Upon arrival at Sunrise Aviation each international student will receive an Aviation English Assessment. The purpose of this assessment is to determine the student’s English level so that the proper amount of assistance can be offered.
Studying Aviation in a foreign country can be challenging from the language perspective. Therefore, Sunrise Aviation offers a 2 week transitional Aviation English course, which is highly recommended for every international student regardless of the student’s initial English level.
This course includes introduction to radiotelephony communication between pilot and air traffic controller; aviation phraseology; it improves listening comprehension for safe operation in the air as well as on the ground; enhances grammatical structure; ensures intelligible pronunciation; assists with fluency and accent reduction; encourages interaction, and much more depending on individual needs.
This is an intensive content-based communicative course, built in accordance with ICAO language proficiency requirements. Realistic flight training scenarios and authentic training materials are used to ensure the student’s confidence in communicating with their flight instructor, weather briefer, dispatcher, air traffic controller (including handling of not only standard radio calls, but also unclear/non-standard clearances).
This 2 week course consists of 3 hours per day of classroom interactive training, and 1 hour computer based training (CBT).
“All speakers of English must demonstrate a minimum English language proficiency at ICAO Level 4 (Operational) in order to be fully licensed internationally”.
Aiming for Level 4 and beyond
Additional Aviation English training is available and strongly recommended for those students whose initial level is below ICAO 4. Training is conducted in 4 week blocks. Each block of training includes four hours per day of classroom instruction and two hours per day of CBT. This intensive communication course is an extension of the transitional course. A total of 120 hours of Aviation English training is included in each block. The goal is to improve the student’s English language proficiency and to help the student demonstrate the ability of using the language specific to all aspects of radiotelephony and other training related communication. The course will provide a solid foundation for flight training and career in Aviation. Students can attend FAA ground school and take flying lessons at the same time as they are participating in the Aviation English training.
Students rated at ICAO Level high 3 are recommended to take 1 block of Aviation English classes.
Students rated at ICAO Level mid 3 are recommended to take 2 blocks of Aviation English classes.
Students rated at ICAO Level low 3 are recommended to take 3 blocks of Aviation English classes.
Students rated at ICAO Level 2 may likely require up to 6 months of general English and Aviation English.
Aviation English individual tutoring
Aviation English individual tutoring is available at Sunrise Aviation. If the student feels the need to improve his or her language level, no matter what stage of flight training, individual tutoring is available to accommodate student pilot’s specific needs.
Language support has been found effective in preventing possible delays in flight training. At Sunrise Aviation, the Aviation English training is designed to complement your flight training. For students with significant language deficiencies, participating in Aviation English classes may actually reduce the total cost of flight training.
The Aviation English Course at Sunrise Aviation is taught by Ms. Marina Van Esselstyn. She has been teaching general and Aviation English to foreign students for over 6 years. Ms. Van Esselstyn is an experienced certified teacher of English to Speakers of Foreign Languages. Her experience involves teaching English in Europe, Middle East, as well as the USA. She has a Master’s Degree. Speaking 5 languages herself, she understands the challenges of effective communication in another language first hand. Aviation and languages have been long term interests of Ms. Marina Van Esselstyn.
