Narrative:

I received a clearance for immediate takeoff on runway 14L using the following phraseology: 'aircraft is cleared for immediate takeoff, small aircraft on left base.' I looked out the copilot's side window for the traffic and not seeing the small aircraft, accepted the clearance and taxied onto the runway, paused briefly into position to spool the engines up to the minimum level, released the brakes and completed the balance of the takeoff. It is the way I was taught to fly the airplane and it is also the method that school teaches. This is a normal procedure for aircraft. I was the only occupant of the aircraft and with a relatively small amount of fuel on board (HSI only is 122 NM from oma) the aircraft accelerated very rapidly. At about the point when I reached 60 KTS or so, a different controller's voice came on the radio and issued a go around to the small aircraft. After the small aircraft responded and executed the go around, the controller chided me and suggested that an immediate takeoff does not mean stopping on the runway. On my departure from hastings, I timed the spool-up period on the runway at less than 10 seconds. The tower controller may have misjudged the actual location of the aircraft. The takeoff clearance implied a position somewhere on a 'normal' left base. From the time that passed between my initial clearance and the command to go around could not have, even under the most pessimistic conditions, exceeded 30 seconds or so. Given the speeds at which small aircraft usually fly, this implies that he was either much closer to final than base or it was a tight pattern. A normal procedure to me just might not be a normal procedure to someone else, tower controller or otherwise.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DELAY EXECUTING AN 'IMMEDIATE' TKOF FORCES ANOTHER ACFT TO GAR.

Narrative: I RECEIVED A CLRNC FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF ON RWY 14L USING THE FOLLOWING PHRASEOLOGY: 'ACFT IS CLRED FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF, SMA ON L BASE.' I LOOKED OUT THE COPLT'S SIDE WINDOW FOR THE TFC AND NOT SEEING THE SMA, ACCEPTED THE CLRNC AND TAXIED ONTO THE RWY, PAUSED BRIEFLY INTO POS TO SPOOL THE ENGS UP TO THE MINIMUM LEVEL, RELEASED THE BRAKES AND COMPLETED THE BAL OF THE TKOF. IT IS THE WAY I WAS TAUGHT TO FLY THE AIRPLANE AND IT IS ALSO THE METHOD THAT SCHOOL TEACHES. THIS IS A NORMAL PROC FOR ACFT. I WAS THE ONLY OCCUPANT OF THE ACFT AND WITH A RELATIVELY SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD (HSI ONLY IS 122 NM FROM OMA) THE ACFT ACCELERATED VERY RAPIDLY. AT ABOUT THE POINT WHEN I REACHED 60 KTS OR SO, A DIFFERENT CTLR'S VOICE CAME ON THE RADIO AND ISSUED A GAR TO THE SMA. AFTER THE SMA RESPONDED AND EXECUTED THE GAR, THE CTLR CHIDED ME AND SUGGESTED THAT AN IMMEDIATE TKOF DOES NOT MEAN STOPPING ON THE RWY. ON MY DEP FROM HASTINGS, I TIMED THE SPOOL-UP PERIOD ON THE RWY AT LESS THAN 10 SECONDS. THE TWR CTLR MAY HAVE MISJUDGED THE ACTUAL LOCATION OF THE ACFT. THE TKOF CLRNC IMPLIED A POS SOMEWHERE ON A 'NORMAL' L BASE. FROM THE TIME THAT PASSED BTWN MY INITIAL CLRNC AND THE COMMAND TO GAR COULD NOT HAVE, EVEN UNDER THE MOST PESSIMISTIC CONDITIONS, EXCEEDED 30 SECONDS OR SO. GIVEN THE SPDS AT WHICH SMA USUALLY FLY, THIS IMPLIES THAT HE WAS EITHER MUCH CLOSER TO FINAL THAN BASE OR IT WAS A TIGHT PATTERN. A NORMAL PROC TO ME JUST MIGHT NOT BE A NORMAL PROC TO SOMEONE ELSE, TWR CTLR OR OTHERWISE.

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.