Archive for June, 2010
Word of the Week from Aviation English Asia.
Base Turn (noun)
Definition: A turn executed by the aircraft during the initial approach between the end of the outbound track and the beginning of the intermediate or final approach track. The tracks are not reciprocal.
Credit: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com
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Word of the Week from Aviation English Asia.
Threshold (noun)
Definition: The beginning of that portion of the runway useable for landing.
Runway Diagram
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English learning advice from Aviation English Asia.
Article written by Michael Egerton
In a previous article, Describing pictures in ICAO Aviation English tests we learned some techniques to describe pictures. One of the lexical sets we said was necessary was vocabulary to describe an aircraft. In this article we will focus on how to describe the physical structure of a fixed wing aircraft, and also cover some grammatical structures you can use to relate the information. Of course many pilots will already be familiar with these words but it is worth ensuring that you can use the words with correct grammar, eg prepositions.
Most aircraft have the following major components.
- fuselage
- wings
- empennage
- landing gear
- power plant
Describing the fuselage and substructure
The fuselage is the central structure of an aircraft and includes the cabin, cockpit and area for storing cargo. When describing the fuselage also consider the materials it is made of, and how it is constructed. You should also know the following vocabulary:
truss, longeron, members, tubing, cross-brace, monococque, aluminium, skin, formers, bulkheads, airframe
Structure: You can also use the following verbs to describe the fuselage. Be aware of the form of the verb eg feature / features, and also if there are any necessary prepositions that go with the verb.
- The truss-type fuselage is constructed of steel or aluminum tubing.
- The Warren truss features longerons, as well as diagonal and vertical web members
- Small airplanes generally utilize aluminum alloy tubing
- A monocoque design uses stressed skin to support almost all imposed loads
- The monocoque construction mainly consists of the skin, formers, and bulkheads.
- The substructure reinforces the stressed skin by taking some of the bending stress from the fuselage.
- On single-engine aircraft, the engine is usually attached to the front of the fuselage
- A firewall is made of heat-resistant material such as stainless steel.
Describing the wings
The main spar of a de Havilland DH60 Moth
Wings are attached at either the top, middle, or lower part of the fuselage and are referred to as high-wing, mid-wing or low-wing. You should know the following vocabulary:
bi-plane, mono-plane, external braces / wing struts, cantilever, semi-cantilever, spar, ribs, aileron, stringers, ailerons,
wing flaps, trusses, I-beams, leading edge, trailing edge, fuel tanks, faring, airfoil/aerofoil, flush, port, starboard, inboard, outboard
Structure: In addition to being able to identify the above parts of an aircraft, you should be able to describe it’s function. You can use the following structures:
- wing struts transmit the flight and landing loads through the struts to the main fuselage structure
- wing ribs determine the shape and thickness of the wing
- ailerons create aerodynamic forces that cause the aircraft to roll
- flaps are used to increase the lifting force of the wing for takeoff and landing
- The flaps are normally flush with the wing´s surface during cruising flight
Describing the tail-section (empennage)
The empennage includes the entire tail section, consisting of the vertical and horizontal stabiliser. Basic vocabulary to describe the tail section includes:
rudder, elevator, stabilator, trim tabs, antiservo , tail fin, inclining, forward swept/sweeping, livery, vertical, horizontal, leading edge, trailing edge,
Exercise: Describe the following picture using 5 of the words above.
Describe the tail section of this aircraft
Describing the landing gear
Aircraft can have different types of landing gear eg wheels, skis or floats depending on whether the aircraft is used on land, water or snow. When describing landing gear consider what that particular type of landing gear is designed for. Essential vocabulary includes:
nose wheel, tail wheel, tyres, tricycle, floats, skis, undercarriage, fixed gear, retractable, extending, wheel well, shock absorbers, pontoons, skid, conventional “taildragger”, tail strike, skid, tail bumper, spats, axle, wheel assembly, tracks, pivoting, steering,
Exercise: Describe the following pictures using 5 of the words listed above.
How would you describe the landing gear on this aircraft?
What stage of flight is this Airbus A330 in? How can you tell?
Advice for describing aircraft in ICAO English tests
There is a lot of vocabulary listed in this article, some of which you may already be familiar with – but learning English is not just a matter of remembering vocabulary. In order to communicate effectively in English you must be able to use vocabulary with reasonably accurate grammar. Try to create sentences using the structures presented above, or compare pictures of different types of aircraft. There are a lot of interesting pictures on websites such as airliners.net that you can practice describing.
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com. We can help you improve your English whether you are an experienced pilot, a cadet entry pilot, a controller, aerospace engineer or flight attendant, with custom courses designed specifically for your needs. If you haven’t already please join the Aviation English mailing list for instant access to free demonstration units of the ICAO Aviation English Online course, special offers and details of courses in your area.
