Narrative:

The kern valley airport is normally uncontrolled, but on this day, firefighters had set up a control tower to aid on coordination of firefighting helicopter arrs and departures. After starting the engine for my departure, I called the tower on 119.775. I was told to wait on the ramp to allow helicopter traffic to be handled. The tower didn't indicate whether there was another frequency I should be using. I suspect that due to the low traffic volume and the temporary nature of the tower, they were using just the 1 temporary frequency. Meanwhile, a C172SP was refueling at the fuel island. After some time, I asked the tower when aircraft X might expect a taxi clearance. They told me I could go ahead and start taxiing, but without making any calls on the tower frequency, the C172SP cut me off and entered the taxiway first. A little farther on, in the middle of the bike path-sized taxiway, the sp stopped to talk to some firemen stationed at a truck on the side of the taxiway after about 1 1/2 mins, I asked tower if they were even talking to the sp, and got no response. After the sp finally got moving again, he took the left branch of a fork in the taxiway. I asked the tower which way I should go, and he told me to take the right branch which would go right to the end of runway 17. The taxiway being mighty narrow, I asked the tower where I should do my runup. He told me there was an area at the end of the runway. I still hadn't heard a single transmission from the sp. Reaching the end of the taxiway, I saw a nice wide area off to the side of the main width of the runway, evidently the runup area. So I taxied onto it, noticing that this put me on the wrong side of the holding bars, but there seemed to be plenty of space. Before I had time to think about what to do, the tower transmitted 'aircraft X, are you on frequency?' I answered 'affirmative.' the tower asked 'what is your position?' I replied 'in the wide area on the other side of the bars.' the tower chastised me, 'well, you're on the runway! Get off the runway!' so I scooted over back onto the narrow taxiway. There I did my run-up. The sp did his on the runway, and finally took off. I still had heard not a single transmission from the sp. Finally, I was cleared for takeoff. My suspicion is that the sp was some sort of spotter plane for the firefighting effort, and had, in fact, been talking to the tower on some other frequency, perhaps using firefighter radio equipment rather than aviation equipment. I knew that crossing the holding bars was a bad idea as soon as I did it. In the future, I will never again cross holding bars without explicit tower clearance, but I feel that the nonstandard arrangement the tower had in controling the sp greatly added to the confusion of the situation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PLT, TAXING FOR TKOF AT KERN VALLEY (LO5) TAXIED PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE TO DO HIS RUN-UP.

Narrative: THE KERN VALLEY ARPT IS NORMALLY UNCTLED, BUT ON THIS DAY, FIREFIGHTERS HAD SET UP A CTL TWR TO AID ON COORD OF FIREFIGHTING HELI ARRS AND DEPS. AFTER STARTING THE ENG FOR MY DEP, I CALLED THE TWR ON 119.775. I WAS TOLD TO WAIT ON THE RAMP TO ALLOW HELI TFC TO BE HANDLED. THE TWR DIDN'T INDICATE WHETHER THERE WAS ANOTHER FREQ I SHOULD BE USING. I SUSPECT THAT DUE TO THE LOW TFC VOLUME AND THE TEMPORARY NATURE OF THE TWR, THEY WERE USING JUST THE 1 TEMPORARY FREQ. MEANWHILE, A C172SP WAS REFUELING AT THE FUEL ISLAND. AFTER SOME TIME, I ASKED THE TWR WHEN ACFT X MIGHT EXPECT A TAXI CLRNC. THEY TOLD ME I COULD GO AHEAD AND START TAXIING, BUT WITHOUT MAKING ANY CALLS ON THE TWR FREQ, THE C172SP CUT ME OFF AND ENTERED THE TXWY FIRST. A LITTLE FARTHER ON, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BIKE PATH-SIZED TXWY, THE SP STOPPED TO TALK TO SOME FIREMEN STATIONED AT A TRUCK ON THE SIDE OF THE TXWY AFTER ABOUT 1 1/2 MINS, I ASKED TWR IF THEY WERE EVEN TALKING TO THE SP, AND GOT NO RESPONSE. AFTER THE SP FINALLY GOT MOVING AGAIN, HE TOOK THE L BRANCH OF A FORK IN THE TXWY. I ASKED THE TWR WHICH WAY I SHOULD GO, AND HE TOLD ME TO TAKE THE R BRANCH WHICH WOULD GO RIGHT TO THE END OF RWY 17. THE TXWY BEING MIGHTY NARROW, I ASKED THE TWR WHERE I SHOULD DO MY RUNUP. HE TOLD ME THERE WAS AN AREA AT THE END OF THE RWY. I STILL HADN'T HEARD A SINGLE XMISSION FROM THE SP. REACHING THE END OF THE TXWY, I SAW A NICE WIDE AREA OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE MAIN WIDTH OF THE RWY, EVIDENTLY THE RUNUP AREA. SO I TAXIED ONTO IT, NOTICING THAT THIS PUT ME ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE HOLDING BARS, BUT THERE SEEMED TO BE PLENTY OF SPACE. BEFORE I HAD TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHAT TO DO, THE TWR XMITTED 'ACFT X, ARE YOU ON FREQ?' I ANSWERED 'AFFIRMATIVE.' THE TWR ASKED 'WHAT IS YOUR POS?' I REPLIED 'IN THE WIDE AREA ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BARS.' THE TWR CHASTISED ME, 'WELL, YOU'RE ON THE RWY! GET OFF THE RWY!' SO I SCOOTED OVER BACK ONTO THE NARROW TXWY. THERE I DID MY RUN-UP. THE SP DID HIS ON THE RWY, AND FINALLY TOOK OFF. I STILL HAD HEARD NOT A SINGLE XMISSION FROM THE SP. FINALLY, I WAS CLRED FOR TKOF. MY SUSPICION IS THAT THE SP WAS SOME SORT OF SPOTTER PLANE FOR THE FIREFIGHTING EFFORT, AND HAD, IN FACT, BEEN TALKING TO THE TWR ON SOME OTHER FREQ, PERHAPS USING FIREFIGHTER RADIO EQUIP RATHER THAN AVIATION EQUIP. I KNEW THAT XING THE HOLDING BARS WAS A BAD IDEA AS SOON AS I DID IT. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL NEVER AGAIN CROSS HOLDING BARS WITHOUT EXPLICIT TWR CLRNC, BUT I FEEL THAT THE NONSTANDARD ARRANGEMENT THE TWR HAD IN CTLING THE SP GREATLY ADDED TO THE CONFUSION OF THE SIT.

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.