Weather, aircraft systems, emergencies, ground operations and plain English. Read the questions and teaching notes below, or answer the first set in the trainer.
Start practising in the trainerThe word fields a proficiency interview actually visits. The vocabulary rating is about range and precision, and about talking around a word you cannot recall, which is what the plain English group drills.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 11
V-WX-01
Your colleague says: "The weather at the destination is deteriorating." What is happening to the weather?
To deteriorate means to get worse over time. The opposite, getting better, is to improve. Both verbs appear constantly in weather briefings and in plain-language exchanges with ATC.
V-WX-02
Which word describes very small, fine water droplets that fall slowly from low cloud?
Drizzle is fine, light precipitation from low stratus cloud. A shower is short and much heavier, hail is ice balls from storm clouds, and sleet is a rain and snow mix. The near miss is shower: showers start and stop suddenly, drizzle is steady and light.
V-WX-03
A sudden change in wind speed or direction over a short distance, dangerous on approach, is called wind ___.
Answer shear (also accepted: windshear)
Wind shear is the standard term for an abrupt change of wind over a short distance. On final approach it can cause a sudden loss of airspeed, which is why pilots report it immediately to ATC.
V-WX-04
The forecaster says fog is expected, but right now there is mist. What is the difference?
Both are water droplets near the ground. By convention it is fog when visibility drops below 1000 metres; mist covers roughly 1000 to 5000 metres in humid air, and beyond that reduced visibility is reported as haze or simply good visibility. So mist means you can still see further than in fog.
V-WX-05
A pilot reports: "We encountered severe turbulence." What best describes severe turbulence for the people on board?
Severe turbulence causes large, abrupt changes and throws unsecured objects around; occupants are forced violently against their seat belts. The near miss is light turbulence, which is only a slight, rhythmic bumpiness.
V-WX-06
The tall storm cloud that produces thunder, lightning, heavy rain and hail is called a ___ (full cloud name, not the abbreviation).
Answer cumulonimbus (also accepted: cumulonimbus cloud)
Cumulonimbus (CB) is the thunderstorm cloud. Pilots avoid it because it holds severe turbulence, icing, hail and lightning. In plain English you can simply call it a thunderstorm cloud, but you should recognise the full word in briefings.
V-WX-07
ATC asks about the cloud. The base of the lowest cloud layer above the airfield is best called the:
The cloud base is the bottom of the cloud layer, the height where cloud begins. The cloud top is its upper limit. Ceiling is a related word: the lowest layer covering more than half the sky.
V-WX-08
Supercooled large water droplets strike the wing and spread back before freezing into a smooth, transparent sheet. Which type of icing is this?
Clear ice (also called glaze ice) forms when large droplets spread before freezing; it is heavy, smooth and hard to see. The near miss is rime ice, which freezes instantly into a rough, milky deposit. Hoar frost forms on cold surfaces in clear air, and dry ice is not an aircraft icing term at all.
V-WX-09
The wind is reported as "180 degrees, 18 knots, gusting 30". What does "gusting 30" mean?
A gust is a brief, sudden increase in wind speed. Gusting 30 means short peaks of 30 knots on top of the steady 18 knots. The trap is reading 30 as the steady wind; the steady value is the first number.
V-WX-10
When the sky is described as overcast, how much of it is covered by cloud?
Overcast means the sky is completely covered by cloud (eight eighths, or oktas). Scattered and broken describe partial cover; the near miss is broken, which still leaves gaps of sky.
V-WX-11
A very strong, concentrated downdraft under a thunderstorm that spreads out near the ground and can defeat a go-around is called a ___.
Answer microburst (also accepted: micro burst)
A microburst is a small, intense downdraft below a convective cloud. It produces sudden headwind then tailwind changes on approach. Windshear is the broader family; the microburst is its most violent small-scale form.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 11
V-WX-12
A controller passes: "Visibility 10 kilometres or more, no cloud below 5000 feet, no significant weather." Which single word from the METAR family summarises this?
CAVOK (cloud and visibility OK) means visibility 10 km or more, no cloud below 5000 ft (or the minimum sector altitude if higher), no cumulonimbus, and no significant weather. The near miss NOSIG means no significant CHANGE is expected: it describes the trend, not the current weather.
V-WX-13
You must describe rain that freezes as soon as it touches the cold aircraft skin. The correct term is:
Freezing rain is liquid rain that freezes on contact with a cold surface. It is one of the most dangerous icing conditions. English uses the -ing form here because the rain is still in the process of freezing when it hits.
