Which of the following is an example of the correct phraseology used to request an aircraft to hold short of a runway?

• A. CESSNA FOUR NOVEMBER BRAVO, HOLD AT RUNWAY TWO EIGHT LEFT AT TAXIWAY ALPHA
• B. AMERICAN SIX THIRTEEN, STOP AT RUNWAY ONE ZERO LEFT AT TAXIWAY FOXTROT
• C. CHEYENNE THREE FOUR TANGO, HOLD SHORT OF RUNWAY TWO EIGHT RIGHT AT TAXIWAY CHARLIE FOR LANDING TRAFFIC
• D. PIPER SIX PAPA MIKE, STOP SHORT OF RUNWAY ONE ZERO RIGHT AT TAXIWAY GOLF

Answer: (C)

The main concept is using standard phraseology to tell a pilot to hold short of a runway. The instruction must specify the hold point, the runway designator, and, if needed, the reason for the hold.

In the correct example, the instruction tells the pilot to hold short of runway 28R at taxiway Charlie, and to do so for landing traffic. This gives the exact location of the hold (the hold line at Charlie) and the reason (there is landing traffic on that runway), which helps prevent runway incursions and keeps traffic flow clear. The runway is spoken as two eight right, matching aviation practice of spelling out numbers and using letters for runway designators, so there is no confusion about which runway is involved.

Why the others aren’t as good: they either omit the “short” part or use nonstandard terms like “stop,” or they don’t include the traffic context, which reduces clarity about why the hold is being enforced.