Episodes

  • 16 - Fault versus Failure - Aviation English Beyond The Checklist (MU5406/CES5406)

    16 - Fault versus Failure - Aviation English Beyond The Checklist (MU5406/CES5406)
    May 31 2026
    In this episode, I explore the subtle but operationally critical distinction between a fault and a failure, inspired by a real-world Airbus A350 arrival in Shanghai (MU5406/CES5406) involving cascading system alerts and a subsequent loss of braking.You’ll learn:
    ✈️ how aviation English distinguishes between manageable system degradation and a total loss of function
    ✈️ why accurate terminology dictates emergency response, checklist compliance, and official safety logging
    ✈️ how terms like execute a normal landing, cascading faults, and memory items elevate your ICAO Level 5–6 precision

    This episode goes beyond vocabulary lists and checklists. It’s about choosing words that match reality, responsibility, and risk — exactly what ICAO examiners listen for.
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    4 mins
  • 15 - General Aviation: The Invisible Backbone

    15 - General Aviation: The Invisible Backbone
    May 17 2026
    When we look at the sky, we see the giants at the gate—the Boeings and the Airbuses. But the foundation they stand on is built by something else entirely.

    In this episode of Revise Before Flight, we strip away the airline gloss to analyze the "Invisible Backbone" of global aerospace: General Aviation (GA).Accounting for over 90% of all civil aircraft in the skies, GA is not a recreational hobby—it is a sophisticated economic engine, a technological incubator, and a vital humanitarian lifeline.

    Using operational data, we break down how the aviation infrastructure relies on GA for everything from sustaining food security to securing the medical "Golden Hour." We also explore how light aircraft serve as the essential testing ground for sustainable propulsion (electrification and hydrogen fuel cells) and the baseline for professional ab initio flight training.
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    9 mins
  • 14 - Decision Making & Professionalism: Phrases for Aborting & Diverting (KM 478)

    14 - Decision Making & Professionalism: Phrases for Aborting & Diverting (KM 478)
    Apr 26 2026
    In this episode, I explore a real-world operational event involving Air Malta Flight KM-478, where a crew rostering issue led to a mid-flight decision to return to departure shortly after reaching cruise altitude. You’ll learn:
    ✈️ how terms like crew composition, significant discrepancy, and instructor rating are used in an operational context
    ✈️ why crew qualification and regulatory compliance are critical — even when a flight is already en route
    ✈️ how phrases like discontinue the flight and correct the crew lineup reflect real-world decision-making at ICAO Level 5–6 This episode goes beyond a simple incident description. It’s about understanding how administrative systems, human factors, and operational standards interact — and how to describe those interactions with clarity and precision. Because in aviation, safety isn’t only about systems and weather.
    It’s also about ensuring that every role on the flight deck is exactly what it needs to be — before the flight can continue.
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    7 mins
  • 13 - LaGuardia Runway Incursion: Essential English for High-Traffic Ground Operations (JAZZ 646)

    13 - LaGuardia Runway Incursion: Essential English for High-Traffic Ground Operations (JAZZ 646)
    Apr 12 2026
    In this episode, I break down a runway incursion accident at LaGuardia Airport that occurred on March 22nd, 2026, involving an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 and an airport fire vehicle. You’ll learn:
    ✈️ how operational phrases like runway incursion, crossing clearance, and rollout phase are used in real-world context
    ✈️ why factors such as emergency traffic, high workload, and compressed timing can rapidly reduce safety margins
    ✈️ how expressions like dispatch emergency vehicles, consecutive rejected takeoffs, and reduced visual acquisition elevate your ICAO Level 5–6 communication This episode goes beyond describing what happened. It’s about understanding how multiple elements — timing, workload, weather, and human factors — combine in high-pressure environments, and how to reflect that accurately in your aviation English.
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    10 mins
  • 12 - Newark Close Call - How to Describe a Near Mid-Air (FX 721 x AS 294)

