hold short
An instruction to stop before a runway or other boundary and wait.
Also written
holding point
Holding short of a runway is the most safety-critical instruction on the airfield, which is why it is read back in full and why the pavement carries a distinctive pair of solid and dashed yellow lines. An aircraft holding short at the threshold is a reliably good photograph, with the whole airframe side-on and stationary.
Nearby in Aviation
- headwind — A wind blowing along the runway towards the aircraft, which shortens the takeoff and landing distance needed.
- heavy — An ATC wake-turbulence category for aircraft with a maximum takeoff mass above 136 tonnes, appended to the callsign on first contact.
- holding pattern — A published racetrack circuit an aircraft flies to wait, usually for its turn to approach.
- IATA — The airline trade body whose three-letter codes appear on tickets and baggage tags.