NigelOnDraft
The "Air Pilot" (guess you must be one of those old pilots!
) doesn't specify "exactly what you must do in order to hold "at" a particular point" because it doesn't need to. Some things in aviation, believe it or not, are assumed. If you are cleared to the holding point, the assumption is that any competent pilot will arrange his aircraft to be at, but not over, the prescribed point. This is what we call
airmanship .
In the same way, it is assumed that when you receive a takeoff clearance, you don't taxi down the runway for a bit first, and then take off. This is because we are all taught to use all the available space, from an early point in our career. It is simple common sense.
The alternative is to legislate for ever possible aspect of aviation, which then opens the door for a very high level of scrutiny and subsequent penalties.
We all know that "hold at the holding point" means as close as you can reasonably get to the line without crossing it. Anyone who doesn't understand that, needs to go back to PPL school and start again.
What possible reason could there be for
not pulling forward to the holding point (in general terms, not this specific case)?