Narrative:

I was observing the situation from an outdoor viewing stand, approximately 15 ft AGL, 2000 ft from the end of the runway. I was observing my student during his first solo, and monitoring ATC xmissions and pilot xmissions on livermore tower frequency with a hand-held radio. My student's aircraft is the one described above. The other 3 aircraft involved were all 4-SEAT high wing aircraft. Local control cleared aircraft #1 (not my student) into position and hold on 25R -- landing traffic still on the runway. My student is still in runup area (not yet at hold line) and calls for takeoff clearance. Local control clears him into position and hold also! My student taxies to the hold line and stops -- does not take position on runway since another aircraft is still there. At some point, not sure of exact sequence, aircraft #1 is cleared for takeoff. Aircraft #1 does not initiate takeoff for another 30-60 seconds. After aircraft #1 takes off, aircraft #2 lands. Separation between aircraft #1 and aircraft #2 is normal, but no way was there enough time for another aircraft to have taken off in between aircraft #1's takeoff and aircraft #2 landing. After aircraft #2 lands, my student is cleared again into position and hold, which he explicitly acknowledges and does. While in position on runway 25R, local control clears aircraft #4 into position and hold also! (This is getting pretty scary isn't it) aircraft #4 questions the clearance 'confirm position and hold for #4.' tower acknowledges, 'affirmative, position and hold.' aircraft #4 taxies into position next to my student, wing tip to wing tip on the runway. (Even as I write this I can't believe it). My student is cleared to takeoff and does so. After airborne, aircraft #4 is cleared to takeoff and does so. I think that this practice is extremely unsafe! Case in point -- if my student did as #4 did and took position on the runway the first time he was cleared to do so, next to the other aircraft, there would have been a serious traffic conflict. Aircraft #1 took so long to takeoff once cleared, that there would have been no time for my student to takeoff before aircraft #2 landed. He would have been on the runway with his back to landing right traffic. I cannot tell you how mad this makes me, that this could happen to anyone! After the la accident, how is this tolerated? I will never accept such a clearance myself, and I commend my student for holding short. How many more people have to die? Well, maybe I'm over reacting a little, but not by much. Anyway, I called livermore tower on the phone an hour later when I got home and spoke to the a controller -- not the same one who issued the clrncs described, and she said that none of the other controllers felt it was a safe practice either, and that they were aware of this habit of this particular controller. She seemed to indicate that there was no immediate solution. I think the guy should be temporarily suspended, and then fired if he does it again. This can't be allowed under the guidelines of the controller's handbook, can it? I told the controller I talked to that I'd send a letter to the manager and she felt that that was a good idea and that he would know exactly which controller I was talking about. Perhaps this is the really scary part, that the manager already knows about this situation and hasn't solved it yet. Please, please call me if there is anything more I can do. How am I supposed to teach my students to trust ATC when things like this happen to them on their first solo? I am willing to do anything I can to help solve this problem. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Reporter states he talked to tower manager who says this is permitted by controller's handbook as a normal. Not used very often. Controller is old timer who has used this technique for some time. Manager expressed understanding of reporter concerns and indicated he would look into the situation. Callback made to inform of hot line number.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR MONITORING SOLO STUDENT (LISTENING ON HAND HELD) HEARS UNORTHODOX CTLR TECHNIQUE OF CLRING 2 ACFT POS AND HOLD AT SAME TIME. HIS STUDENT DOES NOT MOVE INTO POS, HE REMAINS AT HOLD LINE.

