Technical review: Tim Hittinger, Language Proficiency Examiner (A-126-LPE)What does “aviation English” actually mean?
When pilots talk about “aviation English”, they often mean three different things:
- Standard ICAO phraseology: the coded radiotelephony formulas, from “wilco” to “say again”, and the read-back rules;
- Plain English (“plain language” in the regulations): the everyday English you use when phraseology is not enough – for example to describe a technical problem, report a passenger who feels unwell or make an unusual request;
- Technical English: the vocabulary of manuals, checklists and technical documentation.
For the language proficiency endorsement on your licence (FCL.055), the first two matter. What is assessed is your spoken communication: how well you speak and how well you understand. Your technical knowledge is not tested.
Phraseology or plain English: which do you need for your ICAO level?
You need both. FCL.055 says so explicitly: the minimum level must be demonstrated in both phraseology and plain language.
“The applicant for a language proficiency endorsement shall demonstrate, in accordance with Appendix 2 to this Annex, at least an operational level of language proficiency both in the use of phraseologies and plain language […]”
Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Annex I (Part-FCL), FCL.055(b) – EUR-Lex
Standard phraseology
Short, coded phrases that are standardised internationally. You use them in routine situations: taxi, take-off, climb, approach.
“Bologna Tower, India Echo X-ray Alpha Mike, holding point runway 30, ready for departure.”
Plain English
Your own sentences when phraseology does not cover the situation: a bird strike, a passenger who feels unwell, a misunderstanding to clear up.
“We think we had a bird strike on climb-out. All indications are normal, but we’d like to return and have the aircraft inspected.”
Plain English takes up most of our test. Phraseology appears in the read-backs and ATIS messages; picture descriptions, questions and the interview are in everyday English. That is why phraseology learned by heart is not enough on its own for Level 4.
Voice-only and face-to-face
The channel matters too. AMC1 FCL.055 provides for the assessment to include “voice-only and face-to-face situations”. In our online test, the examiner switches their camera off for part of the interview, so you only hear a voice – just like on frequency.
The six ICAO criteria: what does the examiner listen for?
The ICAO Rating Scale assesses your language against six criteria. Each one receives a level from 1 to 6, and your overall level is the lowest of the six – not the average. This is what matters in practice:
| Criterion | What the examiner listens for | An example |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | Whether you are easy to understand. A foreign accent is allowed: sounds, word stress, rhythm and intonation are what count. | You say “eading” instead of “heading”? Once is not a problem; if it happens all the time, the listener has to work hard. |
| Structure | Basic grammar under control: tenses, questions, word order. Some errors are normal, but they should only rarely interfere with meaning. | “Yesterday I have flown to Rome” is a typical error, but the meaning is still clear. Correct: “Yesterday I flew to Rome.” |
| Vocabulary | A vocabulary that is sufficient for common, concrete and work-related topics, and the ability to paraphrase when you are missing a word. | Can’t remember “de-icing truck”? Try “the vehicle that sprays fluid on the wings to remove the ice”. |
| Fluency | An appropriate pace, few pauses that break up your speech, linking words such as first, then, however, that’s why. | A short “Let me think…” is better than ten seconds of silence. |
| Comprehension | Whether you understand questions and messages, even with different accents or when the situation changes unexpectedly. | “What would you do if the weather at your destination got worse than forecast?” You need to catch the hypothetical and answer exactly that. |
| Interactions | Immediate, relevant answers; you can check, confirm or clarify, so misunderstandings are resolved without getting stuck. | “Sorry, do you mean the departure or the arrival?” Asking for confirmation counts in your favour – it is not a weakness. |
Simplified summary. The ICAO Rating Scale (Appendix 2 to Part-FCL, ICAO Doc 9835) is authoritative. You will find the descriptors for Levels 4, 5 and 6, criterion by criterion, on our page How the ICAO English test works.
