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ICAO LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY RATING SCALE

Level 1 - Level 3 -
Level 2 - Level 4 - Level 5 - Level 6 -
Pre- Pre-
Elementary Operational Extended Expert
elementary operational

Pronunciation – Structure – Vocabulary – Fluency – Comprehension – Interactions

Reading Comprehension
• Aviation reports (Pronunciation, Vocabulary)
• Answering question (Structure, Comprehension)

Speaking (P, S, V, F, C, I)
• Introduction
• Job (Procedures, Airspace)
• Weather (all phases of a flight)
• English (plain English, RTF)
• Human Factor (Stress, Teamwork)
• Emergency

Role play (P, S, V, F, C, I)

• RTF (Phraseology)
• Plain English (report emergency situation)
• Emergency situation (Emergency Response Procedures)

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AVIATION ENGLISH REVIEW

13 Characteristics of an Air Traffic Controller

1. Spatial awareness – the ability to mentally build a three-dimensional picture of where each
aircraft is relative to the others and to foresee any potential conflicts is one of many
characteristics an air traffic controller must possess.
2. Simultaneous capacity – multitasking ranks in the top tier of characteristics that air traffic
controllers must possess. Reading instruments, transmitting or receiving, and writing
simultaneously is just part of the routine of controllers on duty.
3. Excellent memory – the task of controlling aircraft requires air traffic controllers to
remember both distant are recent events, even thought these may be aided by memory
joggers. The multiplicity of air traffic control tasks competing for attention can easily
interfere with one’s ability to remember.
4. Respect for authority and the rules – aviation is a highly regulated industry, which
requires adherence to maintain safety. Regulations are the products of many years of
industry experience and conventional wisdom and are undoubtedly superior to any single
person’s judgment. Having respect for these will be a controller’s greatest asset.
5. Making decisions under pressure – air traffic controllers must think faster than an aircraft
can fly if they are to keep safety in the air. Decisions cannot be postponed when working
live traffic traveling at speeds as much as 8 miles a minute. Every wasted minute brings
conflicting aircraft dangerously close to one another.
6. Exercising effective personal authority – the word “control” can only have meaning if air
traffic controllers exercise their authority effectively. Being resolute earns a controller
respect and gives pilots confidence in his/her ability.
7. Paying attention to details – “never assume, determine” is a phrase that air traffic
controllers have repeatedly heard, and is synonymous with getting the details right. Like
making quick decisions, the lack or wrong assumption of some detail can lead to dire
consequences.
8. Visual-motor coordination – try playing a video game without this ability… the result will
be a resounding defeat. Controlling air traffic is like a complex video game, except that real
lives and millions of dollars worth of aircraft are involved. Radar controllers and aerodrome
controllers particularly must rely of visual-motor coordination for observing traffic and
issuing instructions accordingly.
9. Teamwork skills – a chain is as strong as it’s weakest link. That said, air traffic controllers
must work together like the proverbial chain to maintain the safe and orderly flow of traffic.
One blunder in the order can replicate itself throughout the chain. The defense mechanism
in place, however, is often sufficient to stymie the development of any problems.
10. Tolerance to frustration – this is easier said than done, but controllers cannot allow
extraneous issues to interfere with their performance. When a controller enters an ATC
unit, he must check all annoyances at the door if he is to carry out the exacting tasks ahead
on his watch.
11. Emotional stability – emotions almost always clouds one’s judgment, and air traffic
controllers must keep these at bay.
12. Willingness to accept criticism – an observer on the outside looking in is likely to be at
an advantage, and criticism of from him/her should be accepted. It is likely that controllers
can achieve the same objective using different methods, so it is wise to accept other points
of view.
13. Resistance to boredom – boredom leads to complacency.

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Introduction
1. What are your responsibilities at work as an ACC controller?
As an ACC controller, my responsibilities at work are:
 Control and monitor aircraft once they leave approach airspace;
 Control and monitor aircraft operating on air routes in my sector;
 Vector aircraft for safety and collision avoidance;
 Vector aircraft for weather avoidance;
 Assist aircraft in emergency cases;
 Inform necessary information to the pilot.

