ATC Spanish?

[btritch]

I was monitoring the ATC bands tonight, Heard LOTS of stuff going on, Even heard a conversation carried on in Spanish! Was it another countries flight or just spanish american pilots!? I've never heard this before until now! Could I have heard an over seas conversation? What are the possibilities? THANX!

 

[crayon]

Although local languages are allowed for ATC comm's, ICAO standardized phraseology is in English for the world over. Assuming that you are at home in AR, you did not hear ATC chatter but rather some pilots simply talking amongst themselves.

 

[nycrich]

Depends on what freq you heard it on. Very common on 128.850-132.0 company freqs to have piltos talk to their company in their native language Eg Aeromexico calls in to Orlando, Miami, etc mostly giving arrival/departing messages in Spanish. If you are close to the Gulf area, like me in Tampa , I can hear pilots on regular ATC freqs speaking Spanish flying over Cuba. And as mentioned in the above tread, chit-chat with pilots when they are in close proximity to each other on air-to-air freqs.

 

[btritch]

well I'm not sure of the frequency BUT I do figure it was talking among pilots! Thanks Guys!