Notes from the flight deck of a language lesson
Short, practical pieces on the ICAO rating scale, plain English for non-routine situations, and what actually moves a descriptor.
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44% of pilots who sat ELPAC in 2026 stopped exactly at Level 4
EUROCONTROL's 2026 ELPAC figures show 44% of pilots stopping exactly at Level 4, against 19% of controllers.
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ICAO Level 4 to Level 5: how a first officer got there
ICAO Level 4 is the minimum to fly internationally. This post follows a first officer through the five hurdles between Level 4 and Level 5.
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Native English speakers should sit pilot language tests, study says
A study of a 20-minute runway blockage at Incheon argues the native-speaker exemption from ICAO language testing cannot be justified.
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Your ICAO rating is your weakest descriptor, not your average
The single most common reason confident speakers come out of an assessment with a 4 instead of a 5.
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When phraseology runs out: eight phrases worth owning
Standard phraseology covers the routine. Assessments, and emergencies, are built from everything else.
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How to practise listening with real ATC audio
A simple weekly routine using live and archived feeds, for crew who cannot find a teacher in their time zone.