2. In your opinion, what are necessary skills and characteristics required to be a

good ATCO?
To be a good air traffic controller, I think ATCO should have the following skills
and characteristics:

Excellent memory:
 ATCO should have excellent memory because their task requires them to
remember the positions of all aircraft in their airspace.
Respect the rules:
 ATCO should respect the rules and regulations because aviation is a highly
regulated industry, which requires to maintain safety, and regulations are the
products of many years of industry.
Making decisions under pressure:
 ATCO must think faster than an aircraft can fly in the air.
 Every wasted of minutes brings conflicting aircraft dangerously close to one
another.
Paying attention to details:
 Like making decisions, the lack or wrong assumption of some detail can lead to
bad consequences.
Teamwork skills:
 ATCO must work to maintain the safe and orderly flow of traffic.
 They have to work in a team, each controller needs support from other
controllers to handle the traffic safely.

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3. How would you describe your job to someone who doesn't know anything
about ATC job?
 ATC job is a special job, ATCO has to ensure the safety of all flights from
departing at an aerodrome to arriving at the destination.
 They are well-trained people, they always work under pressure.
 They help the pilots to handle the emergency flights safely.
 It is a hard job, and not all people can do this job.

4. What are good things and bad things about your job?

The good things about my job are:

 We have good training, company training as well as oversea training.
 We have good working environment.
 We have good salary.

Besides that, there are some bad things about your job, such as:
 It is stressful job, especially when we encounter a high workload, bad weather,
and emergency situations.
 We have to work at night, on weekends and overtime.
 We have to take many tests a year.

5. Why should ATC take yearly training?

ATC job is a hard job with lots of responsibility, so yearly training is very important to
air traffic controllers.

Yearly training helps them improve their working skills. They are trained to handle high
workload traffic, bad weather situations, and emergency situations.

With yearly training, controllers are always ready to handle all difficult traffic situations.

6. How do you think about your job in the next 10 years?

I think that in the next 10 years, the air traffic will be busier with the increase of new
airlines. But I think that ATC jobs will be easier and air travel will be safer with the
application of new technologies in CNS systems and aircraft equipment.

C: CPDLC
N: GNSS
S: ADS-B

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7. What are the main purpose of ATC service?

The main purposes of ATC services are:
 Preventing collisions between aircraft, between aircraft and obstructions on the
maneuvering area;
 Expediting and maintaining an orderly flow of air traffic.

8.Tell the differences between controlling the aircraft in real situations and the
simulator.
 In the simulator, we are trained to do job better. We learn to handle high
workload traffic, bad weather situations, and emergency situations. In simulator
training, we can make mistake, we learn from our mistakes and we have the
opportunities to handle the situation again.
 In real situation, we should have rating for our working position. We should
follow rules and regulations strictly, and we are not allowed to make mistake.

9. Are there any differences between man and woman controllers in doing ATC
job?
There are no differences between man and woman controllers in doing ATC job
because they have the same working condition, same ratings, same working positions.
Women controllers have to take the same tests every year.

10. Is there any difference between ATC controlling aircraft in the air and
policeman controlling ground vehicles?
Yes, there is.
The air traffic controllers have to ensure the safety of all aircraft operating in their
airspace.
Air traffic controllers use voice communication to control the aircraft, and they can not
stop the aircraft in the air.

With ground traffic, the drivers are responsible for their vehicle.
The policeman uses traffic lights or their hands to control ground traffic, and they can
stop the vehicle when it violates the rules.

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11. Do you intend to spend your whole life as ATC?

Yes, I do. ATC is my favorite job, so I will spend my whole life as an air traffic controller.
But in reality, it depends on my health.
Every year my company performs the medical check for all air traffic controllers. If I
pass the medical check, I can continue my job.

Job
12. Do you have rating for all positions?
I have full rating, so I can work in all sectors in HCM ACC.

