English a common denominator at Red Flag-Alaska

  • Published
  • By Capt. Tana R.H. Stevenson
  • Red Flag-Alaska Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) --  Speaking in English is the common denominator for all players at Red Flag-Alaska, but for those whose native tongue is not English, this proves to be a challenge.

Non-English speaking pilots quickly become task-saturated as they process a large amount of information in a different language.

More than 80 aircraft and 1,500 servicemembers from six countries are flying together over the Last Frontier July 12 to 27 to sharpen their combat skill in simulated combat sorties.

"Besides flying our aircraft, we have to concentrate on listening to the radio in English," said Capt. Javier Cenzano, a Spanish F/A-18 Hornet pilot from the 12th Wing at Torrejon Air Base. "Ideally we could think in English, but we have to translate and that is very hard. It takes 80 percent of my brain cells to listen to the radio."

The aviators and support staff agree that common terms on the radios are, "Repeat ... repeat ... repeat" or "Say again."

"Sometimes repeating helps but if not, we try to switch to another agency to make progress," said Capt. Yoshinobu Satomi, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15J Eagle pilot from Hyakuri Air Base near Tokyo.

Missions have been successful, but radio communication has barriers.

"For Japanese, the l, r, b, v and 'th' are difficult to pronounce," Captain Satomi said. "On our first day of flying every tower I called on the radio called me a different call sign. I just accepted what they called me."

The Japanese participants were required to pass an English comprehension test before deploying here, but passing a comprehension test and speaking are different, the pilots said.

Communication is easier for those who train with English terms more frequently, but that is still not without challenges.

"We are used to using English terminology when we fly," said Col. Mustafa Ilhan, Turkish commander of the deployed F-16s from Konya Air Base and KC-135s from Incirlik Air Base. "The real barrier for us in not the language; it's the accent or how fast it is spoken."

"Hand signals are the best," said Airman 1st Class Melissa Endter, aviation resource management at the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. She checks final requirements and get signatures from aircrew before each flight. "Communication has improved throughout the exercise and it's been fun. It makes me want to learn different languages."

The challenge for these aviators also sweetens the reward.

"This exercise gives you a lot of confidence in yourself," Captain Cenzano said. "The bottom line is that when you leave, you have improved your survival and fighting capabilities in the most realistic scenario you can get. We know that in NATO or joint operations this is the way we will fly."

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