Line Up and Wait, the Two Thousand Ten Phraseology Change, and the Runway Incursion Fix Hidden in Seven Words

The phrase “line up and wait” replaced the older American term “position and hold” in September 2010, aligning U.S. phraseology with international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). That change also carried a mandatory readback requirement: your response to any runway holding or crossing instruction must include the runway designation. Understanding both the history and the requirement is essential for safe operations at controlled airports - and for passing your checkride.

Why Did the FAA Change “Position and Hold” to “Line Up and Wait”?

“Position and hold” was a uniquely American phrase. The rest of the world, operating under ICAO standards, already used “line up and wait” for the same clearance. That created a dual-phrase problem: any foreign pilot operating in the United States, or any U.S. pilot who had flown internationally, carried two different instructions for the same action in working memory.

In the high-workload environment of an airport surface, that kind of ambiguity is exactly where errors occur. The FAA also identified a misread risk with the word “hold” in “position and hold.” A pilot who caught only part of the transmission might interpret “hold” as a stop-short instruction - not an instruction to enter the runway. That misunderstanding is a direct contributor to runway incursions.

By September 2010, controllers across the United States transitioned to “line up and wait,” removing the discrepancy and aligning U.S. operations with global aviation standards.

What Does a “Line Up and Wait” Clearance Actually Mean?

When a controller says “Runway Two Seven, line up and wait,” the authorization is narrow: taxi onto the runway and hold. Nothing more. You are not cleared for takeoff. You are on an active runway without departure authorization.

Landing traffic may be sequenced ahead of you. Crossing traffic or ground vehicles may be present. The controller may not have mentioned every factor. While holding in position, your scan is active, your eyes are outside, and you are monitoring the environment - not assuming that clearance to position implies clearance to depart.

What Are You Required to Read Back at the Runway?

Three categories of instruction require a mandatory readback, and each must include the runway designation:

• Line up and wait instructions
• Hold short instructions for any runway
• Crossing instructions for active runways

This requirement comes from FAA Order 7110.65, the document governing air traffic control procedures. Controllers are trained to listen specifically for the runway number in your response. If they do not hear it, they are required to reissue the instruction.

A correct readback for a line up and wait clearance:

Controller: “Cessna Four Three Seven Bravo Sierra, Runway Two Seven, line up and wait.”

Pilot: “Line up and wait, Runway Two Seven, Cessna Four Three Seven Bravo Sierra.”

Runway designation included. Callsign included. Instruction echoed back clearly.

Why Isn’t “Roger” an Acceptable Readback?

“Roger” means received and understood - it does not confirm the specific content of the transmission. If a controller issues a hold short instruction and the pilot responds “Roger, Cessna Four Three Seven Bravo Sierra,” the controller has no confirmation the pilot heard the correct runway, understood the hold short, or is not about to cross onto an active surface.

The FAA has been explicit on this point: “Roger” does not satisfy the readback requirement for runway crossing and holding instructions. The same applies to “Wilco” and any other single-word acknowledgment.

What Does a Proper Hold Short Readback Include?

Hold short instructions arrive in several forms, and each carries the same readback obligation.

When ground control issues a taxi instruction with a hold short - “Taxi to Runway Two Seven via Alpha, hold short of Runway One Four” - your readback must include the hold short runway and your callsign at minimum. Including the taxi route when routing is complex is good practice, but the hold short element is the critical piece.

The same obligation applies when tower issues a hold short from the runway environment. The moment pilots most commonly abbreviate readbacks is during high-workload phases: running a checklist, managing a busy frequency, or responding while handling something else simultaneously. On a busy frequency, a truncated readback is far less likely to get corrected.

Why Does the Runway Number in the Readback Matter for Safety?

A significant number of runway incursions involve a clearance the pilot received but did not correctly process. These are not ATC errors - they are cases where a pilot formed an impression of what a transmission said and acted on the impression rather than the actual words.

Reading back the runway number forces active processing of the instruction. You cannot correctly echo a runway designation you did not actually hear. The readback creates a verification loop: you say the runway, the controller hears the runway, and both parties have confirmed they are discussing the same pavement. The readback is a cognitive check, not a formality.

There is a specific incursion pattern worth knowing: a pilot who received a clearance for one runway and taxied onto a different one. A pilot who received a hold short instruction, acknowledged with a single word, and then crossed anyway. The runway number in the readback is the mechanism designed to interrupt that sequence.

How Should You Handle Radio Calls at Non-Towered Airports?

At a non-towered airport, no controller issues line up and wait clearances or crossing instructions. You announce your intentions on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) and listen for other traffic. Standard phraseology still applies because it communicates your position and intentions clearly to every other pilot on frequency.

The standard format for a position report: airport name, aircraft type and callsign, current position, pattern leg, runway, and intentions.

Example: “Millbrook Traffic, Cessna Four Three Seven Bravo Sierra, left downwind Runway Two Eight, touch and go, Millbrook.”

Calls that omit the runway or intentions - “Millbrook Traffic, Cessna Bravo Sierra, entering downwind” - leave other traffic without the information needed to build an accurate picture of the pattern. That incomplete communication creates the same ambiguity the 2010 phraseology change was designed to eliminate at controlled airports.

Before arriving at an unfamiliar non-towered airport, confirm the CTAF in the Airport/Facility Directory, accessible through ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot, or similar. Some airports share a frequency with nearby fields, and some have Unicom frequencies that differ from the actual CTAF.

What Is the Examiner Looking For on Your Checkride?

The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) for the private pilot certificate address radio communications directly. The examiner evaluates not just whether you key the mic at the right moment, but whether your calls contain required elements and your readbacks include the runway designation when required.

Specific items the examiner checks in the runway environment:

• Hold short instruction: Did you read back the runway designation?
• Line up and wait clearance: Did your response include the runway number and your callsign?
• Takeoff clearance: Did you acknowledge with your callsign?

The examiner is equally attentive to what you do not do: rushing the radio, stepping on another transmission, or responding before finishing processing the clearance. These habits form during training under workload pressure, and the ACS asks examiners to evaluate exactly that.

How Do You Build Correct Radio Habits Before Your Checkride?

Practice readbacks aloud away from the airplane. Run through a simulated ATC sequence at home - say the instruction, then say the correct readback including the runway number. Repetition before a high-pressure environment makes the correct response automatic rather than effortful.

Chapter 4 of the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual covers radio communications procedures in detail, including the specific elements required for each type of call. The Pilot and Controller Glossary and the ACS are free documents worth reading during training and revisiting every year or two.

One note on informal phraseology: “with you” - widely used on initial frequency contact - is not in the Pilot and Controller Glossary. Controllers know what it means and it will not cause problems. On a checkride, a complete initial call is the stronger choice: aircraft type, callsign, altitude, and the nature of the request gives the controller everything needed to work with you.

Key Takeaways

• “Line up and wait” replaced “position and hold” in September 2010 to align U.S. phraseology with ICAO international standards and eliminate ambiguity at the runway environment.
• A line up and wait clearance authorizes you to position on the runway only - it is not a takeoff clearance, and it requires active situational awareness while holding.
• Any runway holding, crossing, or hold short instruction requires a readback that includes the runway designation, per FAA Order 7110.65.
• “Roger” is not a valid readback for runway environment instructions - it does not confirm the specific content of the clearance.
• Reading back the runway number is a cognitive verification loop: you cannot correctly echo what you did not actually process, making it a built-in safety check, not a procedural formality.