Taxi clearance for takeoff.

Attributes
ACN	293634
Time
Date	199501
Day	Sat
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : stl
State Reference	MO
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Super 80
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff ground : holding ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	293634
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Stl tower was using nonstandard procedures for takeoff on the morning of jan/xx/95. Example: air carrier X taxi into position and hold behind air carrier Y. Then 30-60 seconds later: air carrier Y cleared for takeoff. The terminology and procedure was confusing, potentially creating an incident. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that what bothered her was the taxi 'into position and hold behind the air carrier Y' was not given as it is at ord or dfw. She understood this clearance to mean taxi into position behind air carrier Y immediately. She did not taxi onto the runway until air carrier Y aircraft departed, which is the correct way to do it as air carrier Y aircraft was not cleared to a takeoff position several hundred ft down the runway to make room for another aircraft behind it. Reporter feels tower instructions should be more explicit in its instructions.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TAXI CLRNC FOR TKOF.

Narrative: STL TWR WAS USING NONSTANDARD PROCS FOR TKOF ON THE MORNING OF JAN/XX/95. EXAMPLE: ACR X TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD BEHIND ACR Y. THEN 30-60 SECONDS LATER: ACR Y CLRED FOR TKOF. THE TERMINOLOGY AND PROC WAS CONFUSING, POTENTIALLY CREATING AN INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT WHAT BOTHERED HER WAS THE TAXI 'INTO POS AND HOLD BEHIND THE ACR Y' WAS NOT GIVEN AS IT IS AT ORD OR DFW. SHE UNDERSTOOD THIS CLRNC TO MEAN TAXI INTO POS BEHIND ACR Y IMMEDIATELY. SHE DID NOT TAXI ONTO THE RWY UNTIL ACR Y ACFT DEPARTED, WHICH IS THE CORRECT WAY TO DO IT AS ACR Y ACFT WAS NOT CLRED TO A TKOF POS SEVERAL HUNDRED FT DOWN THE RWY TO MAKE ROOM FOR ANOTHER ACFT BEHIND IT. RPTR FEELS TWR INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD BE MORE EXPLICIT IN ITS INSTRUCTIONS.

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.