English for Air Traffic Controllers

Introduction

English for Air Traffic Controllers is an online course, consisting of 56 units of English, and providing approximately 60 hours of study for students.

Course aims

To give students at Intermediate, CEFR B1/Upper Intermediate B2 level practice in general and business-oriented language required for business contexts at this level, specifically tailored towards the specialisation of air traffic control. The course blends grammatical structures necessary for this level, with vocabulary, reading, listening, writing, speaking, and pronunciation.

Грамматика

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Use present and past tenses correctly
  • Use the appropriate conditional forms to talk about situations and consequences
  • Use the present perfect to describe a link between past and present events
  • Use going to and will to talk about future predictions and intentions
  • Use the passive form correctly
  • Distinguish and be able to correctly describe countable and uncountable nouns

Словарный запас

By the end of the course students will have learnt approximately 120 expressions used in air traffic control.

Skills

By the end of the course students will have had exposure to and practice in reading and hearing formal and informal English from a variety of accents and air traffic control contexts.

Unit summary

Module 1

  • Грамматика: Present tenses
  • Словарный запас: Key aviation and ATC terms
  • Чтение: A brief history of aviation and air traffic control
  • Прослушивание: An overview of the roles and responsibilities of air traffic controllers
  • Написание: My journey to Air Traffic Control
  • Выступление: Discussing experiences and motivations for working in ATC
  • Произношение: Anxious and Chess + connected speech

Module 2

  • Грамматика: Past tenses
  • Словарный запас: Basic ATC terminology and concepts
  • Чтение: Understanding the structure and organization of ATC
  • Прослушивание: Controllers and pilots communicating in routine situations
  • Написание: Crafting clear, concise, and informative ATC messages
  • Выступление: Practicing standard ATC phraseology
  • Произношение: Beats and Beach + connected speech

Module 3

  • Грамматика: Going to and Will
  • Словарный запас: Weather-related terms and phenomena
  • Чтение: The importance of weather in aviation and ATC
  • Прослушивание: Weather briefings and updates
  • Написание: Interpreting TAFs
  • Выступление: Summarising and reporting weather conditions
  • Произношение: Bet and But + connected speech

Module 4

  • Грамматика: Present perfect
  • Словарный запас: Airspace classifications and navigation concepts
  • Чтение: The structure and management of airspace
  • Прослушивание: Providing navigation instructions to pilots
  • Написание: Documenting and reporting route deviations and incidents
  • Выступление: Confirming and clarifying route information
  • Произношение: Bud and Bird + connected speech

Module 5

  • Грамматика: Countable and uncountable nouns
  • Словарный запас: Emergency situations and procedures
  • Чтение: Case studies of past aviation incidents and accidents
  • Прослушивание: Managing in-flight emergencies and coordinating assistance
  • Написание: Writing incident reports and debriefing statements
  • Выступление: Providing clear instructions and reassurance during emergencies
  • Произношение: Cart and Cut + connected speech

Module 6

  • Грамматика: First conditional
  • Словарный запас: Key ICAO terminology and concepts
  • Чтение: Understanding ICAO regulations and their impact on ATC
  • Прослушивание: Controllers and pilots adhering to ICAO standards
  • Написание: Reflecting on the role of ICAO in personal ATC experiences
  • Выступление: Discussing the importance of international standards in aviation
  • Произношение: Day and Ray + connected speech

Module 7

  • Грамматика: Passive
  • Словарный запас: Human factors and their impact on ATC performance
  • Чтение: The importance of managing stress and fatigue in ATC
  • Прослушивание: Controllers discussing challenges and coping strategies
  • Написание: Developing a personal plan for addressing human factors
  • Выступление: Sharing personal experiences related to human factors
  • Произношение: Guess and Yes + connected speech

Module 8

  • Грамматика: Second conditional
  • Словарный запас: Career-related terms and concepts
  • Чтение: Advancement opportunities and skills development in ATC
  • Прослушивание: Controllers discussing their career paths and future goals
  • Написание: Drafting a professional development plan for career advancement
  • Выступление: Setting personal goals and identifying areas for growth
  • Произношение: Hope and Hop + connected speech

Follow-up

Students completing the English for Air Traffic Controllers course should feel confident in tackling any upper intermediate course, including our Upper Intermediate Business Power course.