Your weakest criterion decides. With Level 5 in five criteria and Level 4 in pronunciation, the result is Level 4. That is why it pays to find your weak spot and practise exactly that.
Where do Italian-speaking pilots typically struggle?
Sounds, tenses and prepositions work differently in English and Italian, and the traps are almost always the same. If you know them, they are easier to avoid – in the test and on frequency. Speakers of other languages will recognise some of them too.
Pronunciation: th, h, vowels and word stress
- The th sound does not exist in Italian: “think”, “weather” and “with” easily become “tink”, “wedder” and “wit”. Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth and let the air flow out.
- The initial h is almost always pronounced in English: “heading”, “hold”, “hangar”, “high”. Without the h, “hold” sounds like “old” and “high” like “I”. A few words such as “hour” and “honest” are exceptions. Watch out for the opposite mistake too: adding an h where there is none, as in “haltitude” or “hice”.
- Short and long vowels: “ship” and “sheep”, “live” and “leave”, “full” and “fool” are different words. In Italian, vowel length does not change the meaning – in English it does.
- An extra final vowel: “wind-a”, “check-a”, “speed-a”. You will still be understood, but your rhythm sounds less natural.
- Word stress: it is “AL-ti-tude”, “HE-li-cop-ter”, “COMF-ta-ble”, “de-TER-min” (not “deter-MINE”). Watch out for numbers in everyday speech: “fif-TEEN” and “FIF-ty”, “thir-TEEN” and “THIR-ty” are told apart mainly by stress.
False friends: they look Italian, but they aren’t
| English | Means | Don’t confuse with (Italian) |
|---|---|---|
| eventually | in the end, finally | eventualmente = possibly, if necessary |
| actually | in fact, really | attualmente = currently, at the moment |
| library | a place where you borrow books | libreria = bookshop, bookcase |
| sensible | reasonable, practical | sensibile = sensitive |
| to control | to steer, to keep under control (an aircraft, too) | controllare in the sense of verificare = to check |
| argument | a quarrel, a heated discussion; also a line of reasoning | argomento in the sense of tema = topic, subject |
| parents | mother and father | parenti = relatives |
| to pretend | to act as if something were true | pretendere = to demand, to expect |
| to attend | to go to, to take part in (a course, a briefing) | attendere = to wait |
A typical example from the interview: “Eventually we diverted to Bologna” means that in the end you really did divert to Bologna – not that you would have diverted eventualmente, i.e. if necessary. And before the flight, “I checked the oil”, not “I controlled the oil”.
Prepositions: don’t translate them word for word
- at the airport · on the runway · on final · in the air · on board
- depend on (not “depend from”) · arrive at / arrive in (not “arrive to”)
- wait for the clearance (not “wait the clearance”) · listen to the ATIS (not “listen the ATIS”)
- “Could you explain it to me?” (not “explain me”)
Present perfect or past simple?
In Italian, the passato prossimo is also used for events finished at a specific time (“la settimana scorsa ho volato a Olbia”). In English, if you say when something happened, you need the past simple:
- “Last week I have flown to Olbia.” → “Last week I flew to Olbia.”
- “I fly since 2015.” → “I have been flying since 2015.”
- “How long are you a pilot?” → “How long have you been a pilot?”
The present perfect is for experiences without a specific time (“I have flown into Innsbruck twice”) and for things that continue up to now (“I have had my licence for six years”).
Numbers and read-backs: tree, fife, niner
On the radio, numbers follow ICAO pronunciation and are normally spoken digit by digit; altitudes in thousands and hundreds of feet are an exception. 3 is pronounced “tree”, 5 “fife” and 9 “niner”.
| Written | On the radio |
|---|---|
| QNH 1013 | QNH one zero one three |
| FL 120 | flight level one two zero |
| 4,000 ft | four thousand feet |
| 3,500 ft | three thousand five hundred feet |
| 121.500 MHz | one two one decimal five |
| Heading 090 | heading zero niner zero |
| Squawk 4721 | squawk four seven two one |
In your read-back, repeat the key elements – such as runway clearances and instructions, heading, altitude or flight level, speed, squawk code and QNH – and finish with your call sign:
ATC: “India Echo X-ray Alpha Mike, descend to altitude three thousand feet, QNH one zero one three, turn right heading zero niner zero.”
