3) ____________, the pilot must be able to confidently and correctly follow Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions in the same manner as when airborne. It is not easy to identify runways and (4) _______________ from the ground. Pilots need to be especially vigilant of signs and surface (5) ____________ to avoid accidentally crossing or entering an (6) ____________________runway, something which has contributed to many serious aviation accidents in the past.


Other ideas to work with the same diagram

After the students have completed the task of listening to the recording and drawing a line where the pilot is supposed to taxi, I can set up some OTHER scenarios in order to better explore this activity and create different opportunities for the target language outcome:

I ask for 2 volunteers to be the pilot and ATC. They have to make the red airplane take off from runway 27. For example, taxiway MIKE is the one that crosses runway 13.

Red airplane : ________________ (This is Cessna 123, ready to take off.)
Ground : __________________________ (Turn right and join taxiway Mike), hold short on runway 13.)
Red airplane :____________________( holding short on runway 13)

You can also practice the functions of confirming, requesting, clarifying , reporting , with some other situations:

And if the controller says: Cessna 123, turn right and join taxiway mike to runway 27?


Or

You landed on rnw 09 and vacated at the end of rnw 27. You are not familiar with this airport. Ground control contacts you:

Ground : Xxxx, turn left taxi to the ramp.

Continue this dialog.

You : _____________________ ( Negative. I am not familiar with this airport. Request progressive taxi)

Ground: _____________________________ (turn right on Mike taxiway, until the yellow hangar, then turn right until you reach Lima.)


To make the interactions of these groups contain some unknown elements so that they are not just rehearsed role plays I suggest this activity :

Using the same diagram of the previous activity:

Student A receives a slip of paper with has information that is different from student’s B.

STUDENT A: You are the pilot of a Cessna xxx. You are parked on the unpaved area. You intend to take off on rwn 27 via the taxiway Charlie.

STUDENT B: You are the ATC. There is oil spilled on taxiway Charlie. You have to give them instructions to proceed via another taxiway.

Or

Reporting position

You are the green plane, you are taxiing from the ramp to holding point of rnw 09. Student b is the ATC. The visibility is low and atc needs to know your positions while you are taxiing. You have to keep on informing where you are and what you are doing. Use the verbs: passing, entering,moving,leaving, holding,turning.



WORKSHOP ACTIVITY

I will hand out lessons/activities that I believe require a substantial knowledge of aviation terminology as well as operational procedures to be carried out by the teacher . I will ask you to get together and prepare a lesson plan for this activity. (PAG 116 /117 CLEARED FOR TAKE OFF BOOK 1 / PAGE 5 BOOK 2 ) If among the participants there are SMEs , I can separate them from the ESP teachers to compare, afterwards, how the lessons were planned.)


This is the key to this section. In English there are words and even grammar forms that are associated with certain aviation maneuvers (US = maneuvers). Not being skilled in understanding and producing these words will severely restrict the ability of the students to handle flight training conducted in English. So is the primary aim to prepare students to handle flight training by inducing them to acquire and practice the necessary language skills in context.

ingles para pilotos

Preparando-se para a Revalidação da Proficiência em Inglês

Durante os mais recentes eventos sobre o Inglês para Aviação em Roma, os assuntos que mais se destacaram foram os referentes à qualidade de cursos específicos de inglês e a eficiência dos testes de proficiência lingüística atualmente utilizados para avaliar os profissionais da aviação. (Flight Speak _W.A.M. E _ Where Aviation Meets English and Language Proficiency Requirements Implementation _ ICAO).
A introdução do Santos Dummont Assessment Test pela ANAC como o instrumento para mensurar o nível de proficiência em inglês dos pilotos brasileiros causou washback effects de naturezas distintas. O efeito washback ou backwash é um fenômeno bastante estudado no meio acadêmico e refere-se à influência que testes tem sobre os processos de ensino-aprendizagem.
Devido ao fato de a proficiência em Língua Inglesa de pilotos ser um requisito relacionado à segurança das aeronaves, passageiros e tripulantes, é condição sine qua non que os testes sejam validos e confiáveis, ou seja, que sirvam para o propósito ao qual foram concebidos - verificar se pilotos estão aptos a comunicarem-se com precisão nos contextos de trabalho.
Embora o Santos Dummont seja um teste bem elaborado, ele não julga de forma consistente o conhecimento e domínio que o piloto possa ter da fraseologia aeronáutica, pois ele direciona o avaliador a analisar mais detalhamente a proficiência do piloto no inglês geral.
Podemos considerar que esta deficiência do teste contribui para um washback effect negativo, pois sabemos que a fraseologia aeronáutica é a linguagem recomendada para a condução das aeronaves, tanto em solo como no ar, por ser a forma mais segura de comunicação entre pilotos e torre. Por ser uma linguagem não natural, artificial, e cujo uso é bastante restrito, precisa ser constantemente relembrada e praticada. O fato de os pilotos não precisarem demonstrar este conhecimento nas provas, pode levá-los a estudar apenas o inglês mais geral da aviação, o que poderia contribuir para mal entendidos ou emissão de mensagens errôneas.
Um conhecimento complementar de inglês é necessário para as situações nas quais a fraseologia aeronáutica não tenha ainda sido concebida ou não seja suficiente para garantir comunicações precisas e seguras.
Os prejuízos que a falta de um comando maior da língua causaram na aviação são largamente conhecidos. Tornou-se assim urgente o conhecimento dos resultados dos testes aplicados. Resultados insatisfatórios tem serias implicações nas questões de segurança e na própria vida profissional do piloto.
A elaboração de programas de treinamento que pudessem atender as necessidades de aprendizagem identificadas através desses resultados foi uma etapa natural deste processo. Com o aumento de cursos de inglês para aviação no mercado, pudemos vivenciar um outro washback effect, o qual a princípio mostrou-se positivo e benéfico, que foi o de uma grande procura por aprimoramento lingüístico.
Houve um empenho generalizado de professores e escolas de idiomas em adequar o conteúdo dos seus cursos e as metodologias de ensino utilizadas em sala de aula à forma e conteúdo do Santos Dummont Assessment Test para atender a esta nova demanda de ensino aprendizagem.
Os cursos de ESP (English for Specific Purposes) desempenham um papel importante na capacitação lingüística dos pilotos, o que os leva a obter uma performance satisfatória nas provas. Por outro lado, criam em professores e autores de material didático um dilema pedagógico de grande impacto - promover e facilitar o aprendizado da língua necessária para garantir comunicações seguras e precisas durante os vôos, ou ensinar a linguagem necessária para o sucesso nas provas? Isto se tornou, no decorrer do tempo, uma grande preocupação.
A tendência atual na área de ensino de inglês para aviação, a qual considero uma abordagem bastante consistente, é a de uma combinação estratégica de metodologias e material didático para atender as duas necessidades de uso da língua - para um bom desempenho na prova, e a outra para as tarefas profissionais. Professores conscientes de sua responsabilidade social e profissional precisam refletir sobre estes novos conceitos e adaptar-se a esta nova realidade.
Este ano de 2010 é particularmente importante porque muitos pilotos que alcançaram o nível quatro precisarão refazer a prova da ANAC. Algumas empresas já exigem o nível 5 para vôos internacionais. É preciso o preparo para mais este desafio. O material didático usado para capacitar os pilotos a níveis mais elevados deve contemplar os itens descritos na tabela da ICAO equivalentes a estes níveis. É preciso que o aluno domine estruturas mais avançadas da língua, que expanda o seu vocabulário, que melhore a pronúncia e as habilidades de compreensão e produção oral.
É também necessário que os pilotos entendam que o processo de aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira é longo, e que além de passar na prova, precisam estar linguisticamente preparados para as suas funções e tarefas profissionais. Os professores, por sua parte, devem lançar mão de todo o seu conhecimento de práticas e teorias de ensino e aprendizagem para manterem os pilotos motivados a continuarem estudando mesmo após serem considerados operacionais em inglês.

