Have you heard? There's a change in ATC phraseology coming...
"Taxi into position and hold" clearances will soon be a thing of the past. The United States is changing "position and hold" phraseology to match International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. The long-used ICAO phraseology, "line up and wait" will soon be adopted by The States. "Line up and wait" has been used for years in the United Kingdom and other countries. The new phraseology has the same meaning as "position and hold" clearances.
While I'm on the subject, let me throw a few "line up and wait" safety reminders your way.
In 1991, a US Airways B737 collided with a Skywest Airlines Metroliner on Runway 24 Left at Los Angeles International Airport. It was night, and the 737 was cleared to land on Runway 24 Left when ATC cleared the Skywest Metroliner to "position and hold" on the same runway. ATC forgot to issue takeoff clearance to the Metroliner, and the 737 collided in-flight with the Metroliner killing thirty-four people.
After this tragic accident pilots have been encouraged to exercise vigilance during "position and hold" operations and to query ATC after holding in position for sixty seconds with no updates. Never sit with your back turned to an active approach corridor for more than a minute without speaking up. ATC may've forgotten about you. Do your best to monitor the frequency and create a mental picture of where each aircraft is around you. One of the reasons we're all on the same frequency is so we can benefit from the "party line" and listen to where other aircraft are and what they're doing. I've also heard guidance about positioning your aircraft at a forty-five degree angle to the runway centerline to enable you to check final behind you while waiting for takeoff clearance. That seems hit-or-miss to me for a few reasons: It might not be feasible for larger aircraft, valuable runway distance will be used during the mis-alignment and subsequent re-alignment before takeoff, and the re-alignment process prior to the application of takeoff power requires a slight delay on the runway (which reduces the effectiveness of "position and hold" operations in the first place). But, at least you'll have the reassurance of being able to check for yourself to see if there's traffic behind you. And at night on a runway equipped with centerline lighting, line up slightly offset from the centerline to make your aircraft lights easier to distinguish from the centerline lights to traffic on final.
Remember, sitting with your back turned to final on an active runway is a vulnerable position to be in. Don't be afraid to query ATC if you start to feel uneasy. And don't be caught off guard the first time you're told to "line up and wait." The new phraseology is coming soon!
