Lesson 6 · 5 min
Getting an aircraft away
Start, taxi, holding point, and take-off clearance.
Underlined terms below have a definition — click one to read it, or open the full glossary.
The sequence
A departing pilot calls for . The controller passes the , the , and a taxi clearance to a — a marked position short of the runway where the aircraft waits.
At the the pilot reports ready for departure. The controller then either holds them, lines them up, or clears them for take-off.
TWR Golf Papa Whiskey, taxi to holding point Alpha One, runway two seven, QNH one zero one three
A/C Taxi holding point Alpha One, runway two seven, Golf Papa Whiskey
Judging the gap
Before clearing a departure, look at what is on approach. A light aircraft three miles out is roughly two minutes away — usually enough for a light aircraft departure, rarely enough for an airliner that needs to first.
If the gap is tight, the options are: hold the departure, or . Never both aircraft on the .
After departure
Once the departing aircraft is climbing away and clear of the , the controller transfers it to the next unit — approach, radar, or an information service — with a instruction.
TWR Golf Papa Whiskey, contact London Information one two four decimal six, good day
Try it
Where does an aircraft wait before entering the runway?
An arrival is on short final and a jet is at the holding point. What do you do?