Aviation communication
Aviation communication is a crucial component pertaining to the successful functionality of aircraft movement both on the ground and in the air.
[1] During the early stages of aviation, it was assumed that skies were too big and empty that it was impossible that two planes would collide.
In 1956 two planes famously crashed over the Grand Canyon, which sparked the creation of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
This was initially seen as a very difficult task: ground controls used visual aids to provide signals to pilots in the air.
With the advent of portable radios small enough to be placed in planes, pilots were able to communicate with people on the ground.
The industry grew rapidly and ground crews initially relied on coloured paddles, signal flares, hand signs, and other visual aids to communicate with incoming and outgoing aircraft.
James managed to successfully increase the efficiency of wireless radio before he was shot down and killed by anti-aircraft fire on July 13, 1915.
Nonetheless, wireless communication systems in aircraft remained experimental and would take years to successfully develop a practical prototype.
These cut outs could also be used as a directional device to help pilots navigate back to friendly and familiar airfields.
[5] In May 1917, General George Squier of the U.S. Army Signal Corps contacted AT&T to develop an air-to-ground radio with a range of 2,000 yards.
Following World War I new technology was developed to increase the range and performance of the radios being used to communicate with planes in the air.
In December 1919 a year after the end of World War I, Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard, a senior officer in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) later Royal Air Force (RAF), produced a report on the permanent organisation and operations of the RAF in peacetime in which he argued that if the air force officer was not to be a chauffeur, and nothing more, then navigation, meteorology, photography and wireless were necessities.
Both the ICAO and the Federal Aviation Administration use alternative phrases, which is confusing to both native and non-native English speakers.
[14] Some of the earlier miscommunication issues included the limitation of language-based warning systems in aircraft and insufficient English proficiency.
[19] Avoiding or minimizing miscommunication could be achieved by standardized debriefing or an interview process, and following a checklist to supplement written data.
[21] The goal was to achieve standards that would eliminate communication error, language, and comprehension difficulties, all of which have been a major cause of operational airspace incidents.
Miscommunication between pilots and air traffic control is a prominent factor in fatal airplane crashes, airspace incidents, runway incursion, and mid-air collisions.
[15] ICAO also established the Language Proficiency Requirements to try to rectify multiple issues regarding accents, terminology, and interpretation in communication.
[23] The intention of the LPRs is to "ensure that the language proficiency of pilots and air traffic controllers is sufficient to reduce miscommunication as much as possible and to allow pilots and controllers to recognize and solve potential miscommunication when it does occur" and "that all speakers have sufficient language proficiency to handle non-routine situations.
