HA HA!!! That's a good one, Jim!!!
I can also totally hear it!
I agree with both of you guys. Europe does seem weird on the radio.
I knew I was in trouble and might never be able to go back the day a flight attendant friend of mine hooked me up with a jump seat on an Austrian Airlines Jet on my way home and I understood everything they said leaving Washington DC (actually helped them out during a Clearance Delivery Issue) and then couldn't figure out what's going on over German airspace.....
Thanks guy. You know, I hadn't given the language issue much thought but now that you mention it I recall hearing hearing Japanese students on frequency who were having a hell of a time trying to understand ATC controllers who were issuing some long instructions. My hat is off to all of you who are learning to fly and have the double burden of having to speak on the radio in something other than your mother tongue!
On another note, I've been very sick with the floomuckle crud (
a name of my own invention) for the last 2 weeks and unable to fly due to head congestion, taking enough drugs to stun a horse, and laryngitis. My voice is almost back and today a friend called to ask if I could fly down and pick him up in San Jose, well I says "sure thing" and off to the local aerodrome I trot and rent me an aeroplane, forgetting that ye olde voice ain't quite up to par. Everything is fine till I enter the San Francisco class B airspace and I'm talking to NorCal approach and the controller is asking me to repeat my request because my radio is "really scratchy" well, my radio kept getting "scratchier" as I went along until I was conversing in loud whispers by the time I got to Reid Hillview tower.
My friend handled the radios on the trip back and I learned yet another lesson in pushing your limitations--it was good to be back in the air though!