V-WX-14
A line of thunderstorms with a sudden, violent increase of wind along its front edge is called a:
A squall line is a band of active thunderstorms. A squall itself is a sudden strong wind that lasts minutes rather than seconds; that duration is what separates a squall from a gust.
V-WX-15
At desert airfields, visibility can drop quickly because of blowing ___ raised by strong wind. (one word, the fine mineral particles)
Answer dust (also accepted: sand)
Blowing dust and blowing sand both reduce visibility in dry regions; dust is finer and can rise much higher. Either answer is accepted here. Haze, by contrast, is a thin suspension of dry particles that only softens visibility.
V-WX-16
The wind is blowing from the side, across the runway, during your landing. This wind component is called:
A crosswind blows across your path. A headwind is from ahead, a tailwind from behind. The trap is downwind: that is a leg of the traffic circuit, not a wind component.
V-WX-17
Which sentence uses "thunderstorm" vocabulary correctly?
The storm as a whole is a thunderstorm and is countable, so "a thunderstorm" works. Thunder, lightning and hail are the phenomena inside it and are uncountable in normal use, so "a thunder" or "a lightning" is wrong.
V-WX-18
Balls of ice falling from a cumulonimbus during a storm are called:
Hail means solid ice balls from convective cloud, and hailstones can damage the airframe. Sleet is a rain and snow mixture (in British English), and frost is a thin ice deposit on cold surfaces, not falling precipitation.
V-WX-19
When warm air is pushed up as a faster cold front catches a warm front, the result is an ___ front. (adjective)
Answer occluded
An occluded front forms when a cold front overtakes a warm front and lifts the warm air off the surface. Expect mixed cloud and precipitation. The word comes from occlude, to close off.
V-WX-20
You want to tell ATC the rain has stopped and the sky is clearing. The most natural plain-English report is:
"Clearing up" is the natural phrasal verb for improving weather. The wrong options break English grammar: "is ceased" mixes passive with an intransitive verb, and "stopped to rain" means stopped in order to rain, not stopped raining.
V-WX-21
Which of these words describes weather you cannot see through at all at night, formed by smoke particles in the air?
Smoke from fires can cut visibility as badly as fog. Virga is rain that evaporates before reaching the ground, and dew is moisture that condenses on surfaces overnight; neither blocks visibility.
V-WX-22
Ice, snow or slush on the runway is reported as runway ___. (one word: the general word for a surface that is not clean and dry)
Answer contamination (also accepted: contaminated)
A contaminated runway has standing water, ice, snow or slush on it. The word matters because contamination changes your landing distance and braking action, and you must be able to discuss it in plain English.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 11
V-TEC-01
The main body of the aircraft, where the passengers and cargo are carried, is the:
The fuselage is the central body. The empennage is the tail group, a nacelle is the engine housing, and a fairing is a smooth cover that reduces drag. Empennage is the classic near miss because both words sound French and formal.
V-TEC-02
The whole tail section of the aircraft, including the horizontal and vertical stabilisers, is called the ___.
Answer empennage (also accepted: tail, tail section)
Empennage is the technical word for the complete tail assembly. In a plain-English interview you may simply say the tail, but you should recognise empennage when an examiner or a manual uses it.
V-TEC-03
Which control surfaces, mounted on the wings, make the aircraft roll?
Ailerons control roll, elevators control pitch, and the rudder controls yaw. Slats are lift devices, not primary controls. Ailerons and elevators are the classic pair to mix up: remember elevators "elevate" the nose.
V-TEC-04
During the approach you extend surfaces from the trailing edge of the wing to fly slower safely. These are the:
Flaps extend from the trailing edge to increase lift at low speed. The near miss is spoilers, which do the opposite: they destroy lift and increase drag. Slats do a similar job to flaps but on the leading edge.
V-TEC-05
The wheels, struts and brakes that the aircraft stands and lands on are together called the landing ___.
Answer gear
Landing gear (or undercarriage in British English) covers the whole wheel and strut assembly. You retract the gear after take-off and extend or lower it before landing; those are the natural verbs to use with it.
V-TEC-06
A small extra engine, usually in the tail, that supplies electrical power and air on the ground is the:
The APU is carried on board and lives in the tail cone. The near miss is the GPU, which does a similar job but is an external cart on the ramp. The RAT is an emergency air-driven generator that deploys in flight.
V-TEC-07
Your airspeed indication becomes unreliable after flying through heavy rain and ice. Which small forward-facing probe has most likely iced over?