I like to work at SEC 2 most because it is the busiest sector, In sector 2 I can control
traffic taking off and landing at many airports in my airspace.

I have rating for all PLC positions, so I can work at all PLC positions.
I like to work at SEC 5 because it is easy, SEC 5 is in the Oceanic area, so aircraft
normally fly at their cruising flight levels. In SEC 5 I often monitor traffic flying on their
routes and flight levels and provide necessary information to the aircraft.

13. What information should ATC know before taking overwatch?

Before taking overwatch, I should know the following information:

 The traffic situation, including military operations, and VIP movement.

 NOTAM;
 The current weather conditions;
 The weather forecast;
 All notices at the controlling position;
 When everything is clear, I will start my working shift.

14. Could you describe some main factors causing misunderstanding between
pilots and ATC?
Some main factors causing misunderstanding between ATC and pilots are:
 Pilots or ATC don’t use ICAO standard phraseology;
 Pilots or ATC are not good at English language, especially listening and
speaking skills;
 Pilots or ATC have a heavy accent;
 Pilots or ATC read back or hear back

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15. What problem do you have when handling VIP traffic?

We have many difficulties when handling VIP traffic such as:
 The airport is closed 10 minutes before and after the ETA or ETD of VIP flight,
so all flights have to hold during this time, and this will increase our workload.
 We have to apply larger separation between the VIP flight and all other flights.
 We have to give priority to VIP flight, so this will change the traffic sequence in
my airspace.

16. During the years you are working for your job, the traffic volume is increasing
steadily, what do you do to improve your skills to cope with the situations?
To improve my skills to cope with the situation, I often do as follows:
 I study English to improve my English proficiency;
 I study hard in the simulator training course, especially practice handling high
workload traffic, bad weather, and non-routine situations;
 I often listen to advices from the experienced controller in my shift;
 I often study updated documents such as LOA, Procedures, and Regulations.

17. Could you describe the geography of the sector you are working at?
I am working in Sector 1, Sector 1 can be described as follows:

The lateral limit of Sec 1:

 The Northern boundary is adjacent to HN FIR;
 The Western boundary is adjacent to Vientiane FIR;
 The Eastern boundary is adjacent to Sanya FIR;
 The Southern boundary is adjacent to Sector 2;
The vertical limit of Sector 1 is from GND to FL460.

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18. Could you tell me the advantages and disadvantages of using radar in
comparison with using ADS-B?
To compare with using ADS-B, using radar has the following advantages and
disadvantages:

Advantages:
 Radar is more reliable, so we can use the minimum lateral separation of 10 NM.
With ADS-B we apply 30NM minimum lateral separation, so using radar is more
efficient.
 With PSR/SSR all aircraft are identified in radar cover. With ADS-B, only aircraft
equipped with suitable equipment can be identified.
Disadvantages:
 The coverage of radar is limited, so when aircraft operating outside the radar
coverage it cannot be identified. With ADS-B, the coverage is unlimited, so it is
very useful for use in Oceanic areas.
 Radar is expensive and often affected by weather. ADB-B is not expensive and
rarely affected by weather.

19. What do you know about RVSM?

 RVSM is implemented to reduce the vertical separation above FL290 from
2000ft minimum to 1000ft minimum.
 It allows aircraft to fly more optimum profiles, save fuel, and increase airspace
capacity.
 To fly in RVSM airspace, the aircraft must meet and maintain the altimetry
system performance requirements.
 Crews must be trained in appropriate procedures in RVSM airspace, for
example, contingency procedures.

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20. Are there any special applications for TCAS in RVSM environment?
Yes, ICAO recommends that aircraft should be upgraded their TCAS to the newer
version (TCAS Ver.7 or later) to operate in RVSM airspace.
The newer version will avoid RA at or above FL290.

