Interesting links

Connected with aeronautical communication:

Background Information concerning ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements

ICAO's "Doc 9835, Manual on the Implementation of Language Proficiency Requirements” provides basic background information and can be found in: http://caa.gateway.bg/upload/docs/9835_1_ed.pdf . The “Circular 318-AN/180, Language Testing Criteria for Global Harmonization” then gives more detailed information in order to clarify good practice in language testing. Its draft is available on ICAEA's website under: http://www.icaea.pansa.pl/index.php?opis=On_LPR . Further information are accessible via ICAO's FAQ section. If you are interested in how a candidate performing at Level 3, 4 or 5 sounds like check the rated speech samples, which are supposed to set the standards, in: http://air.gtelp.co.kr/sample/samples.html.

Movies on accidents/ incidents with ties to language:

" Air China 981 at JFK Airport: problems with taxi clearance in English language"

[The URLs of the movies above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWDEIvjwaFU & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL_CMsBjT3Q&feature=related ]

"Other cases of low English language proficiency"

Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 (a case of ambiguous language use; pay spacial attention to 2:38 – 2:55)

[The URL of the movies above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICqPGkto3Yo&feature=related ]

NBC Dateline Aviation English Report, Part 1&2 of 3 (Unfortunately part 3 could not be found)

[The URL of the movies above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oUlz_vX1GY ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEojoOAnAaY&feature=related ]

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

[The URL of the movies above: http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=cODqluOTwtU & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvrbMjDvcX8 &http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTxGD1fCdMo & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY1FDZwqHvs ]

The following information are ordered depending on whether you are interested in:

applied linguistics, concerned with developing language tests, or
linguistics of English as a world language (English varieties worldwide, English as a lingua franca), or
studies similar to mine, or
analyses of aircraft incidents/ accidents, or
studies concerning Human Factors of aeronautical communication, or
some other ineresting web sites.

Information on language test development and management:

ABOUT LANGUAGE TESTING FOR AERONAUTICAL PURPOSES (SAMPLE TESTS)

Testing method of Eurocontrol – ELPAC (English Language Proficiency for Aeronautical Communication)

RELTA – RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) English Language Test for Aviation

TEA – Test of English for Aviation

English Proficiency Test for Aviation, or EPTA (from Korea)

VAET: Versant Aviation English test (Ordinate)

TELLCAP®- Test of English Language Level for Controllers and Pilots

ICAO Policy on Language Proficiency Testing

Other useful information on language testing

http://languagetesting.info/(very interesting videos, helpful for managing quality of language tests)

http://www.coe.int/T/DG4/Portfolio/documents/Guide%20October%202002%20revised%20version1.doc

http://www.emery-roberts.co.uk/en/articles-and-interviews/

Final Report on a Survey of Aviation English Tests by J Charles Alderson, Lancaster University

http://www.ealta.eu.org/documents/archive/alderson_2008.pdf

Information on linguistics of English as a world language (English varieties worldwide, English as a lingua franca)

Another movie gives eleven samples of various English varieties.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLuVAd52mgg

Note: The nationality of the respective controller apparently corresponds with the flags in order of their appearance:

Singapore/ Malaysia/ Thailand/ Hong Kong/ China/ Australia/ India/ France/ Pakistan/ Germany/ Russia.

To get an impression of the various forms of pronounciation amongst so-called "native speakers" of English (apart from non-native speakers using English as a foreign language whose form of English is influenced by their native language):

http://www.mouton-online.com/varieties.php (Note: register for its free demo-version)

Other sources

http://www.world-english.org/accent.htm

Information on studies similar to mine:

The perspective of the controller: David McMillan's private homepage (controller in Australia):

http://users.ssc.net.au/mcmillan/

Shri Rakesh Bhatnagar (Airports Authority of India/ Instructor in Civil Aviation Training College, Allahabad, India) gives a summary on McMillan's paper:

http://www.clubcontroltower.net/9sep2006/newsep06/Miscommunication.htm

A research proposal at the Purdue University by Kitty Campbell-Laird:

http://lairds.org/Kitty/Aviation_Communications/papers/Proposal

Organisations concerned with Aeronautical English

http://www.icaea.pata.pl (International Civil Aviation English Association)

Analyses of aircraft incidents/ accidents:

Archives of aviation accidents and incidents:

http://aviation-safety.net/database

http://atc-news.com/archives/category/air-safety-incidents/

http://airsafe.com/

http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/

Cockpit voice recordings and transcripts of accidents: