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Aviation vocabulary · Air Traffic Control & Radiotelephony

Hold short

Meaning in aviation, with examples

phraseCore term

In aviation, hold short means: An ATC instruction to stop before a runway or another point and not go past it until you receive a clearance.

In Turkish: önünde bekle, pist girişinden önce bekle

How it is used

It must always be read back: 'Hold short runway 23, Fastair 345.' Aircraft stop at the holding point, marked by yellow lines and sometimes by red stop bar lights. Crossing it without a clearance is a runway incursion.

Example sentences

  1. Fastair 345, taxi to holding point runway 23 via Alpha, hold short of runway 18.

  2. We were told to hold short, but the first officer read it back as 'cross'.

Common collocations

  • hold short of runway
  • holding point
  • hold short instruction
  • stop bar
  • runwayA long, specially prepared strip at an airport that aircraft use to take off and land. Each runway is named by a number based on its magnetic direction.
  • taxiwayA paved path at an airport that connects the runways with the aprons, stands and hangars. Aircraft use taxiways to move around on the ground.
  • readbackRepeating an ATC clearance or instruction back to the controller, so that the controller can confirm it was heard and understood correctly.
  • line upTo taxi onto the runway and stop on the centreline in the takeoff position, ready to go but not yet cleared for takeoff.
  • taxiTo move an aircraft slowly on the ground under its own power, for example from the parking stand to the runway or from the runway back to the stand.

More terms: Air Traffic Control & Radiotelephony

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