21. If a pilot reported that he was following the TR of TCAS regarding potential
confliction, what would you do in this situation? Or
22. What would you do if the pilot informed you that he was following a
Resolution Advisory (RA)?
If encountered this situation, I would:
 Acknowledge the pilot message;
 Recognize the traffic situation;
 Ask pilot to report when clear of traffic;
 If it was a fault alert, I would inform the pilot and report the situation to my
supervisor.

23. Can you tell me something about TCAS and ACAS?

Different name but the same meaning.
TCAS enables the crew to see the location of nearby aircraft. It also provides Traffic
Advisory (TA) or Resolution Advisory (RA) when traffic conflicts occur.

If two aircraft are on a collision path, TCAS directs each aircraft to make a course
change. These instructions are called RA or Resolution Advisories.

If an RA says to ”climb”, then the aircraft must immediately climb. This is done without
any need for ATC clearance.

24. How many kinds of separation do you apply in your airspace?

We apply 4 kinds of separation in our airspace, they are vertical separation, lateral
separation, longitudinal separation, radar separation.

 With vertical separation, we apply 1000ft vertical separation for aircraft operating
at different flight levels or altitudes.
 With lateral separation, we required aircraft to operate on different routes or
different tracks from navigation aids, such as NDB, VOR/DME.
 With longitudinal separation, we apply the spacing between aircraft, such as time
separation, DME separation.
 With radar separation, we apply 10NM separation between aircraft operating in
radar environment at the flight level.

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25. Are there any differences between applying vertical separation in radar
environment and non-radar environment?
No, there are no differences between applying vertical separation in radar environment
and non-radar environment.
 With vertical separation, we apply 1000 ft vertical separation for aircraft
operating below FL290 and RVSM airspace.
 In non-radar airspace, we apply 2000ft vertical separation for aircraft operating
at or above FL290.

26. Can you apply Mach number control technique in the non-radar environment?
Yes, we can apply Mach number control technique in non-radar environment as well
as radar environment.
Give example of MNT in your MANOP.

27. Compare traffic on the ground and traffic in the air, which one is more
complicated in your opinion?
I think traffic in the air is more complicated because of the following reasons:
 Traffic in the air moving at high speed.
 We can not stop the aircraft in the air.
 Aircraft in the air relies on equipment more than ground reference.
 Traffic in the air is affected by the weather.
 In-flight, emergencies are more dangerous than on ground emergencies.

28. Can you tell me some advantages and disadvantages of voice communication
between pilots and ATC?

Voice communication has the following advantages and disadvantages:

The advantages are:
 Fast, and easy to use;
 Very effective in small airspace;
 Flexible, and suitable for handling abnormal situations.

Besides that, there are some disadvantages such as:

 Many cause misunderstanding because of accents of pilot or ATC;
 Frequency congestion in peak periods;
 Noise interference in bad weather;
 Call sign confusion when the callsign is similar;
 Limited coverage of VHF or HF stations.

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29. How do ATC control aircraft without using radar?

Without radar, we will control traffic with conventional procedures. Depending
on the situations we may apply appropriate separations, such as:
 Vertical separation;
 Lateral separations based on VOR/DME or NDB;
 Longitudinal separations based on time or DME.

30. Among the techniques of delaying action, such as vectoring, speed control,
or holding, which one do you prefer?

I think it depends on the situations in which we apply suitable techniques o delaying

action.
 If I have more time to delay traffic, I prefer speed control because the aircraft
can fly on their routes.
 If I need to delay traffic quickly, I prefer vectoring because I can have spacing
quickly.
 In bad weather situations or traffic congestion, I prefer holding because this will
reduce our workload, and keeping aircraft in safe areas.

31. Using speed control technique in comparison with using vectoring technique,
could you tell me the advantages and disadvantages of them?

To compare with using vectoring technique, using speed control technique has
the following advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages are:

 The aircraft do not deviate from their routes;
 Not increasing workload.
 Increase airspace capacity.
The disadvantages are:
 We can not achieve the spacing as quickly as vectoring;
 It depends on aircraft performance and flying condition;
So depending on the situation we will apply speed control or vectoring
appropriately.

