Cessna 152
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Communication Breakdown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure
All these pilots had substandard English speaking skills. Cessna 152 was especially unreadable. He landed at DLS and then came back later for more flight following to a destination what the D-Side and my self determined was TTD. Aircraft was southbound; however and I called traffic with company northbound. I could not figure out why the aircraft was not turning westbound toward TTD so I asked him his destination. A company instructor on a different aircraft spoke up and told me that the pilot was going to S39 not TTD. Now his route of flight made more sense. These pilots were out in full force today because the weather was nice. It was an unpleasant reminder that their substandard English speaking skills have not been properly addressed by FSDO; the flight school or the instructors before they let them out into the system. It is an exponential increase in workload with these pilots and there are times when controllers can't or refuse to provide service to them knowing the extra workload they can impose. Even then these pilots still don't always understand unable and that is a real problem! Pilots need some standard of measurement which is not 'biased' by any particular flight school or instructor. There is a huge incentive for the school and instructors to overlook substandard English speaking skills. What I understand is that these pilots are here for training only and when they are done they return to their home country. They pay many times more than the local students for their flight training so the propensity to overlook substandard English skills is very strong. FSDO needs to follow up again to insure standards are not being conveniently overlooked and that the flight school/instructors are held accountable for releasing substandard students into the system.
ZSE Controller voiced concern regarding the lack of English speaking skills of some student pilots in the area; the reporter noting that FSDO and the Flight Schools should be more forceful in ensuring English competency.