position and hold at an angle

A few months ago there was a discussion here about positioning on the
runway at an angle to better see traffic from the rear while awaiting
takeoff clearance, and I opined in the face of dissent by Steven
McNicoll that it was a good idea.

I had a chance to fly a 172 while I was out west and was unable to see
any better that way from a Skyhawk, which was the OP's aircraft. I
still think it makes sense to angle a Cherokee, but a 172 might as well
be straight on.

So, I guess I was wrong. (dang - that's twice now!)

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

In article ,
Jose wrote:

A few months ago there was a discussion here about positioning on the
runway at an angle to better see traffic from the rear while awaiting
takeoff clearance, and I opined in the face of dissent by Steven
McNicoll that it was a good idea.

I had a chance to fly a 172 while I was out west and was unable to see
any better that way from a Skyhawk, which was the OP's aircraft. I
still think it makes sense to angle a Cherokee, but a 172 might as well
be straight on.

You can do what taildragger pilots are taught (at least the older ones)
and do a 360 to scan the pattern prior to takeoff.

"john smith" wrote in message ...
In article ,
Jose wrote:

A few months ago there was a discussion here about positioning on the
runway at an angle to better see traffic from the rear while awaiting
takeoff clearance, and I opined in the face of dissent by Steven
McNicoll that it was a good idea.

I had a chance to fly a 172 while I was out west and was unable to see
any better that way from a Skyhawk, which was the OP's aircraft. I
still think it makes sense to angle a Cherokee, but a 172 might as well
be straight on.

You can do what taildragger pilots are taught (at least the older ones)
and do a 360 to scan the pattern prior to takeoff.

I don't do a 360, but I do turn toward the approach end and look and then turn on to the runway...

Position and hold is normally used at tower controlled airports..

At uncontrolled airports.. I do not plan on taxing onto the active unless I
can take off right away.
And from behind the hold line I can see most of the base and all of the
final whilst sitting with my nose 90 degrees to the take off direction.

BT

"john smith" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Jose wrote:

A few months ago there was a discussion here about positioning on the
runway at an angle to better see traffic from the rear while awaiting
takeoff clearance, and I opined in the face of dissent by Steven
McNicoll that it was a good idea.

I had a chance to fly a 172 while I was out west and was unable to see
any better that way from a Skyhawk, which was the OP's aircraft. I
still think it makes sense to angle a Cherokee, but a 172 might as well
be straight on.

You can do what taildragger pilots are taught (at least the older ones)
and do a 360 to scan the pattern prior to takeoff.

BTIZ wrote:
Position and hold is normally used at tower controlled airports..
At uncontrolled airports.. I do not plan on taxing onto the active unless I
can take off right away.
And from behind the hold line I can see most of the base and all of the
final whilst sitting with my nose 90 degrees to the take off direction.

that's what I was thinking too... however, there are uncontrolled
airports *without* taxiways (you taxi on the runway), so I reckoned
that was what they were talking about,

--Sylvain

You can do what taildragger pilots are taught (at least the older ones)
and do a 360 to scan the pattern prior to takeoff.

The point was to be able to have a continuous watch behind you while
waiting for takeoff, while at the same time being ready for an immediate
takeoff (the fraction of a second it takes to turn 30 degrees while on
the roll is insignificant).

Doing donuts on the numbers while awaiting takeoff clearance gives a new
meaning to "position and hold... whoa there... yee haw!... comone little
dawgiee..."

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

Doing donuts on the numbers while awaiting takeoff clearance gives a new
meaning to "position and hold... whoa there... yee haw!... comone little
dawgiee..."

I can add a little power, roll forward a couple feet and hit a brake and
spin a 360 pretty quickly! Think of it as a controlled ground loop.

"john smith" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Jose wrote:

A few months ago there was a discussion here about positioning on the
runway at an angle to better see traffic from the rear while awaiting
takeoff clearance, and I opined in the face of dissent by Steven
McNicoll that it was a good idea.

I had a chance to fly a 172 while I was out west and was unable to see
any better that way from a Skyhawk, which was the OP's aircraft. I
still think it makes sense to angle a Cherokee, but a 172 might as well
be straight on.


You can do what taildragger pilots are taught (at least the older ones)
and do a 360 to scan the pattern prior to takeoff.


Where are older taildragger pilots taught to do a 360 to scan the pattern
prior to takeoff when instructed to position and hold? Why is this taught?

On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 19:57:41 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote:

Where are older taildragger pilots taught to do a 360 to scan the pattern
prior to takeoff when instructed to position and hold? Why is this taught?


No where that I know of. At a towered airport you need trust in the
tower.

At uncontrolled airports a 360 (actually 270) is used if you have a
visual obstruction of some sort, or don't have a good look at what's
going on in the pattern for any other reason.

z

"zatatime" wrote in message
...

No where that I know of.


The previous poster, John Smith, apparently knows of some place where it's
done.