SMA CLRED POS AND HOLD AT INTXN. HEARS ACR CLRED TO LAND; QUERIES CTLR. CLRS RWY AS ACR MAKES GAR.

Narrative

I WAS CLRED TO TAXI INTO 'POS AND HOLD' ON RWY 26L FROM THE BRAVO-5 INTXN AT STAPLETON IN DENVER. AFTER A LONG; MAYBE 2 MIN; WAIT FOR MY TKOF CLRNC; I BEGAN TO WONDER WHY I WAS BEING HELD; SINCE I COULD SEE NO CONFLICTING TFC. THE FREQ WAS BUSY; BOTH WITH TFC LNDG ON 26R AND WITH THE TWR PREOCCUPIED WITH SORTING OUT AN 'AIRLINER TFC JAM' BENEATH THE TWR ON THE W END OF RWYS 26L AND 26R. THEN; I HEARD ACR CALL FINAL FOR 26L; AND I LOOKED BACK AND SAW HIM COMING. HE WAS THEN CLRED TO LAND BY THE TWR. LATER; ACR CALLED AGAIN; AND WAS AGAIN CLRED TO LAND. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED TWR AND ADVISED THAT I WAS 'POS AND HOLD ON 26L.' TWR MISSED IT; AND ASKED FOR THE ACFT CALLING HIM TO 'SAY AGAIN.' I DID; AND HE IMMEDIATELY SENT THE AIRLINER AROUND; AND ASKED ME TO CLR THE RWY. BY THIS TIME; I WAS ALREADY DOING THAT; SINCE THE AIRLINER WAS ONLY A FEW SECONDS AWAY FROM ME. TWR THANKED ME FOR THE CALL; THEN CLRED ME INTO 'POS AND HOLD' AGAIN. I WAS CLRED FOR TKOF AGAIN; AND WAS SENT TO ANOTHER FREQ TO RPT DOWNWIND ON RWY 17. TWR THANKED ME TWICE MORE ON THE AIR. I THINK THAT 'POS AND HOLD' SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR LIGHT ACFT; SINCE VERY LITTLE TIME IS SAVED. FROM A POS ON THE TAXIWAY; I'D ESTIMATE THAT LESS THAN 1 OR 2 SECONDS IS LOST WHEN COMPARED TO THE 'POS AND HOLD' POS; AFTER 'CLRED FOR TKOF' IS ISSUED. FOR THIS RELATIVELY MINOR TIME GAIN; THE LIGHT ACFT IS PURPOSELY PLACED 'IN HARM'S WAY.' NOTE THAT TWR IMMEDIATELY RECLRED ME INTO 'POS AND HOLD;' EVEN AFTER THIS NEAR MISS INCIDENT! FOR AIRLINERS; THE TIME GAIN USING 'POS AND HOLD' MIGHT BE MORE SUBSTANTIAL; BUT THEY ALSO ARE MUCH BIGGER; AND EASIER SEEN BY BOTH THE TWR AND BY THE LNDG ACFT. THIS MAKES THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT LESS LIKELY. SINCE THE INTXN WHICH I WAS DEPARTING FROM (B-5) IS A LONG WAY FROM THE RWY 26L THRESHOLD; IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THE LNDG AIRLINER DID NOT HAVE ME IN SIGHT. IF HE DID; HE DIDN'T MENTION IT: I WOULD HAVE; HAD I BEEN IN HIS PLACE. FURTHER; THE TWR'S PREOCCUPATION WITH SORTING OUT TAXIING ACFT APPARENTLY DISTRACTED HIM FROM MANAGING THE LNDG AND DEPARTING ACFT.