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32. What do you know about airspace classification?

Airspace is classified into different classes, from class A to class G.

Depending on the class of airspace, ATC and pilot should follow appropriate rules and
regulations.
(Example)

33. What do you know about AIDC? Could you tell me the advantages and
disadvantages of using AIDC in comparison with voice coordination?
 AIDC stands for ATS Interfacility Data Communication. This is the data
communication between adjacent ATS Units.
 To compare with voice coordination, AIDC has the following advantage and
disadvantage:
 Advantage: Reducing misunderstandings between controllers.
 Disadvantage: Increasing our workload because we have to type the
message.

34. Nowadays with the development of aviation industry, the number of traffic is
increasing day by day, so in your opinion, what are the main problems that you
as an ATC have to face with?
The main problem ATC have to face are:
 Frequency congestion, many aircraft operating in airspace will cause frequency
congestion.
 Traffic delay, overcrowded traffic will increase traffic delay on the ground as well
as in the air.
 Weather.

35. What are some difficulties in controlling traffic in Sector 2?

Sector 2 is the busiest sector in HCM IFR. There are some difficulties in
controlling traffic in SEC 2, such as:
 There are many airports in this sector, so aircraft are always climbing and
descending;
 This sector is in the mountainous area, so the weather is complicated;
 There are many military operations in this sector;
 Traffic is always overcrowded.

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36. Can you tell me some advantages and disadvantages of using radar
separation?
Using radar separation has some advantages and disadvantages as follows:

The advantages are:

 Using radar separation increase airspace capacity;
 Reducing voice communication;
 Increase safety and efficiency.
The disadvantages are:
 We can not identify aircraft at lower flight levels;
 Radar systems are affected by weather, so in bad weather conditions, radar
system may be failure or there are many fault targets;
 Radar does not cover all our airspaces, especially in Oceanic areas.

37. With your experience at work, what are some difficulties in applying flow
control restrictions such as flow control requirements from Hong Kong, Pu Dong,
or Taipei?
There are some difficulties in applying flow control form Hong Kong, Pu Dong,
or Taipei because of the following reasons:
 The 15-minute restriction causes traffic overload in our Sector;
 There is only one transfer point so the restrictions cause traffic congestion in our
Sector.

38. What is the importance of PIPREP to air traffic controllers?

PIREP is very important to ATC as well as pilot.

 When pilot encounters a bad weather situation or danger in flight, he will report
it to ATC;
 ATC will inform this information to the following aircraft for avoiding.
 In some cases, ATC will change the route of all flights to avoid the dangerous
area.
 The dangerous situations may be extreme air turbulence, volcanic ash,
thunderstorms.

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Weather
39. Tell me some weather phenomena that affect aircraft operation?
Some weather phenomena that affect aircraft operation are:
 Heavy rain, thunderstorms, fog: these kinds of weather reduce visibility.
 CB cloud: aircraft may be affected by lightning when flying into CB.
 Wind shear: aircraft may overshoot or understood the runway when they
encounter wind shear.
 Air turbulence and typhoon affect flight operation at high flight levels.

40. How does climate affect flight operation?

Clime affects flight operations a lot:
 In cold climate, some kinds of weather affecting flight operations such as
snowstorms, icing conditions, hail,...
 In hot climate, some kinds of weather affecting flight operations such as heavy
rain, thunderstorm, microburst.

41. Can natural phenomena affect radio communication?

Yes, it can. Weather phenomena affect radio communication very much.
 Lightning may destroy the communication facility on the ground;
 Heavy rain, thunderstorms may affect voice communication quality, like noise,
radio interference, and so on.

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English

42. Is English proficiency important for ATC?

Yes, I think that English proficiency is very important for air traffic controllers,
especially listening and speaking, because of the following reasons:
 Pilots are coming from many countries, so at international airports, pilots use
English to communicate with ATC.
 Many accidents happened in the past because of poor English proficiency in
pilot–controller communication.
 If air traffic controllers are good at English they will improve aviation safety.