The pitot tube faces the airflow and feeds the airspeed indicator; when it blocks, airspeed indications go wrong. The near miss is the static port, which measures still air pressure: when it blocks, the altimeter freezes, the vertical speed shows zero, and the airspeed indicator also misleads in climbs and descents.
V-TEC-08
You need to tell ATC that the device that transmits your identity and altitude to radar has failed. That device is the:
The transponder replies to radar interrogation with your code and altitude. The trap options all begin with trans-: a transmitter sends your voice, a transducer converts one signal into another, and a transformer changes electrical voltage.
V-TEC-09
An uncontrolled loss of engine power in a jet, where the flame in the combustion chamber goes out, is called a ___. (one word)
Answer flameout (also accepted: flame out)
A flameout is when combustion stops in a jet engine. You would tell ATC in plain English: "We have had a flameout on the left engine and are attempting a relight." A relight is the attempt to start it again in flight.
V-TEC-10
The aircraft rotates around three axes. Nose up and down, wings rolling, and nose left and right are, in order:
Pitch is nose up or down, roll is one wing dropping while the other rises, yaw is the nose swinging left or right. Keeping the three words straight lets you describe any upset or control problem clearly.
V-TEC-11
The wing stops producing enough lift because the angle of attack is too high. The aircraft has:
A stall is the loss of lift at too high an angle of attack; it can happen at any airspeed. A spin can follow a stall but adds rotation. Flameout is an engine event, and an overrun happens on the runway, not in the air.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 11
V-TEC-12
Fluid escaping from a pipe or a seal, for example in the hydraulic system, is called a ___. (one word)
Answer leak (also accepted: leakage)
A leak is any unwanted escape of fluid or gas: a fuel leak, a hydraulic leak, an oil leak. The verb is to leak: "The left system is leaking." Being able to say what is leaking and how fast is core interview material.
V-TEC-13
The system that keeps the cabin air at a breathable pressure at high altitude is called:
Pressurisation keeps cabin pressure safe at altitude; losing it is a depressurisation. The near miss is ventilation, which only moves air around without controlling its pressure.
V-TEC-14
Which sentence correctly describes shutting down an engine as a precaution?
To shut down an engine is the standard collocation, and "as a precaution" is the fixed phrase for a protective action. "Close an engine" and "stop down" are not English collocations, which is exactly what the structure and vocabulary raters listen for.
V-TEC-15
The removable cover around an engine that mechanics open for inspection is the:
The cowling is the engine cover. A canopy is the transparent cover over a small aircraft cockpit, and a console is a control panel inside. All four start with c and confuse learners in listening tests.
V-TEC-16
Before flight in winter, ground crews spray the wings to remove ice. This procedure is called ___. (one word, with or without the hyphen)
Answer deicing (also accepted: de-icing, de icing)
De-icing removes ice that is already on the airframe; anti-icing prevents new ice from forming. The two words are a classic pair: de- means remove, anti- means prevent.
V-TEC-17
The panels on top of the wing that rise after landing to kill lift and help braking are the:
Spoilers spoil the lift, pushing the aircraft onto its wheels so the brakes work. Flaps and slats increase lift; tabs are small trim surfaces. The mental hook: spoilers spoil, flaps help.
V-TEC-18
Which is the most precise plain-English report of a flat tyre discovered after landing?
Precision is what the vocabulary descriptor rewards: name the part (tyre), its state (deflated or flat) and its position (left main gear). The other options communicate something but force the listener to guess the details.
V-TEC-19
The pilot flying moves the thrust ___ forward to increase engine power. (one word, the cockpit controls for engine power on a jet)
Answer levers (also accepted: lever)
Jet transport aircraft have thrust levers; propeller aircraft usually have throttles. Both words mean the cockpit controls for engine power, and using either accurately shows good technical range.
V-TEC-20
A red light and a bell warn of fire in the number one engine. The standard plain-English way to name this event is:
A warning is the formal alert the aircraft gives you; you then say whether it was a genuine fire or a false warning. Learning the noun pairs (fire warning, stall warning, gear warning) makes incident narration much easier.
V-TEC-21
The force that resists the aircraft's movement through the air is called:
The four forces are lift (up), weight (down), thrust (forward) and drag (backward). Drag is the one that resists motion; extending the gear or flaps increases it.
V-TEC-22
Which verb completes the sentence naturally? "After the hydraulic failure, we could not ___ the landing gear, so we used the alternate extension system."
