Cleared for immediate take off?

Is "Cleared for immediate take off" approved phraseology?
I think I've seen it before in the 7110.65 but now I can't find it. Has anyone else heard of that or seen it? If so where?
Thanks
FNG

The phrase "cleared for takeoff" and "immediate" are both approved...so putting them together is probably not a problem. I have seen controllers here use it, but I have never said that when clearing an a/c for takeoff. I just try to prep all of the a/c prior to departure..you say to an a/c, "traffic inside 3 miles, runway whatever position and hold...be ready to go...that usually lets him know you aren't messing around..I have even heard controllers say to a/c, start spooling them up, next time you here your callsign, I need you rolling...I have never said that...but I have found, as long as you give the pilot all the pieces of the puzzle and prep them adequately, you should be alright.

If something happens where they take their time on the runway....I will use something non-standard like "I need you rolling now." You can use the word "immediate" anytime expeditous compliance is required to avoid and immenent situation right? I think that's what it says in the .65

Hope this helps...but to answer your original question, I don't think that exact phraseology is in the .65, they are under two separate areas.

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Your friendly neighborhood Lawn Gnome

Check the attachment to see what can happen if you use the word Immediate
(this is one of THE BEST things I've heard from Pilot/ATC transmissions)

But to answer your question, in ICAO phraseology, you can indeed use the instruction "cleared for immediate takeoff" but before that you should use: "Callsign, are you ready for IMMEDIATE departure, traffic is...."

ATC@LWSK

P.S. Check ICAO Doc 4444, Chapter 12 - Phraseology for clarification.

Attached Files

Idiot.wav (509.5 KB, 61 views)

To expand...I don't think I would use immediate on an initial transmission to clear an a/c for takeoff....the pilot might not want an immediate departure and though it is the pilot's responsibility to tell you otherwise, you might be suckering him into doing something that he really wasn't ready for.

I always ask the pilot...Traffic is on a 1 mile and 5 mile final, I'll get you out in between, will you be ready? If the pilot says yes, then I would position and hold when I got the chance....if the a/c on final now seems to become an issue I would tell the aircraft, cleared for takeoff, expedite departure, traffic inside 2 miles...if he wasn't rolling within a reasonable time I could see either using the word immediate or canceling his takeoff clearance.

Just make sure you always give the pilots all the pieces of the puzzle because if something were to happen, though you might have done things correctly, you don't want anything falling back on you for trying to rush someone that wasn't ready.

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Your friendly neighborhood Lawn Gnome

I've used immediate but if I had time to ask the pilot if he could make it or not I wouldnt bother.

traffic X mile final, rwy 23R, cleared for take off or hold short is legal.

They are instructed to use immediate at the Academy but you just can't give a Heavy an immediate take-off clearance. But they also are not supposed to give departures wake turbulence advisories, just arrivals. So who knows.

I can't recall where it is at in the .65 off the top of my head, but I believe you can issue cautionary wake turbulence advisories any time you feel that it could have an adverse effect on the a/c involved. So that means you could say caution wake turbulence for a departure behind a departure.

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Your friendly neighborhood Lawn Gnome

I've had to say that a few times.

BTW... "cleared for immediate take off or hold short" use to be in the .65 I can't find it now, it must have been removed.

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TB

that was a good deletion from the book. one of the stupid things we had at our disposal. didn't make much sense. every single time i had used it, of course the pilot said cleared for takeoff. at least half the time, if not more, i had to send the other guy around. were controllers and should have enough sense to know when something will work and when it will not. or at least get really close to the minimum sep. go arounds are still allowed and cool, just don't use it as a first option.

Yeah I think I've only used "cleared for immediate take off or hold short" once. It didn't work out so well. That was at the beginning of my FAA career.

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TB