    12 - Newark Close Call - How to Describe a Near Mid-Air (FX 721 x AS 294)
    Mar 22 2026
    In this episode, I break down a real-world near midair event over Newark Liberty International Airport, where an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 and a FedEx Boeing 777 came within just 300 feet of each other on intersecting approaches.You’ll learn:
    ✈️ how terms like near collision, loss of separation, and converging traffic are used in operational context
    ✈️ why terminal airspace congestion and high controller workload play a critical role in incident development
    ✈️ how phrases like descend through, call off the approach, and hand off to departure elevate your ICAO Level 5–6 fluency.
    This episode goes beyond describing what happened. It’s about understanding how timing, pressure, and precise communication shape the outcome — and how to reflect that in your language.
    Because in aviation, it’s not just what you say.
    It’s how accurately you say it when it matters most.
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    9 mins
  • 11 - Tail Strike versus Tail Scrape - Aviation English Beyond The Checklist (SY201/SCX201)

    11 - Tail Strike versus Tail Scrape - Aviation English Beyond The Checklist (SY201/SCX201)
    Jan 1 2026
    In this episode, I explore the subtle but operationally critical distinction between tail scrape and tail strike, inspired by a real-world event - a Sun Country Boeing 737-800, registration N851SY performing flight (SY201/SCX201) from Milwaukee,WI to Orlando,FL (USA).
    You’ll learn:
    ✈️ how aviation English reflects severity and operational consequences
    ✈️ why tail strike appears in safety reports, MEL considerations, and official documentation
    ✈️ how terms like incur, tail skid system, and skid shoe elevate your ICAO Level 5–6 precision
    This episode goes beyond vocabulary lists and checklists. It’s about choosing words that match reality, responsibility, and risk — exactly what ICAO examiners listen for.
    Because in aviation, one word can turn an event into an accident.
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    4 mins
  • 10 - 5 Spooky Idioms - Flight Log of Lost Words

    10 - 5 Spooky Idioms - Flight Log of Lost Words
    Dec 7 2025
    🎙️ Flight Log of Lost Words — Episode 10: 5 Spooky Idioms at the Edge of Transmission
    Some aviation stories never make it into manuals. Some words drift through the air like echoes. And some idioms sound as though they were lifted from the crackling static between far-off transmissions.
    Tonight, Aviation English specialist Emilia Barska guides you into the linguistic twilight — where English becomes atmospheric, eerie, and unmistakably skybound.

    In this Halloween edition, we explore:
    ✈️ Ghost flights and the idiom fly under the radar
    ✈️ Disappearances like Flight 19 and MH370 behind vanish into thin air
    ✈️ Fragile emergencies through hang by a thread
    ✈️ The haunting quiet of Denver International Airport and the calm before the storm
    ✈️ Airplane graveyards wrapped in silence and stories laid to rest

    For extras, behind-the-scenes notes, and more skyborne language:
    revisebeforeflight.com
    Fasten your harness and listen in — because in the sky, as in language, what disappears is never truly gone.
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    8 mins
  • 09 - Bird Strike Protocol: Phraseology for Non-Standard Situations (MU 2701)

    09 - Bird Strike Protocol: Phraseology for Non-Standard Situations (MU 2701)
    Oct 19 2025
    What happens when a plane, just minutes into its climb, is suddenly grounded by a bird? On October 2nd, a China Eastern A321 operating Flight MU-2701 was forced to stop its ascent and return to Wuxi after a suspected bird strike at 8,900 feet. Join Aviation English specialist Emilia Barska as she breaks down the crew's textbook response, the resulting 7.5-hour passenger delay, and the damage that kept the aircraft on the ground for days.This is a deep dive into safety protocols and essential aviation vocabulary.
    Boost your ICAO Level 5/6 skills with the definitions for Occurrence Aircraft, Replacement Aircraft, and To Enter a Hold.Fly safe, and tune in for more essential Aviation English!
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    5 mins