Read-back: “Descend to altitude three thousand feet, QNH one zero one three, right heading zero niner zero, India Echo X-ray Alpha Mike.”
In everyday English, on the other hand, you say “three”, “five” and “nine” as usual, and use “point” for decimals: “one twenty-one point five”.
Mini-glossary: 20 terms English–Italian
Words that come up often when you describe a flight or a picture – with the Italian equivalent, useful if you fly or train in Italy, and an example sentence in plain English.
| English | Italian | Example |
|---|---|---|
| go-around | riattaccata | “We had to go around because of a vehicle on the runway.” |
| missed approach | mancato avvicinamento | “We flew the missed approach and asked for a second ILS approach.” |
| holding | attesa (circuito di attesa) | “We were holding for twenty minutes because of traffic.” |
| diversion | dirottamento o diversione su un altro aeroporto | “Fog in Verona forced us to divert to Bologna.” |
| alternate (aerodrome) | aeroporto alternato | “We always carry enough fuel to reach the alternate.” |
| bird strike | impatto con volatili (“bird strike” is also used) | “We had a bird strike on climb-out.” |
| de-icing | sghiacciamento (“de-icing” is also used) | “The aircraft needed de-icing before departure.” |
| icing | formazione di ghiaccio | “We climbed to get out of icing conditions.” |
| squawk | codice transponder | “ATC gave us a new squawk.” |
| clearance | autorizzazione | “We were still waiting for our departure clearance.” |
| read-back | collazionamento | “My read-back was incomplete, so the controller corrected me.” |
| holding point | punto attesa | “We stopped at the holding point and completed our checks.” |
| taxiway | via di rullaggio | “A fuel truck was crossing the taxiway in front of us.” |
| apron | piazzale | “Several aircraft were parked on the apron.” |
| runway incursion | incursione di pista | “A car entered the runway without clearance – a runway incursion.” |
| crosswind | vento al traverso | “The crosswind was close to our limit.” |
| gust | raffica | “Gusts of up to 30 knots made the landing difficult.” |
| wake turbulence | turbolenza di scia | “We waited a few minutes behind the heavy jet because of wake turbulence.” |
| engine failure | avaria motore (colloquially “piantata motore”) | “We practised an engine failure after take-off.” |
| forced landing | atterraggio forzato | “After the engine failure, he made a forced landing in a field.” |
Note: in Italian, “dirottamento” can mean both a diversion and a hijacking. In English, “diversion” is only the change of destination; taking control of an aircraft by force is “hijacking”.
How can you practise aviation English?
You don’t need a long course to get started. You can begin with 15–20 minutes a day – the key is to speak out loud. These are the exercises we recommend as examiners:
- Listen to real radio communications. In flight, in the simulator or in recordings of ATC communications: you get used to the pace, different accents and radio quality.
- Listen to ATIS broadcasts and take notes. Information letter, runway in use, wind, visibility, cloud, temperature and dew point, QNH. Then repeat everything out loud.
- Describe pictures out loud. Choose an aviation photo – an apron, a cockpit, a snow-covered runway – and talk for one minute: what you see, what happened before, what might happen next.
- Tell the story of a flight. A go-around, a diversion, a thunderstorm you had to avoid: tell it in two minutes, in the past tense. It is ideal practice for the past simple and linking words.
- Record yourself and listen back. On your phone, you will immediately notice long pauses, “erm”, extra final vowels and missing h and th sounds.
- Try the test format. Our free sample test covers all task types – pictures, read-backs, ATIS and interview – with radio-quality audio and model answers.