Gear is extended (lowered) and retracted (raised). Expand and enlarge mean to make bigger, not to move a mechanism out. Collocations like extend the gear, retract the flaps, and shut down the engine are what raters mean by accurate vocabulary.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 11
V-EMG-01
Your aircraft is in grave and imminent danger and needs immediate assistance. Which spoken prefix declares this on the radio?
MAYDAY declares distress: grave and imminent danger needing immediate assistance. The near miss is PAN PAN, which declares urgency: a serious situation that does not yet need immediate assistance. "EMERGENCY" alone is not a standard prefix.
V-EMG-02
A passenger is seriously unwell but the aircraft itself is flying safely. You want priority handling. The correct radio prefix is:
PAN PAN is the urgency signal: the safety of a person or the aircraft is at risk but there is no grave and imminent danger. Escalate to MAYDAY if the situation becomes life threatening and you need immediate assistance.
V-EMG-03
Getting everyone out of the aircraft quickly using the slides is called an ___. (one word, the noun)
Answer evacuation
The noun is evacuation, the verb is to evacuate: "We are evacuating on the runway." Related words worth knowing: slides (the inflatable escape ramps) and the brace position passengers take before an emergency landing.
V-EMG-04
A controlled emergency landing on water is called:
Ditching is the aviation term for an intentional landing on water. Splashdown belongs to spacecraft, and water taxiing is what seaplanes do normally. "We may have to ditch" is the standard plain-English warning.
V-EMG-05
The cabin loses pressure suddenly at cruise altitude and the oxygen masks drop. This event is called:
Depressurisation (rapid or explosive when sudden) is the standard term for losing cabin pressure. It is normally followed by an emergency descent to an altitude where people can breathe without oxygen masks.
V-EMG-06
After the depressurisation, the crew starts an immediate steep descent to a safe altitude. This manoeuvre is called an emergency ___.
Answer descent
An emergency descent trades altitude for breathable air as fast as safely possible. Pronunciation trap: descent (going down) and decent (acceptable) differ by one letter and by stress. DESCENT stresses the second syllable.
V-EMG-07
You are too heavy to land safely and must release fuel in flight. The standard expression is:
Fuel dumping and fuel jettison both mean releasing fuel intentionally to reduce weight. A spill or a leak is accidental; that contrast (intentional versus accidental) is exactly the kind of distinction raters listen for.
V-EMG-08
A collision between the aircraft and a bird, usually on departure or approach, is a:
Bird strike is the fixed term. You report it in plain English: "We had a bird strike on departure, suspected damage to the right engine." Fixed collocations like this are quicker and clearer than invented phrases.
V-EMG-09
The approach is unstable, so the crew abandons the landing, applies power and climbs away. This manoeuvre is called a go-___.
Answer around (also accepted: go around, go-around)
A go-around is the manoeuvre of abandoning an approach and climbing away to try again or divert. It is a normal, safe procedure, and being able to explain WHY you went around is a favourite interview topic.
V-EMG-10
The destination weather is below limits, so you fly to another airport instead. You have:
To divert is to fly to a different airport than planned; the airport you go to is your alternate. The near miss is to deviate, which means to leave your route temporarily, for example around a storm, and then rejoin it.
V-EMG-11
Which transponder code do you set for a general emergency?
7700 is the general emergency code, 7600 means radio failure, and 7500 means unlawful interference (hijacking). A common memory hook: 75 taken alive, 76 radio fix, 77 going to heaven.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 11
V-EMG-12
ATC asks: "Say souls on board." What are they asking for?
Souls on board means every person on the aircraft: passengers plus all crew. The trap is counting passengers only. The phrase usually comes with "and fuel remaining", asked in time, not in litres or kilograms.
V-EMG-13
When the aircraft leaves the side or the end of the runway during landing or a rejected take-off, it is called a runway ___. (one word)
Answer excursion
A runway excursion is going off the runway surface. The near miss is a runway incursion, which is something entering a runway when it should not (an aircraft, vehicle or person). Excursion = exit, incursion = intrusion.
V-EMG-14
During the take-off roll, before reaching decision speed, the crew brakes hard and stops on the runway. This is called:
A rejected take-off (RTO), also called an aborted take-off, is stopping the take-off on the runway. "We are rejecting" or "stopping" is what a listener needs to hear. The other options are invented phrases.
V-EMG-15
You smell smoke but see no fire in the cockpit. Which report gives ATC the most useful picture?
State what you know (smoke), what you do not know (origin), what you see (no visible flames) and what you are doing (checklist). That four-part pattern is a reusable template for any abnormal report.
