French vs English

[Wet spline]

Surprised no one has mentioned this yet....

http://www.icao.int/fsix/lp.cfm

http://www.icao.int/fsix/lp/docs/resolution.pdf

[2R]

Does anyone finds this ironic that the ICAO headquarters is in Montreal .Perhaps the language nazis of that province will pay them a visit for promoting a language other what they have approved

[Cat Driver]

Funny....I was once told in an MF frequency near Montreal, not to speak English because it was dangerous!
Different world out here. You have to be part of Quebec aviation to understand this.....

This has to be one of the most ignorant statements I have read in quite a while, no wonder this thread goes on and no with this type of mindset here.

[THEICEMAN]

This has to be one of the most ignorant statements I have read in quite a while, no wonder this thread goes on and no with this type of mindset here.

Ignorant statement? You know Cat, your a piece of work!
I am just telling you what happened last summer. Also telling others what the mindset is like here in Quebec. In other words reality!

[LH]

This subject used to annoy me greatly, but it doesn't now and hasn't for a very long time. I was based and flew out of Montreal for 10 years and worked with many French and Quebecois pilots and engineers. Now it makes me smile and laugh. Probably the largest majority of French were with the engineers. I say "French" and "Quebecois" because I very quickly found out that there is a distinct difference between the two. The major one being that the "French" scowl at the way "Quebecois" speak supposed French. They said they didn't know what they were speaking, but it wasn't any kind of "French" and they'd go on to give a bunch of examples where they were using English words for a whole range of nouns and verbs. I also found out that the High School French that I was taught was Parisian French and I'd be a lot better off learning what they spoke around places like Lac St. Jean, than downtown Paris because Quebecois speak a 'joual' or slang-type of French. That's fair because I've heard another form of that 'joual' down in Louisiana amongst the French there........but don't tell either group they aren't speaking French or else take-cover.

Suffice it to say that there was little love lost between the Quebecois and the French at my firm and if two groups were going to associate in anyway, it would be my English-speaking and Quebecois-speaking peers.

Flying? The vast, vast majority of the time it was English.....be that bad or good. The language issue was not a problem as far as I could see and I flew all over from Ungava Bay to YUL and Eastmain to Riviere Romaine. Every so often some bastard would be introduced into the mix from either side and then you had complications, but 99% of the time you could be flying around Ft. St. John, BC for all you knew. If one wanted to go looking for trouble on the issue though, you didn't have to search long or hard.

[linecrew]

Look.....if your going to be flying in a remote MF/ATF, where 95% of the radio is French, should you not speak French?

Perhaps info like this this could be noted under COMM in the aerodrome's CFS entry to allow people to decide whether they are capable of going in there safely (ie: can they understand the locals).

Would that be considered offensive? It's too hard to safely say anymore.

[small penguin]

linecrew you make a fair statement IMO. But I would think anyone flying into Quebec should be aware of the possibility that French does exist on the airwaves and be prepared for it.

[Liquid Charlie]

all this ever does --

[THEICEMAN]

Perhaps info like this this could be noted under COMM in the aerodrome's CFS entry to allow people to decide whether they are capable of going in there safely (ie: can they understand the locals).

Would that be considered offensive? It's too hard to safely say anymore.

I Agree...that might be a good idea!
Some aerodromes are just plain Quebecois zone. Many pilots won't even respond to you if you speak english.

Anyways....here is a list of English friendly airports in Quebec (results may vary):

CYUL, CYHU, CYND, CSS3, CYQB, CYBG, CYRQ, CYSC, CYFJ, CYRC, CSK3*(depends on the time of day, sometimes you get a couple of bilingual pilots, sometimes you don't)

After that, no guarantees that traffic Comm will be OK.
Use flight following when possible.....

[Ref Plus 10]

I vowed that I wouldn't get in to this one, but here goes:
If I'm going to an airport in Quebec, I'm going to speak English, not to be ignorant, but because it's the language I understand, and by broadcasting my position in English, I know I have not made a mistake, whereas if I were to try and speak French, I would most likely screw up, causing great calamity. I know enough french to know that when a guy coming from the south is at the field in cinq minutes, and I'm coming from the north, field in 5, there's going to be a problem. But at least i know I've correctly identified myself. After that, keep an eye open. That's all there is to it...or so I thought.

[lilfssister]

DIVISION VIII - RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS
Language Used in Aeronautical Radiocommunications

602.133 English and French are the languages of aeronautical radiocommunication in Canada.

Locations Where Services Are Available in English and French

602.134 (1) Any person operating an aircraft who wishes to receive the services referred to in this section in one of either English or French shall so indicate to the appropriate air traffic control unit or flight service station by means of an initial radiocommunication in English or French, as appropriate.



This lists the places where you can expect service from ATS in English AND French:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/CivilAviation/publi ... AnnexA.htm

Anywhere else: willl you get responses in English? Maybe, maybe not. The law does not require it.

Anyway, I think the original poster was talking about CYUL (?), where, if you don't speak the other language, you have to trust that ATC are doing their job correctly and pilots are doing what they are told, and look both ways before crossing the street...errrr...runway or taxiway.