- Get assessed by an examiner. In a training session (€69, 45 minutes) you simulate the test and get a realistic estimate of your level; the PreCheck (€19, 20 minutes) is a quick first assessment. The person who trains you never examines you.
Try the test before you book it
Pictures, read-backs, ATIS and interview: every task in the test format, free and without an account. Your recordings stay on your device.
ICAO level, B2, C1 or IELTS: is there an equivalence?
No, there is no official equivalence table between ICAO levels and the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, A1 to C2) or IELTS scores. The tables you find online are estimates, not rules.
The reason is simple: the scales measure different things. The ICAO scale only assesses how you speak and understand in an aviation context, using six criteria with the lowest one as the result. General English certificates also assess reading and writing and have no aviation context.
For your licence, only one thing counts: language proficiency assessed under FCL.055 and endorsed on your licence – by ENAC, if you hold an Italian licence. An IELTS, Cambridge or similar certificate does not replace it – and an ICAO level, in turn, says nothing about your written English. To find out where you stand on the ICAO scale, the most direct way is a simulation with an examiner: training or PreCheck.
How is aviation English assessed in the online ICAO test?
Our test covers both components in about 30 minutes, live via Zoom:
- Part I: 14 tasks in plain English – describing and comparing pictures, answering aviation-related questions – then two read-backs of ATC instructions and, if you hold a licence, two ATIS messages. In the Level 4 only test you describe the pictures without comparing them and there is no ATIS; instead of the ATIS, student pilots listen to a short story and answer two questions.
- Part II: a 10–15-minute interview about travel, work or hobbies, including a voice-only phase.
- Rating: every test is rated by two people – the examiner and a language expert (LPLE) from LTB 112 – against the six criteria; your result and certificate arrive by email within 24 hours, usually the same day.
Aviation English is not the same as an English radiotelephony rating. The ICAO assessment certifies your language proficiency, but it does not replace the Italian rating for radiotelephony in English. If your Italian licence currently only covers radiotelephony in Italian, you need both. English radiotelephony vs language proficiency
Frequently asked questions about aviation English
Do I need technical English for the ICAO test?
No. The tasks have an aviation context, but what is assessed is how you communicate – not what you know about procedures, meteorology or aircraft systems. You need the words to describe common flying situations: the mini-glossary is a good starting point.
If I know phraseology well, do I already have Level 4?
Not necessarily. FCL.055(b) requires the minimum level in both phraseology and plain language, and most of the test is in plain English: descriptions, questions and the interview.
Will my accent lower my level?
Not in itself. A foreign accent is allowed at every level, including Level 6. What matters is that you are easy to understand. That is why sounds such as th and h, word stress and rhythm matter more than the accent itself.
Does an IELTS or Cambridge certificate count as an ICAO level?
No. Your licence requires an assessment under FCL.055 by a certified examiner or a Language Testing Body approved by a competent authority. There is also no official table that converts B2, C1 or an IELTS score into an ICAO level.
How long does it take to prepare?
It depends on your starting point and the level you are aiming for. If you use English regularly, getting to know the format with the free sample test may be enough. If you haven’t spoken English for a while, it is worth practising for a few weeks and asking an examiner for an estimate.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, Annex I (Part-FCL), FCL.055 – consolidated text on EUR-Lex: English · Italian
- EASA, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, AMC1 FCL.055 – easa.europa.eu
- ICAO Doc 9835, Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements (ICAO Rating Scale)
- ENAC, “Language Proficiency Requirements” page (online tests since 30 August 2022, in Italian) – enac.gov.it
- ENAC Information Note NI-2022-005 of 10/03/2022 (radiotelephony in English, in Italian) – enac.gov.it (PDF)
- Austro Control GmbH: lists of Language Testing Bodies, tests and examiners – austrocontrol.at
This guide is for information only and does not replace the official texts. The example sentences were written by us for practice purposes.