It is hard to expect quick and efficient "anglicisation" of the Russian population. In addition, in aviation it is not only about language, as such, we differ in mentality, approaches to solving problems of ensuring the safety of aircraft and systems. This is typical for both company specialists and aviation authorities.
Alexander Yavkin – Deputy General Designer of Beriev Aircraft Company", Chief Designer of the Be-200ES-Е.
A few days ago, on December 7, 2013, the head of the Federal air transport agency A.V. Neradko once again congratulated civil aviation workers and veterans on the International Civil Aviation Day in our country.
Unfortunately, many other employees involved in ensuring the functioning of the civil aviation industry, including designers and manufacturers of aviation equipment, did not wait for congratulations on this day. Meanwhile, ICAO-the initiator of the establishment of this official holiday of the United Nations-has always called and calls on all member States of this International civil aviation organization to ensure the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world, including various aspects of the organization and coordination of international cooperation on all civil aviation issues without exception.
The number one priority for all industry participants, as highlighted in the ICAO SMS, is safety. Since 14 November 2013 the provisions of the ICAO SMS have been extended to the aviation equipment designers.
Now, after the next plane crash, safety issues are on everyone's lips, and attempts are being made to solve the problem, mainly in organizations engaged in commercial air transportation, as well as training pilots of civil aircraft. At the same time, they seem to forget about the requirements of the ICAO SMS for an integrated approach to safety. The list of organizations subject to the requirements of ICAO standards in the Russian Federation is given in Federal law No. 260-FL of December 25, 2012 "on amendments to the Air code of the Russian Federation". And in this list, in addition to the organizations listed above, there are other participants in ensuring the safety function in civil aviation, starting with the designers and manufacturers of civil aircraft and including those who maintain and repair these very aircraft.
Omitting other aspects of safety, we can say that a significant contribution to the causes of accidents makes absolutely abnormal situation when civil aviation equipment in Russia, operated, maintained and repaired by people with very weak knowledge of the language in which the published technical documentation for this specific aircraft, that the aircraft "talks" during the flight or maintenance flight and maintenance crews.And while everything is going well, there is hope that the passengers of such a domestic flight as Moscow-Kazan, or similar, will not be killed in this flight. But if it happens, there come complications.
In discussions on safety issues, the question arises, and what to do – the planes are foreign. Are the Russians the onlyone which have foreign aircraft?All the goods we use, are of foreign production. But they are adapted for Russia, if bought in a civilized way. I drive a car manufactured by Toyota in Japan, with instructions and messages in Russian, I write this article on a Russified VAIO computer, using Russified programs from Microsoft. No one in our country or in the countries producing equipment is not surprised. Everyone knows that in Russia there is a "law on consumer protection" containing article 10. "Information about goods (works, services)" with a reference to the Decree of the RF Government dated 15.08.1997 No. 1037 establishing measures to ensure information in the Russian language on the imported non-food goods into the territory of the Russian Federation. Questions arise…
Why do people believe, that everything will be ok with aircraft someday/ somehow?
Or everyone in our aviation will begin to speak fluently, understand, read and write in English (the proposal of the Federation Council on the accelerated retraining of military pilots in three months-I wonder how many people have mastered in our country for such a period the language of Shakespeare?), or let foreigners flight the aircraft (government proposal), which no one will understand properly-neither in the crews nor on the ground.
And maybe in general to cancel the Russian language in Russian aviation? God with him, with Pushkin. Orshould we adapt the aircraft to Russia?
The last question, in my opinion, can not be perceived as a kind of humor, referring to the experience of other countries. It's not that simple. It is stated in the SMS Handbook: "2.6.13. In implementing the safety management programme, managers should carefully assess and take into account the differences in the national cultures of their employees. For example, beliefs about the risk factors of safety can be very different among members of different national cultures. Safety-related aspects, including information sharing, leadership style and the relationship of managers with subordinates, need to be addressed in a multicultural team”.
As you know, in the United States, Canada, Australia, for example, aircraft are operated in their native language. In many former British colonies, such as India, English is the second mother tongue for the elite who are associated with aviation activities. In Europe, Israel, the level of English language training, starting with family and school, is incomparably higher than in Russia. All those who studied the language unprofessionally, in the relevant language universities, know how much patience and time it takes to learn how to communicate and work in their professional field. Expect quick and efficient "anglicisation" of the Russian population hard. In addition, in aviation it is not only purely about language, as such, we differ in mentality, approaches to solving problems of ensuring the safety of aircraft and systems. This is typical for both company specialists and aviation authorities.
But is it possible to adapt the aircraft for the domestic Russian market, for state aviation, while maintaining the possibility of promoting the type to the international market?
Yes, it is. Moreover, this approach works. It is known that in 2010 Beriev Aircraft Company certified the type design of the Be-200ES-E aircraft in the IAC AR and validated it in EASA. But not everyone, I'm sure, knows that the Be-200ES-E has operational documentation in Russian, different from the English-language documentation adopted by EASA. It is important that the type design of the Be-200ES-E does not differ from the type design of the Be-200ES after making changes to the latter, agreed with the IAC AR, according to the results of validation in EASA. So, pilots of the Ministry of emergency situations of Russia in difficult conditions of application of the plane work in the native language that does not prevent us to show practically the same design of the plane with an English cabin to potential foreign customers. And all this is approved by both AR MAC and EASA.
Together with the designer of the electronic equipment complex – "NIIAO" – we solved the problem of installing on board both the SW Russian version and the English version. For certification works with AR IAC and EASA we use the same experimental aircraft with the register number 21512, on which Russian pilots fly with the Russian version, and European-with the English version.
Why the same approach can not be used by other designers of Russian aircraft, already guessing that their market is closer and friendlier, at least at the stage of formation of the Russian civil aviation industry? But it is easier to solve this problem with Russian components’ designers.
So, step by step, link by link, the joint real implementation of the SMS by knowledgeable and able specialists will not only improve flight safety in Russia, but also ensure the reorganization of relations between operators and designers of aviation equipment from various holdings, leading to the revival and development of the entire Russian aviation industry.