What is the proper phrase to initiate a taxi clearance to Runway 27 for an outbound aircraft?

• A. Taxi to Runway 27 via Taxiway Alpha
• B. Taxi to Runway 27 and hold-short at Alpha
• C. Taxi to Runway 27 using the centerline on Alpha
• D. Taxi Runway 27 via Taxiway Alpha

Answer: (A)

In taxi clearance phraseology, you tell the pilot where to go and how to get there by naming the destination and the route to reach it. Saying “Taxi to Runway 27 via Taxiway Alpha” provides a clear, unambiguous instruction: the aircraft is headed for Runway 27 and should follow Taxiway Alpha to get there. It uses standard wording and keeps the instruction simple and executable.

The other options are less appropriate. Saying you’ll “hold-short at Alpha” adds a hold action without specifying what to hold short of and can create ambiguity about the exact point, whereas a straightforward taxi to the runway via a named route avoids confusion. Referring to “the centerline on Alpha” isn’t standard for directing a pilot along a ground route, since you specify the taxi route by taxiways, not by a centerline instruction. Finally, you don’t taxi a runway itself; you taxi to a runway via a taxiway, so the phrasing that uses “Taxi Runway 27” is not correct.