I never managed to get level 6 despite the fact that I’ve been actively speaking, writing and reading English for some 25 years. Every time general note was that I was hesitant when speaking which is actually the way I speak even my mother tongue. I simply am not talkative and carefully choose my words which is perceived as being unsure, at least by examiners.
Emir wrote:
I never managed to get level 6 despite the fact that I’ve been actively speaking
Most of the people commenting above, I’ve never met. But I have met Emir. If you can’t get a level 6, then there is something very wrong with the system!
You should have no problem at all.
Indeed.
Probably the main issue is that most ELP examiners are not native in English and struggle a bit. So they need to conceal that by being extra critical. It’s like if your initial IR test is done by an ex F4 pilot, versus by an ex [insert your favourite less demanding job]. The former will be more generous because he has nothing to prove. The latter prob90 joined up to be a fast jet pilot and failed. I can think of great examples of really difficult people who failed at more or less everything.
@Bordeaux_Jim is native English; he does Level 6 in France and I am not sure if he can do other countries.
I’ve met lots of people who should easily get Level 6, especially Germans.
Graham wrote:
I think the most important piece of RT idiomatic English is the substitution of fruit pastilles for hectopascals when reading back a QNH of less than 1000.
I know what Rowntree fruit pastilles are (and I love them), but I don’t get this joke.
It’s not really a joke, more that occasionally you will hear someone who fancies themselves as a comedian read back “QNH niner niner six fruit pastilles”. If said quickly it often goes unnoticed.
Another one at smaller airfields where the A/G operators are bored is “mess your passage”.
Ibra wrote:
Good to news that James can do IFR ELP6 now, I think that useful info should be updated here?
This document from Feb2022 still show Orly as the only center
I didn’t he succeeded to have students certified, but he may be aware of the possiblity to have ELP6 out of Orly.
Hello all.
A pilot from this forum alerted me to this thread.
Up until November 2019, if a French licence holder took their test with an approved organisation outside the DGAC (like mine), if we gave them a level 6, they would reduce it to a 5 on the pilot’s licence. This changed after intervention from EASA.
Under the DGAC testing system, most of the examiners ony hold level 5 themselves, so cannot assess above that level (except for VFR). This is why you used to have to go to Orly to get a level 6 for IFR, because that is the only place where they have level 6 examiners.
Thankfully, things have moved on since then. Through my website Lingaero, I organise ELP tests via video-conference, and our certificates are accepted by all EASA member states, for all levels including level 6.
I also see a lot of comments on here about people being surprised they didn’t get a 6 on a given test.
This is a very common theme in the industry, as assessment methods and interpretations vary vastly from one place to another.
If anybody is interested, here are a few videos I made on this topic:
Emir wrote:
Every time general note was that I was hesitant when speaking which is actually the way I speak even my mother tongue. I simply am not talkative and carefully choose my words which is perceived as being unsure, at least by examiners.
Same here. Next time I need to renew my ELP I’m going to have a beer before the test (for real). That will reduce the interference by my brain.
Bordeaux_Jim wrote:
except for VFR
Is this a French thing? This is the first time I’ve heard of a distinction between VFR and IFR for ELP.
An Austrian couple were holidaying here. Both speak perfect English with a slight accent. The lady is Scottish, but her English has no trace of a Scottish accent. Until we chat when we both gradually slip into our childhood dialect. :-)