Aqui, então, vão algumas sugestões para os pilotos que precisarão refazer a prova da ANAC este ano.

■Você é bastante responsável por sua aprendizagem. Seja disciplinado. Não falte as aulas e não deixe de fazer o seu homework. Procure ler revistas especializadas, ouvir programas de rádio em inglês, assistir filmes sem legenda, navegar por sites especializados em aviação.
■ Não acredite em promessas de aprendizagem milagrosas. Alcançar o nível de proficiência em língua estrangeira demora. Não existem fórmulas ou atalhos.
■Não se empenhe em apenas memorizar frases que lhe possam ser úteis durante a prova. As avaliadoras da ANAC são treinadas para identificar discursos memorizados e para testar se as habilidades lingüísticas demonstradas pelo piloto são mesmo dominadas por ele ou se se trata apenas de fala ensaiada.
■Ao escolher um professor verifique se o mesmo possui um bom conhecimento do inglês para aviação e da sua profissão. Isto é um ponto essencial para que suas aulas sejam bem preparadas e para que você tenha suas necessidades de aprendizagem e uso da língua totalmente atendidas.
■ Analise o material que lhe é oferecido e verifique se nele está o que você realmente precisa para ambas necessidades - comunicações aeronáuticas seguras e para o bom desempenho na prova da ANAC. Pergunte a si mesmo qual o valor, a utilidade que o conteúdo que lhe é apresentado tem para você.
■ Analise se o professor o ajuda a criar uma imagem positiva sua como aprendiz e se o auxilia a desenvolver autoconfiança na habilidade para aprender.
■Certifique-se
A. de que sua sala de aula seja agradável e o ambiente, harmonioso.
B. se suas respostas são valorizadas pelos colegas e professor
C. se você é encorajado a usar a língua, mesmo quando tiver que arriscar o significado de uma palavra.
D.se você é estimulado a aprender com seus erros
E. Se você tem feedback das suas lições
F. se você tem apoio para estabelecer e alcançar as suas metas na aprendizagem do idioma
G.se o professor lhe auxilia a desenvolver estratégias para aprender.
H. se o professor explica o porquê de você estar aprendendo determinado item
I. Se o professor coloca desafios no seu caminho e lhe aponta como vencê-los.

Por fim, jamais esqueça de que você é responsável pela segurança e bem estar de todos a bordo. Ser proficiente em inglês é a garantia de que você será capaz de expressar-se sem constrangimentos ou dificuldades, e de compreender as mensagens que lhe são enviadas, podendo assim desempenhar as suas funções adequadamente.

Boa sorte,

About the author

Cybele Gallo - Aviation English Consultant and Teacher

She is an English teacher specialized in Aviation English. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and Language Studies from PUC/SP with a dissertation titled “English for Pilots: Analyzing the Target Situations Needs”, which presents the results of a needs analysis of the use of English by Brazilian pilots, with the aim at contributing to the teaching of English for pilots.
Since 1996 she has been developing exclusive materials and methodologies for the teaching of flight crews. She has also worked as a language examiner for the major Brazilian airlines and more recently for ANAC, as a certified English Proficiency Rater. Nowadays she is the director of the BHS English for Aviation School and a professor for the Civil Aviation Programme at Anhembi Morumbi University.
cybele.gallo@terra.com.br

skype : ciflyby