43. Do you think English can be a barrier for pilot and ATC communication? Tell
me some situations when English is a barrier?

Yes, I think so. English is our foreign language, so in some cases, it is a barrier in our
communication, such as:
 Pilot accents: Pilots are from many countries, they have different accents, so
when they speak too fast or use heavy accents it is very difficult to understand
what they mean.
 Not using ICAO standard phraseology: In some cases, the pilot doesn’t use
ICAO standard phraseology, so this may cause misunderstanding.
When this situation happens, I often ask the pilot to repeat or checking his messages
to make sure that I receive the correct information.

44. What are the differences between Phraseology and plain English?
The differences between Phraseology and plain English are as follows:
 Phraseology includes ICAO standard sentences that are clear and concise. ATC
and Pilot should use Phraseology in their voice communication.
 Plain English is general English, ATC and Pilot often use plain English in
situations that Phraseology does not cover, especially in abnormal or emergency
cases.

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Human Factor (Stress, Teamwork)

45. Do you prefer working in team or working alone?
Or
46. What are the advantages of teamwork?
I prefer working in team because there are many advantages of working in a team,
such as:
 Team members help each other to do the job.
 Cross-checking information.
 Support each other to handle difficult situations.
 Recognize mistakes of partners.
 Team members have the opportunity to learn from each other.

47. How do you and your colleague help each other in handling abnormal
situations?
My colleagues and I help each other in handling traffic in abnormal situations
very much. We can help each other by:
 Coordinating with concerned units;
 Cross-checking information;
 Supporting for difficult situations;
 Recognizing the mistakes.

48. Do you get stressed at work? How do you do to deal with stress?
Yes, I sometimes get stressed at work. When I get stressed I often do as follows:

 Take a deep breath;

 Have sufficient sleep before working;
 Drink water;
 Go out for walking;
 Inform WS to have someone to replace me for a short time;
 Take a short break.

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Emergency

49. When you are on duty, suddenly the direct line with the adjacent units was
failure, what would you do in this situation?
If I encountered this situation, I would do as follows:
 Use the standby facility; or
 Use the telephone to communicate with the adjacent unit;
 Use AFTN to send message;
 Use AIDC
 Inform my supervisor.

50. If you could not understand what the pilot of an arriving aircraft was saying
no matter how much he tries to talk slowly and clearly, what would you do?

If I encountered this situation, I would ask the pilot to say his intention, or I would ask
my colleague to communicate with the pilot.
We can use CPDLC;
Ask pilot touse ICAO Phraseology.

51. How do emergency aircraft affect traffic under your control?

Emergency aircraft affects other traffic under my control very much, such as:
 It often causes delay of traffic because we have to give him priority.
 It changes traffic sequence in my airspace.
 It increases our workload because we have to coordinate with many units to
assist the emergency traffic.
 In some cases, we have to close the runway because of emergency traffic.

52. During our years of working have you ever had any abnormal situation at
work? Tell me something about that.
Yes. I encountered an abnormal situation about depressurization.
 In this situation, the aircraft lost pressure, and the crew and the passengers
could not breathe, so the pilot requested an emergency descend to lower flight
level.
 I informed all aircraft in the area, and provide radar separation for all aircraft.
 After that, I called my supervisor for helping me to handle the situation.

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53. How do you handle traffic in depressurization situation?

If an aircraft declares emergency because of depressurization I will do as follows:
 Vector all preceding traffic below emergency aircraft for separation;
 Inform all traffic in the area;
 Request pilot intention;
 Inform my WS;
 Inform all relating units;
 Inform APP to prepare emergency services for emergency aircraft;
 Give maximum support to the aircraft;
 When no traffic conflict, I will inform other aircraft, and vector all aircraft back on
route.

54. In depressurization situation, why does pilot have to make an emergency

descent?
The pilot has to make an emergency descent because:
 There is not enough oxygen for passengers and the crew to breathe, so they
have to use oxygen masks.
 The oxygen masks can only help the people on board breathe in a short time,
so the pilot has to descend immediately to lower flight level.