V-EMG-16
When the flight cannot legally continue to the destination and lands as soon as possible at the nearest suitable airport, the crew makes a ___ landing. (one word: unplanned, forced by circumstances but with time to prepare)
Answer precautionary
A precautionary landing is made before a situation becomes critical, while a forced landing happens when the aircraft can no longer stay airborne, for example after total engine failure. The difference is choice: precautionary is chosen early.
V-EMG-17
Fuel is running low. At which point should the crew declare "MAYDAY FUEL"?
MAYDAY FUEL is declared when the aircraft is expected to land with less than the planned final reserve fuel. Before that, "MINIMUM FUEL" tells ATC you can accept no more delay. Waiting for the engine to stop is far too late.
V-EMG-18
A person who takes control of an aircraft by force commits:
Unlawful interference is the formal term; hijacking is the everyday word. The near miss is an unruly (disruptive) passenger, who misbehaves without trying to take control of the flight. The two need very different responses.
V-EMG-19
Before an emergency landing, the cabin crew shout instructions and passengers bend forward with their heads down. This protective position is the ___ position.
Answer brace
The brace position protects passengers from impact. The command is "Brace, brace!". As a verb, to brace means to prepare your body for an impact; you may also hear "brace for impact".
V-EMG-20
Which sentence best describes a near miss between two aircraft in flight?
Airprox is the formal word for an aircraft proximity event; "avoiding action" is the standard phrase for the manoeuvre. The other options fail on vocabulary precision even though a listener might guess the meaning.
V-EMG-21
After landing with hot brakes, the crew asks the fire service to check the aircraft. The fire vehicles are often called:
Fire trucks, fire tenders or simply the fire service are all natural. Asking for an inspection ("request the fire service inspect our left main gear") is a classic non-routine radio call that mixes phraseology with plain English.
V-EMG-22
Which verb fits best? "Due to the medical emergency, we request priority and will ___ runway 26 directly."
To proceed to a point is the standard, neutral verb of movement in aviation English. It works for aircraft on the ground and in the air, which makes it one of the most useful verbs to master.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 9
V-MED-01
A passenger has collapsed and does not respond to voice or touch. The most precise word for their condition is:
Unconscious means not awake and not responding. It is stronger and more precise than "not feeling well". Pairing it with what you observe ("unconscious but breathing") gives medical services exactly what they need.
V-MED-02
A passenger briefly loses consciousness because of heat and dehydration, then wakes up. In plain English, the passenger ___. (past tense, one word)
Answer fainted (also accepted: collapsed)
To faint is to lose consciousness briefly; to collapse focuses on falling down. Both are accepted here. The contrast with unconscious is duration: a fainted passenger usually recovers in seconds or minutes.
V-MED-03
A piece of food is stuck in a passenger's airway and they cannot breathe or speak. They are:
Choking means the airway is blocked; it is life threatening within minutes. The near miss is coughing, which is the body clearing the airway and usually means air is still moving.
V-MED-04
A passenger has crushing chest pain spreading to the left arm and is pale and sweating. You suspect:
Crushing chest pain radiating to the arm or jaw with pale, sweaty skin is the classic description of a heart attack. You are not diagnosing; you are reporting signs. Saying "suspected heart attack" is exactly right.
V-MED-05
The portable electronic device on board that can restart a heart with an electric shock is a ___. (one word is enough)
Answer defibrillator (also accepted: aed, an aed, defib)
The defibrillator (often an AED, automated external defibrillator) delivers a controlled shock. Telling ATC "CPR is in progress and a defibrillator has been used" paints a complete picture in one sentence.
V-MED-06
A passenger's face is swelling and they have difficulty breathing after eating peanuts. This severe allergic reaction is called:
Anaphylaxis is the severe, fast, life-threatening allergic reaction; it is often treated with an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen). Hay fever and eczema are mild allergic conditions, the near misses here.
V-MED-07
At cabin altitude problems, a person deprived of oxygen may become confused, clumsy and euphoric. This condition is:
Hypoxia is oxygen starvation. The trap options share the prefix: hyperventilation is over-breathing, hypothermia is dangerously low body temperature, hypertension is high blood pressure. Hypo- means too little, hyper- means too much.
V-MED-08
A passenger feels sick in the stomach, as if they may vomit. The single adjective for this feeling is ___.
Answer nauseous (also accepted: nauseated, sick)
Nauseous (or nauseated) describes the feeling of wanting to vomit; the noun is nausea. "The passenger is nauseous and dizzy" reports two symptoms in five words.
