“But there is a big difference between ‘having German’ and having a certificate saying that you’ve got level 4 German.”
I don’t think so.
…
And, as was already said, how do we ever get German or French or Russian language proficiency stamped on our license?
Does your last comment not simply prove dublinpilot’s point?
@Jason: we all know that in most places of the world aviation talks English and only English. However I fail to see where ICAO favours English only. Again, I always learned that ICAO officially recognises three languages, and on equal grounds: English, Russian, French. Will be glad to learn better, though.
@bookworm: what do you consider dublinpilot’s point? As I reread this thread, he asked a question rather than making a point.
You can argue about this until you’re blue in the face 
If you fly into an FR-only airfield without the LP endorsement on your licence and the gendarmes happen to be there, they will probably take a dim view, which could go as far as confiscation of your aircraft. You can present them with whatever texts you wish, I doubt it will make a lot of difference. I have had this confirmed to me by the DGAC. And no, sorry, I can’t provide any proof. It’s just the way it is.
That’s a black and dark scenario and the odds are you’ll get a warm welcome and no trouble at all, but the risk is there.
Otherwise, I have to agree with Peter – I can’t see a great deal of use in learning phrases if you’re not comfortable with the idea of communicating ad hoc with other pilots in their own language if need be.
If you fly into an FR-only airfield without the LP endorsement on your licence and the gendarmes happen to be there, they will probably take a dim view
They can take any view they like, if you have ELP on your licence, you have complied with the EU Law which overides everything else.
I can’t see a great deal of use in learning phrases if you’re not comfortable with the idea of communicating ad hoc with other pilots in their own language if need be.
Since when has Aeronautical Communication had a provision for air to air communication ad hoc between pilots? Communication is with an aeronautical ground station or by transmitting blind. The whole point of standard RT phraseology is so that we can all understand even if its not our mother tongue. So long as we know the phrase, Downwind or Vent Arriere then we know precisely what it means.
Guys,
A few things being mixed up.
Nobody detests that at certain airfields in France, French will have to be spoken. It’s written in the French Radiotelephony Regulation and also appears in the French AIP (“fr seulement”).
The only controversy that exists is whether one is allowed to radio in French at a French airfield if one only holds the English LP.
I also agree that the wording of FCL.055 (as it is today) is in our favour, so once it comes to a court case, the chances are probably good that the pilot will win. However, it is also true that the French authorities seem to take a different view on that (like it or not); therefore, an encounter with the Gendarmes de l’Air might become unpleasant and cause a lot of hassle when on a trip.
BTW, a couple of years ago, allegegly someone within EASA said that FCL.055 would soon be changed to improve the wording and make it clearer (in the way that a French LP is required in order to radio in French), but I don’t know of any changes as yet. Also, AOPA et al are lobbying for the pilots, so that might be what currently cancels out the EASA efforts.
Since when has Aeronautical Communication had a provision for air to air communication ad hoc between pilots? Communication is with an aeronautical ground station or by transmitting blind
That takes it a bit too far, though.
The term Air/Air (A/A) makes it clear these are not blind transmissions but communication between air stations, not between a pilot snd his surrounding air 
. Air Stations, ground stations…
Tumbleweed, if you read the letter you linked to, you will see that France is declaring that as of the date ( in 2010 ) given France will actually be conforming…..
Small language difficulty?
Indeed,
but that does not change FCL.055 a):
shall not exercise the privileges of their licences and ratings unless they have a language proficiency endorsement on their licence in either English or the language used for radio communications involved in the flight.
The reason ICAO introduced ELP was as I said earlier to ensure a minimum standard for International operations following research into safety issues involving radio communication. It was not targetted at the VFR GA flying and was never intrended to inhibit movement. The ability to communicate in one of the languages of the Union has previously been covered by holding a FRTOL issued in one of the languages of the ITU:
ARTICLE 29 – Languages
171??
PP-06 1 1) The official languages of the Union shall be Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
Well it seems that wether it is legal or illegal to speak French in an French only airfield, it’s running a significant risk of lots of problems. To be frank, I don’t want a nice trip ruined by days/weeks in prision while the police and courts figure out wheter it was legal or not for me to use the aerodrome ;)
So that leads to an additional question. Is it legal to use these airports non-radio?
If not, does phoning up before hand to get permission to use it non-radio make any difference?
Is there any possibility to obtain LP in French for a holder of a german licence? Otherwise even with a factual proficiency, any small French or Belgian airport would be out of the question. And at least I’d rather visit the small fields, than the bigger airport as I don’t need much more than a grass strip and some fuel.
To be honest, this issue keeps me from flying to Belgium/France at the Moment.