Of course, feel free to leave a comment or even a suggestion for a future article. We value all of your feedback.
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English learning advice from Aviation English Asia.
A look at grammar and beyond to help flight attendants communicate with English-speaking passengers.
Written by Michael McBride
In this article, focussed on cabin crew English, we will examine language for making suggestions and advice to passengers on board. A flight attendant will be expected to have information about the origin and destination and to give information clearly and thoughtfully. We will look at grammar, examples, vocabulary and you will be able to practise with a visual scenario and a quiz at the end.
Giving advice – grammar for cabin crew
It is important to keep advice simple and clear. Modal verbs will be particularly useful.
- You should/must/have to + base of verb
- “You should visit the Tower of London.
However, be careful with the meaning. To offer a general suggestion use “should”, to be more emphatic (stronger emphasis) use “must” or “have to”. This is if you have a strong knowledge and experience of the place in question. Usually “must” and “have to” are used to talk about an obligation or necessity. “Must” and “have to” are slightly different – must is used to talk about an obligation where you have authority, whereas “have to” is use to talk about an obligation where the authority is coming from an external source, eg
- I must go home now I’m tired (it’s the speaker’s decision)
- I have to be at work at 8am (the obligation is from the employer)
You can use these phrases to exaggerate (make bigger) the importance of something, eg
- You must visit Harrod’s department store. It’s an essential destination for every visitor to London.
You can also use regular verbs to offer information.
- I recommend/suggest verb-ing
- “I suggest visiting the Empire State Building.”
These verb constructions possibly give more authority and formality, particularly with business passengers. Suggest and recommend are again slightly different – recommend is only used when you have had personal experience of something.
Remember you will probably be busy and have other important tasks, so keep it simple and clear. To offer more information use the linker because plus it is + adjective/phrases.
- ….because it is beautiful and well known.
If you do have time, you could ask short closed questions to show interest with the passenger and to make them feel more comfortable.
- “Have you been before?” / “Is this your first time in x ?”
Other communication techniques
Giving advice to passengers after they have asked you a question requires a friendly, approachable attitude. Even if you are busy you need to show you are happy to speak to the passenger with good body language and posturing.
- If you have nothing in your hand keep hands open and if the passenger is seated try and make full eye contact. You may consider changing your posture, eg bending downwards so they are not looking directly up at you.
- Gesturing involves your hands while you speak. When giving information it shows more confidence if you keep hands apart and move them from time to time.
- When asking the passenger a question to show interest remember to use rising intonation towards the end of the question. “Do you go there often?”
Vocabulary for cabin crew – how to remember and what to remember
When learning any new vocabulary you need to learn in groups or categories, for example:
- Parts of the aircraft
- Food and drink
- Safety procedures
- Tourist information
Also you should be realistic, for every lesson or day of study, only expect to learn and remember 5 -10 new words. You must decide what is the most important for your job.
The topic of this article is about giving information to passengers, and in particular this includes tourist attractions, so that is one vocabulary group. Now consider word families:
- a tourist / tourism / tour
- a sightseer / sightseeing / sightsee
- explore / exploration / explorer (e.g. Christopher Columbus)
Which part of speech are the above words, eg verbs, nouns or adjectives? When you learn new vocabulary it is helpful to write (n), (adj) or (adv) after each word to help you remember how they should be used. In time you will be able to recognise patterns between words. Also study the English words for the major tourist attractions in the country/city you are flying to. If you fly to Europe, for example, equip yourself with a little bit of knowledge of the top 10 tourist attractions, for example: –
The Eiffel Tower, River Seine, Louvre (Paris)
Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square (London)
English for cabin crew – practice activity
Picture scenario
Now look at the picture below, imagine the passenger is asking the flight attendant for information about what to do in London.
- What questions do you think the passenger will ask?
- Work out the answers to the questions as a cabin crew member. (Remember, grammar, intonation and body language)
- What do you think will happen next?
How would you answer her questions in English?
Now study the picture and describe everything you see including: –
(a) What are the names of the objects?
(b) What expressions (use adjectives) can you see on their faces?
(c) What body language and gestures are being used?
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s cabin crew courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com. We can help you improve your English whether you are an experienced pilot, a cadet entry pilot, a controller, engineer or flight attendant, with custom courses designed specifically for your needs. If you haven’t already please join the Aviation English mailing list for instant access to free demonstration units of the ICAO Aviation English Online course, special offers and details of courses in your area.
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Conan She
Michael Egerton
Michael McBride
Aviation English Asia Blog 