V-MED-09
A passenger fell in the aisle during turbulence and their forearm is deformed and extremely painful. You suspect a:
A fracture is a broken bone; a suspected fracture is reported when the limb is deformed or cannot be used. A bruise is bleeding under the skin and the near miss for minor falls.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 9
V-MED-10
Hot water from the galley spilled on a passenger's hand, which is now red and blistering. The injury is a:
Hot liquid causes a scald, a type of burn. A cut is from something sharp, a sprain is a twisted joint, and a sting comes from an insect. Naming the injury type accurately guides the first aid.
V-MED-11
One side of a passenger's face is drooping, their speech is slurred, and one arm is weak. These are classic signs of a:
Face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty: the FAST test for stroke (Face, Arms, Speech, Time). Reporting "suspected stroke" with these three signs justifies a diversion in one sentence.
V-MED-12
A passenger is shaking uncontrollably with rhythmic jerking movements and is not aware of their surroundings. They are having a ___. (one word)
Answer seizure (also accepted: fit, convulsion)
A seizure (also called a fit or convulsion) involves uncontrolled movements and altered awareness, often from epilepsy. The plain-language report includes how long it lasted and whether the person recovered afterwards.
V-MED-13
Which report of an injury is the most useful to a doctor on the ground?
The strong report names the injury (deep cut), the exact place (right hand), and the current state (bleeding controlled). Where, what and how bad now: that structure works for every medical report.
V-MED-14
A pilot becomes unable to perform their duties in flight because of sudden illness. The formal term is pilot:
Pilot incapacitation means a pilot can no longer safely carry out their duties. It is a standard interview scenario: you should be able to narrate detecting it, taking over control, and arranging priority landing.
V-MED-15
You ask ATC to have an ___ waiting at the stand to take the sick passenger to hospital. (the emergency vehicle)
Answer ambulance
Request an ambulance and, when useful, medical staff to meet the aircraft. Include the passenger's condition, age if known, and whether they are conscious: that is what the emergency services will ask for anyway.
V-MED-16
Several passengers feel unwell after eating the same meal. The likely cause is food:
Food poisoning affects several people who shared the same food. An allergy is one person's immune reaction, the near miss here. The pattern (many people, same meal) is the clue that separates them.
V-MED-17
The feeling that the room is spinning, making it hard to stand, is called:
Dizziness, or vertigo when the world seems to spin, is a common symptom worth naming precisely. Drowsiness means sleepiness and numbness means loss of feeling; each points to different causes.
V-MED-18
Which sentence correctly uses "taken ill", the polite phrase cabin crew often use?
"To be taken ill" is a set passive phrase meaning to become suddenly unwell. It only works in the passive with be or has been; the active forms in the wrong options do not exist in natural English.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 9
V-GND-01
A tug pushes the aircraft backwards off the stand before engine start. This operation is called:
Pushback is the standard word for the tug moving you backwards off the stand. You request it from ATC or the apron service: "Request pushback." The other options are real English words but not aviation operations.
V-GND-02
Moving the aircraft on the ground under its own power, between the stand and the runway, is called ___. (one word, the -ing form)
Answer taxiing (also accepted: taxying, to taxi, taxi)
To taxi is to move on the ground under your own power; the surfaces you use are taxiways. Spelling trap: the -ing form is taxiing with double i (taxying also exists in British English).
V-GND-03
The open concrete area where aircraft park to load passengers and cargo is called the:
The apron (ramp in American English) is the parking and servicing area. The runway is only for take-off and landing, taxiways connect the two, and the threshold is the start of the usable runway.
V-GND-04
The person on the ground using illuminated wands to guide you onto the stand is the:
The marshaller gives visual signals to park you precisely. The near misses are real jobs: the dispatcher prepares your flight paperwork and the loadmaster supervises cargo loading, but neither waves wands at you.
V-GND-05
At complex airports, a vehicle with a lit sign may guide you along the taxiways. Pilots call it the follow-___ car.
Answer me (also accepted: follow me)
The follow-me car leads you when taxi routes are hard to follow. You still need your taxi clearance; the car is guidance, not a clearance. It is a nice example of aviation English absorbing a plain phrase.
V-GND-06
The document listing the aircraft's weight, balance and load distribution is the:
The load sheet shows weights and balance for the flight. The log book records the aircraft's technical history, the near miss here. Both are documents a proficiency interview may ask you to describe.
V-GND-07
Loose objects on the apron or runway (screws, stones, luggage parts) that can damage engines and tyres are called:
FOD stands for foreign object debris, any loose item that can be ingested by an engine or cut a tyre. Reporting FOD on the runway is a standard non-routine call, so both the abbreviation and its meaning are worth knowing.