Narrative: I WAS OBSERVING THE SITUATION FROM AN OUTDOOR VIEWING STAND, APPROX 15 FT AGL, 2000 FT FROM THE END OF THE RWY. I WAS OBSERVING MY STUDENT DURING HIS FIRST SOLO, AND MONITORING ATC XMISSIONS AND PLT XMISSIONS ON LIVERMORE TWR FREQ WITH A HAND-HELD RADIO. MY STUDENT'S ACFT IS THE ONE DESCRIBED ABOVE. THE OTHER 3 ACFT INVOLVED WERE ALL 4-SEAT HIGH WING ACFT. LCL CTL CLRED ACFT #1 (NOT MY STUDENT) INTO POS AND HOLD ON 25R -- LNDG TFC STILL ON THE RWY. MY STUDENT IS STILL IN RUNUP AREA (NOT YET AT HOLD LINE) AND CALLS FOR TKOF CLRNC. LCL CTL CLRS HIM INTO POS AND HOLD ALSO! MY STUDENT TAXIES TO THE HOLD LINE AND STOPS -- DOES NOT TAKE POS ON RWY SINCE ANOTHER ACFT IS STILL THERE. AT SOME POINT, NOT SURE OF EXACT SEQUENCE, ACFT #1 IS CLRED FOR TKOF. ACFT #1 DOES NOT INITIATE TKOF FOR ANOTHER 30-60 SECONDS. AFTER ACFT #1 TAKES OFF, ACFT #2 LANDS. SEPARATION BTWN ACFT #1 AND ACFT #2 IS NORMAL, BUT NO WAY WAS THERE ENOUGH TIME FOR ANOTHER ACFT TO HAVE TAKEN OFF IN BTWN ACFT #1'S TKOF AND ACFT #2 LNDG. AFTER ACFT #2 LANDS, MY STUDENT IS CLRED AGAIN INTO POS AND HOLD, WHICH HE EXPLICITLY ACKNOWLEDGES AND DOES. WHILE IN POS ON RWY 25R, LCL CTL CLRS ACFT #4 INTO POS AND HOLD ALSO! (THIS IS GETTING PRETTY SCARY ISN'T IT) ACFT #4 QUESTIONS THE CLRNC 'CONFIRM POS AND HOLD FOR #4.' TWR ACKNOWLEDGES, 'AFFIRMATIVE, POS AND HOLD.' ACFT #4 TAXIES INTO POS NEXT TO MY STUDENT, WING TIP TO WING TIP ON THE RWY. (EVEN AS I WRITE THIS I CAN'T BELIEVE IT). MY STUDENT IS CLRED TO TKOF AND DOES SO. AFTER AIRBORNE, ACFT #4 IS CLRED TO TKOF AND DOES SO. I THINK THAT THIS PRACTICE IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE! CASE IN POINT -- IF MY STUDENT DID AS #4 DID AND TOOK POS ON THE RWY THE FIRST TIME HE WAS CLRED TO DO SO, NEXT TO THE OTHER ACFT, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS TFC CONFLICT. ACFT #1 TOOK SO LONG TO TKOF ONCE CLRED, THAT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO TIME FOR MY STUDENT TO TKOF BEFORE ACFT #2 LANDED. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE RWY WITH HIS BACK TO LNDG R TFC. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MAD THIS MAKES ME, THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE! AFTER THE LA ACCIDENT, HOW IS THIS TOLERATED? I WILL NEVER ACCEPT SUCH A CLRNC MYSELF, AND I COMMEND MY STUDENT FOR HOLDING SHORT. HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? WELL, MAYBE I'M OVER REACTING A LITTLE, BUT NOT BY MUCH. ANYWAY, I CALLED LIVERMORE TWR ON THE PHONE AN HR LATER WHEN I GOT HOME AND SPOKE TO THE A CTLR -- NOT THE SAME ONE WHO ISSUED THE CLRNCS DESCRIBED, AND SHE SAID THAT NONE OF THE OTHER CTLRS FELT IT WAS A SAFE PRACTICE EITHER, AND THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS HABIT OF THIS PARTICULAR CTLR. SHE SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE SOLUTION. I THINK THE GUY SHOULD BE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED, AND THEN FIRED IF HE DOES IT AGAIN. THIS CAN'T BE ALLOWED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF THE CTLR'S HANDBOOK, CAN IT? I TOLD THE CTLR I TALKED TO THAT I'D SEND A LETTER TO THE MGR AND SHE FELT THAT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA AND THAT HE WOULD KNOW EXACTLY WHICH CTLR I WAS TALKING ABOUT. PERHAPS THIS IS THE REALLY SCARY PART, THAT THE MGR ALREADY KNOWS ABOUT THIS SITUATION AND HASN'T SOLVED IT YET. PLEASE, PLEASE CALL ME IF THERE IS ANYTHING MORE I CAN DO. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TEACH MY STUDENTS TO TRUST ATC WHEN THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN TO THEM ON THEIR FIRST SOLO? I AM WILLING TO DO ANYTHING I CAN TO HELP SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR STATES HE TALKED TO TWR MGR WHO SAYS THIS IS PERMITTED BY CTLR'S HANDBOOK AS A NORMAL. NOT USED VERY OFTEN. CTLR IS OLD TIMER WHO HAS USED THIS TECHNIQUE FOR SOME TIME. MGR EXPRESSED UNDERSTANDING OF RPTR CONCERNS AND INDICATED HE WOULD LOOK INTO THE SITUATION. CALLBACK MADE TO INFORM OF HOT LINE NUMBER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.