Part 2: The Aeronautical Information Publication and Its Purpose

Finally, a key learning objective: In your country (Austria, Germany, or wherever you're training), what are the authorized languages for aeronautical radio communications?

The ECQB objective requires you to list the languages commonly used in your training country. In Austria and Germany, that's primarily German and English. In France, it's French and English. In Italy, Italian and English. But in some smaller countries or at international aerodromes, there might be additional languages.

The second related objective asks: How are the authorized languages for a particular aerodrome control tower or ground radio station determined?

The answer: by the national airspace authority. In Austria, Austro Control decides which languages are authorized at Vienna Tower, Linz Tower, and smaller aerodromes. In some cases, a smaller regional aerodrome might authorize only German, while an international aerodrome like Vienna must authorize both German and English. The authorization is published in the AIP or as an AIC amendment.

As a practical matter, if you arrive at an Austrian aerodrome and try to call the tower in Italian, they'll probably ask you to switch to English (or German). That's because only German and English are authorized there. Conversely, at an international hub, you can expect English to be understood.

The exam tests whether you understand this: languages are controlled, authorized, and published.