V-GND-08
The wooden or rubber blocks placed against the wheels to stop the parked aircraft from rolling are the ___. (one word)
Answer chocks
Chocks hold the aircraft still on the stand; "chocks in" and "chocks away" mark arrival and departure. Pronunciation is like "chocolates" without the -olates.
V-GND-09
The truck that delivers fuel to the aircraft on the stand is often called a fuel:
A fuel bowser or simply a fuel truck refuels the aircraft; refuelling is the operation. During refuelling with passengers on board, extra safety rules apply, another favourite interview topic.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 9
V-GND-10
Before departure in freezing weather, a rig sprays heated fluid over the wings. This is done at the de-icing:
De-icing happens at a de-icing pad or bay, either on a dedicated area or at the stand. The fluid protects for a limited holdover time, a phrase worth using when you narrate a winter departure.
V-GND-11
A suitcase is found in the terminal with no owner nearby. Security calls it:
Unattended baggage is the fixed security term for luggage with no owner present. It can trigger an evacuation of the area. Unclaimed baggage, by contrast, is what nobody collects from the belt after a flight.
V-GND-12
A person hiding on an aircraft to travel without a ticket or documents is a ___. (one word)
Answer stowaway
A stowaway hides on board, typically in the hold or wheel well. The word appears in security briefings and news reports; the verb is to stow away.
V-GND-13
A passenger refuses crew instructions, shouts and threatens other passengers. The standard word for this passenger is:
Disruptive and unruly are the formal words for a passenger who endangers order on board. Restless or unhappy passengers are merely uncomfortable; the legal reporting category needs the stronger word.
V-GND-14
The airline receives an anonymous phone call claiming there is a bomb on your flight. This event is called a bomb:
A bomb threat is the standard term whether or not a device exists. The response involves searches, possible evacuation, and isolated parking positions. Being able to narrate this calmly is a classic Level 4+ interview task.
V-GND-15
The enclosed moving walkway that connects the terminal directly to the aircraft door is the jet ___ (or air ___).
Answer bridge (also accepted: jet bridge, jetbridge, airbridge, air bridge)
The jet bridge (also air bridge or jetway) connects gate and cabin. If it is unavailable, passengers board by stairs from the apron, often after a bus ride: useful contrast vocabulary for describing boarding.
V-GND-16
The external cart plugged into the aircraft to supply electricity on the stand is the:
The GPU is external ground equipment; the near miss APU is the small turbine on board the aircraft. Same job, different location: that distinction is a favourite listening-test trap.
V-GND-17
Which is the clearest way to report a vehicle problem during taxi?
Name the object (baggage truck), the action (crossing the taxiway ahead), and your reaction (stopping). Specific noun, specific verb, own intention: that is the plain-language pattern raters reward.
V-GND-18
Before every flight, security staff may carry out a ___ of the cabin to make sure nothing dangerous is hidden on board.
A security search (of the cabin, hold or a person) is the fixed term. Quest, hunt and chase are all real ways of looking for something, but only search collocates with security and aircraft.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 11
V-PLN-01
The controller instructs you to report a point. You answer "WILCO". In plain English you are saying:
WILCO is short for "will comply": understood AND will do it. The near miss is ROGER, which only means "I received your transmission" and promises nothing. AFFIRM answers a yes-or-no question.
V-PLN-02
You cannot accept a clearance to climb because of your weight. The standard word to transmit is:
UNABLE means "I cannot comply". Good practice is to add the reason in plain English: "Unable flight level 380 due weight." That mix (standard word plus a plain reason) is exactly the skill the test rewards.
V-PLN-03
The controller speaks too fast and you miss the message. The standard phrase asking for a repeat is: "___ again". (one word before "again")
Answer say
SAY AGAIN asks for a repetition; add "slowly" if speed was the problem. Plain-language equivalents like "please repeat" are understood but the standard phrase is faster and unambiguous, which is why it exists.
V-PLN-04
"STANDBY" from the controller means:
STANDBY means wait; it is neither approval nor refusal, and you should not read anything more into it. The classic error is treating it as a clearance. If the wait feels too long, simply ask again.
V-PLN-05
The controller says "EXPEDITE climb through flight level 100". In plain English they want you to:
EXPEDITE means hurry, do it without delay. Its opposite instruction is to climb "at your own convenience" or a plain request to take your time. If you cannot expedite, answer UNABLE with the reason.
