Posted on by — Leave a comment

Structure: ‘Nominalization’

What is nominalization?

Aviation journalism, airworthiness directives, and certification reports share a distinctive style: they rarely write “the crew completed the maiden flight.” Instead, they write “the successful completion of the maiden flight“ — converting a verb into a noun phrase. This process is called nominalization, and it is one of the most visible markers of formal English at C1 level.

Nominalization converts a verb or adjective into a noun or noun phrase. The result is denser and more analytical in register — a feature that runs through technical aviation prose from airworthiness directives to earnings calls.

Continue reading Structure: ‘Nominalization’
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Picture Description: Engine Inspection on the Stand

Aircraft maintenance engineers in high-visibility vests inspecting the open engine of a narrow-body airliner from a yellow access platform on the apron

Describe the picture

Look at the photograph above and describe what you can see. Try to speak for about a minute, moving from a general overview of the scene, to the details, and finally to speculation about what is happening and why. Use the words in the box to help you. If you are not sure how to structure your answer, read our guide on how to describe a picture.

cowling · nacelle · engine core · access platform · high-visibility vest · MEL

Continue reading Picture Description: Engine Inspection on the Stand
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Dassault Falcon 10X Completes Maiden Flight from Bordeaux

Dassault Falcon 10X business jet in flight over the French coastline during its maiden flight

On the morning of 19 June 2026, a brand-new Dassault Falcon 10X lifted off from Bordeaux-Mérignac on its maiden flight, marking a milestone for both the French manufacturer and Rolls-Royce. The two-and-a-half-hour sortie, which reached Mach 0.82 at 40,000 feet over the French Atlantic coast, formally opened the flight-test campaign that must precede certification — now targeted for late 2027.

Continue reading Dassault Falcon 10X Completes Maiden Flight from Bordeaux

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Listening: Clear Air Turbulence on Descent to Cairo

How to do this dictation

Play the audio and write down what you hear. You can listen as many times as you like. When you are ready, check the answer key to see the target sentences, and use the full transcript to read through the whole passage.

Continue reading Listening: Clear Air Turbulence on Descent to Cairo

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Listening: Pilot Incapacitation over the Alps

When a pilot suffers a sudden medical emergency mid-flight, the remaining crew member must take sole control and manage a rapidly evolving situation alone. In this listening exercise, you will hear an account of one such incident — from the moment the emergency begins to the moment the aircraft lands safely.

Continue reading Listening: Pilot Incapacitation over the Alps

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Structure: ‘The second conditional’

What would passengers do if cabin bags weren’t included?

The EU recently forced a major overhaul of air passenger rights — airlines must now include a cabin bag in their advertised fare. Here is a grammar question: how do we talk about what would happen if airlines didn’t follow that rule? We use the second conditional.

The second conditional describes a situation that is imaginary or contrary to present reality. It lets us explore hypothetical outcomes: “If airlines didn’t include a cabin bag, passengers would pay extra.”

Continue reading Structure: ‘The second conditional’