Narrative:

I was the PIC of our glider club's pawnee tow plane. We were conducting normal weekend glider launch activities on runway 20L. Power traffic operates off the parallel, longer runway 20R. On the weekend there are usually two or three aircraft, usually trainers, on the 'power runway,' and we always confine glider activities to the 'glider runway.' our activities are mentioned in the AFD and noted on the sectional map. That morning, sunday, we had noticed a nice-looking kit-fox doing touch and goes on the other runway. We commenced our operation before XA00 and by XB00, there was a lot of activity on the glider runway, both from our club's launches and recoveries, and from the commercial operator who also uses the runway for his glider ride operation. The commercial operator's glider was loading a passenger and the club's glider was ready for launch on the dirt area near to the runway. I had just taxied over the hold short line, but not on the runway, to launch the club glider, when I heard an airplane call '...landing 20L.' this surprised me because the gliders were on the ground and the commercial operator's tow plane was waiting on the other side of the runway. I looked to the approach end of the runway and saw the kit-fox on base, turning final. Because I was not on the landing part of the runway and the day was not windy I elected to hold in position instead of spinning around to go behind the hold short line. The kit-fox landed uneventfully and switched back to the 'power' runway for the remainder of the lndgs. Because of the nature of the glider operation, and the fact that the runway we use is designated for us only, we very often have aircraft position beyond the hold short line when other aircraft are landing. This is technically a runway incursion and could cause an accident if the landing aircraft goes out of control. I will feel more comfortable personally if I adhere to the hold short distance for my own operations, and I will counsel others in the club to do likewise. Callback conversation with the reporter revealed the following information: the reporter revealed during callback that the distance over the hold short line was small. He expressed concern that the location of gliders preparing for launch routinely are positioned over what would be an extension of the hold short line along the runway and creates an equal hazard to the one he presented on the taxiway by being beyond the hold short line, but not on the runway. He suggests that there be some kind of marking along the length of the runway indicating a safe distance from the runway for gliders that are holding and preparing for launch. Aircraft Y was assumed to have switched to the glider dedicated runway when a faster aircraft came into the pattern to use the powered aircraft dedicated runway. There is both a commercial and a club operation at the airport which the reporter said may cause some pressure of schedule on the club operation to accommodate the commercial operator's need to keep his aircraft operating as often as possible.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A GLIDER TOW ACFT CROSSES THE HOLD SHORT LINE A SHORT DISTANCE DURING THE LNDG OF A POWERED ACFT ON THE DEDICATED GLIDER RWY AT AN UNCONTROLLED ARPT.

Narrative: I WAS THE PIC OF OUR GLIDER CLUB'S PAWNEE TOW PLANE. WE WERE CONDUCTING NORMAL WEEKEND GLIDER LAUNCH ACTIVITIES ON RWY 20L. POWER TFC OPERATES OFF THE PARALLEL, LONGER RWY 20R. ON THE WEEKEND THERE ARE USUALLY TWO OR THREE ACFT, USUALLY TRAINERS, ON THE 'POWER RWY,' AND WE ALWAYS CONFINE GLIDER ACTIVITIES TO THE 'GLIDER RWY.' OUR ACTIVITIES ARE MENTIONED IN THE AFD AND NOTED ON THE SECTIONAL MAP. THAT MORNING, SUNDAY, WE HAD NOTICED A NICE-LOOKING KIT-FOX DOING TOUCH AND GOES ON THE OTHER RWY. WE COMMENCED OUR OPERATION BEFORE XA00 AND BY XB00, THERE WAS A LOT OF ACTIVITY ON THE GLIDER RWY, BOTH FROM OUR CLUB'S LAUNCHES AND RECOVERIES, AND FROM THE COMMERCIAL OPERATOR WHO ALSO USES THE RWY FOR HIS GLIDER RIDE OPERATION. THE COMMERCIAL OPERATOR'S GLIDER WAS LOADING A PAX AND THE CLUB'S GLIDER WAS READY FOR LAUNCH ON THE DIRT AREA NEAR TO THE RWY. I HAD JUST TAXIED OVER THE HOLD SHORT LINE, BUT NOT ON THE RWY, TO LAUNCH THE CLUB GLIDER, WHEN I HEARD AN AIRPLANE CALL '...LNDG 20L.' THIS SURPRISED ME BECAUSE THE GLIDERS WERE ON THE GROUND AND THE COMMERCIAL OPERATOR'S TOW PLANE WAS WAITING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RWY. I LOOKED TO THE APCH END OF THE RWY AND SAW THE KIT-FOX ON BASE, TURNING FINAL. BECAUSE I WAS NOT ON THE LNDG PART OF THE RWY AND THE DAY WAS NOT WINDY I ELECTED TO HOLD IN POS INSTEAD OF SPINNING AROUND TO GO BEHIND THE HOLD SHORT LINE. THE KIT-FOX LANDED UNEVENTFULLY AND SWITCHED BACK TO THE 'POWER' RWY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE LNDGS. BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE GLIDER OPERATION, AND THE FACT THAT THE RWY WE USE IS DESIGNATED FOR US ONLY, WE VERY OFTEN HAVE ACFT POS BEYOND THE HOLD SHORT LINE WHEN OTHER ACFT ARE LNDG. THIS IS TECHNICALLY A RWY INCURSION AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF THE LNDG ACFT GOES OUT OF CONTROL. I WILL FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE PERSONALLY IF I ADHERE TO THE HOLD SHORT DISTANCE FOR MY OWN OPERATIONS, AND I WILL COUNSEL OTHERS IN THE CLUB TO DO LIKEWISE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH THE RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR REVEALED DURING CALLBACK THAT THE DISTANCE OVER THE HOLD SHORT LINE WAS SMALL. HE EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THE LOCATION OF GLIDERS PREPARING FOR LAUNCH ROUTINELY ARE POSITIONED OVER WHAT WOULD BE AN EXTENSION OF THE HOLD SHORT LINE ALONG THE RWY AND CREATES AN EQUAL HAZARD TO THE ONE HE PRESENTED ON THE TXWY BY BEING BEYOND THE HOLD SHORT LINE, BUT NOT ON THE RWY. HE SUGGESTS THAT THERE BE SOME KIND OF MARKING ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE RWY INDICATING A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE RWY FOR GLIDERS THAT ARE HOLDING AND PREPARING FOR LAUNCH. ACFT Y WAS ASSUMED TO HAVE SWITCHED TO THE GLIDER DEDICATED RWY WHEN A FASTER ACFT CAME INTO THE PATTERN TO USE THE POWERED ACFT DEDICATED RWY. THERE IS BOTH A COMMERCIAL AND A CLUB OP AT THE ARPT WHICH THE RPTR SAID MAY CAUSE SOME PRESSURE OF SCHEDULE ON THE CLUB OP TO ACCOMMODATE THE COMMERCIAL OPERATOR'S NEED TO KEEP HIS ACFT OPERATING AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE.

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.