V-PLN-06
For a yes-or-no question on the radio, the standard words for "yes" and "no" are:
AFFIRM is yes, NEGATIVE is no. "Affirmative" was shortened to AFFIRM because it could be confused with NEGATIVE on a weak transmission. ROGER and WILCO acknowledge instructions, they do not answer questions.
V-PLN-07
After landing you are told to leave the runway. The standard verb is to ___ the runway.
Answer vacate
VACATE means leave, used for runways and levels. Plain English "we are clear of the runway" reports the same fact after the event. Knowing both registers, and when each fits, is the point of this category.
V-PLN-08
"BACKTRACK runway 27" instructs you to:
Backtracking is taxiing on the runway against its active direction, usually to reach the start of it at small airports. It is not reversing; aircraft taxi forward while backtracking.
V-PLN-09
The controller says "ORBIT left". In plain English you are being asked to:
An orbit is a full circle, typically for spacing on approach. The near miss is the holding pattern, which is a published racetrack at a fix; an orbit is an improvised circle right where you are.
V-PLN-10
"HOLD SHORT of runway 08" means:
Holding short means stopping before the runway boundary markings and waiting for a crossing or line-up clearance. The trap is confusing ground holding (waiting at a line) with airborne holding (a pattern in the sky).
V-PLN-11
You want ATC to check and verify a value for you. The standard single word is "___ squawk 4571" for example.
Answer confirm
CONFIRM asks the other station to verify what you think you heard or what they meant. It is the polite tool that prevents readback errors from surviving; use it whenever anything sounds doubtful.
Answer this set in the trainer
Question 1 of 11
V-PLN-12
The controller says "MAINTAIN flight level 240". In everyday English, MAINTAIN means:
MAINTAIN means continue at, keep. The dictionary meaning "repair and service" (maintenance) is the trap; on the radio it never means that. "Maintain present heading" = keep flying this heading.
V-PLN-13
"REPORT passing flight level 150" asks you to:
REPORT means tell me, notify me. The everyday meaning (a written document) is the trap. "Report ready", "report the field in sight": all mean say it on frequency when it happens.
V-PLN-14
You call ATC with a long, unusual problem. The controller answers: "PASS YOUR MESSAGE". They mean:
PASS YOUR MESSAGE invites you to transmit the full content. This is the moment the exchange leaves standard phraseology and becomes plain language, exactly the transition the ICAO test is designed to measure.
V-PLN-15
Which situation most clearly requires PLAIN ENGLISH rather than standard phraseology?
Standard phraseology covers routine, predictable exchanges (readbacks, reports, acknowledgements). The moment a situation is unusual (medical, technical, security), no fixed phrase exists and you must build clear sentences yourself. That is why the licensing requirement tests both.
V-PLN-16
The standard phrase meaning "my transmission was wrong, here is the right version" is: "___, ...". (one word)
Answer correction
CORRECTION cancels the wrong words and replaces them: "Descending flight level 80, correction, flight level 90." Using it confidently shows exactly the self-repair skill the fluency and interactions raters look for.
V-PLN-17
"DISREGARD" from the controller means:
DISREGARD cancels the previous transmission entirely. It differs from CORRECTION, which replaces part of a message with new content. Plain equivalent: "forget what I just said."
V-PLN-18
A controller asks: "Say your intentions." The best plain-English answer structure is:
"Say intentions" asks for your plan: continue, divert, hold, land. A strong answer is short and forward-looking: "We intend to divert to Vienna, request descent and vectors." History goes second, the plan goes first.
V-PLN-19
"RESUME OWN NAVIGATION" tells you to:
After vectors (headings given by ATC), "resume own navigation" hands routing back to you: fly your own way to the next waypoint. The trap is reading "own" as a reference to your equipment rather than your route.
V-PLN-20
You need to slow down because of turbulence but no standard phrase fits. Which plain-language call is clearest?
Keep the standard skeleton (request plus a reason with due) and drop in plain words where phraseology has none. Options that are grammatical but vague or chatty cost time on frequency, which is what the raters mark down.
V-PLN-21
The phrase "I say ___" is used when you repeat part of your own message for emphasis or clarity, for example: "NEGATIVE, I say ___, negative."
Answer again
"I say again" repeats your own words; "say again" asks the OTHER station to repeat theirs. The direction of the request flips with two small words, a precision trap that listening tests love.
V-PLN-22
Why does the licensing requirement test plain English in addition to standard phraseology?
Phraseology is unbeatable for routine calls, but emergencies, technical failures and medical events need improvised, precise sentences. The assessment therefore checks you can leave the script without losing clarity, not that you can replace the script.
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