Narrative:

We called ground for taxi and were told to taxi to runway 18, which we did and stopped at the hold short lines, where we contacted the tower. We told tower we would need a couple of mins to get ready as well. When we were ready we called tower to let them know. We were holding on a taxiway that angled off of the parallel taxiway and would take us to the end of the runway. The hold short lines were about 400 ft from the runway itself and runway end. Tower answered us and told us to 'taxi across the hold short lines, but hold short of the runway.' we read tower's instructions back and eased across the hold short lines. We also noticed tower was still landing traffic, but I can't remember if tower told us this. I became uncomfortable with this since we were not cleared onto the runway yet, so I stopped well short of the runway (probably 300 ft) and held there. Tower then cleared a citation to land on runway 18 as well. After the citation landed tower told us to taxi into position and hold, which we did. Soon we were cleared for takeoff so we departed uneventfully. Once airborne I asked the tower controller why he wanted us across the hold short lines, before clearing us onto the runway. He replied 'so he could get us out quicker.' I asked him if this was standard procedure here for that runway. The controller replied 'well not really, but we do it sometimes.' I told him to have a good day and changed frequencys. I should have never accepted tower's instructions to cross the hold short lines unless I was being cleared onto the runway. I should have questioned this immediately, before crossing the lines, not after. Tower should not have been telling us to do something non standard regardless of the fact that it would speed things up. There was no safety compromised though, since we were still a long distance from the runway and tower was clear that we were to remain off the runway still, although technically we were on it once we crossed the hold short. Where we stopped, we could see the old hold short lines painted over. (About 300 ft from the runway.) in the future I will not accept a clearance such as this unless we are being cleared onto the runway. I wonder if this is going on at other airports as well?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF A LEARJET 35 QUESTIONS THE TWR CTLR'S PROC OF INSTRUCTING HIM TO CROSS RWY HOLD SHORT LINE, BUT TO HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY. THERE WAS NO CONFLICTION WITH LNDG ACFT.

Narrative: WE CALLED GND FOR TAXI AND WERE TOLD TO TAXI TO RWY 18, WHICH WE DID AND STOPPED AT THE HOLD SHORT LINES, WHERE WE CONTACTED THE TWR. WE TOLD TWR WE WOULD NEED A COUPLE OF MINS TO GET READY AS WELL. WHEN WE WERE READY WE CALLED TWR TO LET THEM KNOW. WE WERE HOLDING ON A TXWY THAT ANGLED OFF OF THE PARALLEL TXWY AND WOULD TAKE US TO THE END OF THE RWY. THE HOLD SHORT LINES WERE ABOUT 400 FT FROM THE RWY ITSELF AND RWY END. TWR ANSWERED US AND TOLD US TO 'TAXI ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINES, BUT HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY.' WE READ TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS BACK AND EASED ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINES. WE ALSO NOTICED TWR WAS STILL LNDG TFC, BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER IF TWR TOLD US THIS. I BECAME UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS SINCE WE WERE NOT CLRED ONTO THE RWY YET, SO I STOPPED WELL SHORT OF THE RWY (PROBABLY 300 FT) AND HELD THERE. TWR THEN CLRED A CITATION TO LAND ON RWY 18 AS WELL. AFTER THE CITATION LANDED TWR TOLD US TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD, WHICH WE DID. SOON WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF SO WE DEPARTED UNEVENTFULLY. ONCE AIRBORNE I ASKED THE TWR CTLR WHY HE WANTED US ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINES, BEFORE CLRING US ONTO THE RWY. HE REPLIED 'SO HE COULD GET US OUT QUICKER.' I ASKED HIM IF THIS WAS STANDARD PROC HERE FOR THAT RWY. THE CTLR REPLIED 'WELL NOT REALLY, BUT WE DO IT SOMETIMES.' I TOLD HIM TO HAVE A GOOD DAY AND CHANGED FREQS. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS TO CROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINES UNLESS I WAS BEING CLRED ONTO THE RWY. I SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED THIS IMMEDIATELY, BEFORE XING THE LINES, NOT AFTER. TWR SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TELLING US TO DO SOMETHING NON STANDARD REGARDLESS OF THE FACT THAT IT WOULD SPD THINGS UP. THERE WAS NO SAFETY COMPROMISED THOUGH, SINCE WE WERE STILL A LONG DISTANCE FROM THE RWY AND TWR WAS CLR THAT WE WERE TO REMAIN OFF THE RWY STILL, ALTHOUGH TECHNICALLY WE WERE ON IT ONCE WE CROSSED THE HOLD SHORT. WHERE WE STOPPED, WE COULD SEE THE OLD HOLD SHORT LINES PAINTED OVER. (ABOUT 300 FT FROM THE RWY.) IN THE FUTURE I WILL NOT ACCEPT A CLRNC SUCH AS THIS UNLESS WE ARE BEING CLRED ONTO THE RWY. I WONDER IF THIS IS GOING ON AT OTHER ARPTS AS WELL?

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.