55. Supposing that an arriving aircraft was coming to your airspace, and you saw
on the radar that the aircraft was squawking A7600. What would you do in this
situation?
OR
56. When you have an aircraft experiencing RCF, which procedure do you have
to follow?
This is radio communication failure situation. If this situation happened to me, I
would do as follows:
 First I would check to know that the communication failure was one way or two
ways;
 If it was one-way RCF, I would continue to control this aircraft and ask the pilot
to acknowledge by squawking indent.
 I would inform all concerned units about the situation.
 If it was two ways RCF, I would clear all aircraft in front of the emergency aircraft.
 Inform my WS.
 I would inform all concerned units about the situation.
 Monitor aircraft position on the radar.

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57. What would you do if the pilot of an arriving aircraft informed that a passenger
was suffering from a heart attack on board?
If I encountered this situation, I would do as follows:
 I would give aircraft priority, and ask the pilot’s intention.
 If the pilot requested an emergency landing I would coordinate with APP to
prepare all medical assistance for the aircraft.
 I would monitor and give maximum support to the aircraft until it left my airspace.

58. Have you ever experienced any emergency situations? Tell me about that?
A plane from Taiwan to HCM city had to land in Hong Kong as the smoke was
detected in the cargo compartment.
When VJ885 was in Hong Kong airspace, smoke was suspected in the cargo
compartment.
The pilot then requested to land at HK airport.
The plane landed safely and no smoke or flames were found on board.
There were no casualties. The fire department was investigating the cause of the
incident.
A VJ spokesman said it was a false alarm.
All the passages departed for HCM city on the same plane after hours of delay.

A plane from Ha Noi to Can Tho had to land in HCM city as the cockpit glass was
cracked.
Flight VN1201/A321 took off from Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi) to Can Tho, with
177 passengers and 7 crew members on board.
The flight was cruising at FL300 when the cockpit glass cracked. The crew decided to
land at TSN airport.
All passengers were transferred to another aircraft to fly to Can Tho on the same day.
The cause of the incident has yet to be identified. The aircraft was towed to the repair
workshop.

59. What would you do if the pilot of an arriving aircraft informed you that he was
being hijacked?
If the pilot informed me by squawking A7500, I would do as follows:
 Confirm that the pilot was squawking A7500 intentionally, if no reply, that meant
the aircraft was being hijacked,
 Do not use any message referring to the hijacking,
 Comply with the pilot’s request as far as possible,
 Vector all aircraft away from the hijacking aircraft,
 Inform WS,
 Inform relating units,
 Monitor and give maximum support to the pilot.

Updated 18th Dec 2020 19

 “KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE”

60. In ATC job, when you handle the traffic, suddenly the aircraft may call
MAYDAY or PAN PAN, so could you explain the difference between a MAYMAY
call and a PAN PAN call.
A MAYDAY call should be used for life-threatening situations, in this situation
the pilot needs immediate assistance. ATC should give the highest priority to the
aircraft in this situation. Some of the MAYDAY situations are:
 Loss of aircraft control;
 Aircraft structural failure;
 Engine failure that will lead to a forced landing/ditching/,
 Or an onboard fire.

A PAN PAN call should be used for urgent situations that are not immediately
life-threatening but require assistance from ATC on ground. These include:
 Becoming lost;
 Aircraft navigation system failure;
 Other emergencies that require immediate attention and assistance from the
ground (patient on board, bomb scare, bird strike,...)

61. In what way can a pilot let ATC know that they are in emergency?
 Normally, the pilot will inform ATC emergency situation by using voice
communication and he starts his emergency call with the words “MAYDAY” or
“PAN PAN”.
 In radar environment, the pilot may use emergency SSR codes such as A7700,
A7600, A7500 to inform ATC of his emergency situation.
 In CPDLC environment, the pilot may send a downlink emergency message to
inform ATC of his emergency situation.

Updated 18th Dec 2020 20