cossack, we've circled back to the beginning of the thread again: pilots and controllers not knowing how long each other's "immediate" is.
Don't you think it's fair to say that if a pilot doesn't think that he can be off quickly enough not to make that guy on final go around, that he should say so? I would think it more hassle for you to have someone in a go around than to have others waiting in an orderly queue at the hold short line.
I can't actually remember refusing an immediate take-off clearance because of traffic on final. Usually it's the other way around, me thinking "why didn't they let me out in that gap?" It's just something in my mind when I answer that question.
I don't know if the folloing is a true story, but it makes the point:
Seems that Tom was working local with a nervous FPL watching over his shoulder. He had one air carrier jet just touching down and another on a mile final, with a commuter holding short for departure release. "I'm going to get that commuter out between those two jets," said Tom aloud. The FPL could see that there might just *barely* enough time to make it work if nobody screwed up. But like any good instructor, the FPL wanted to let Tom make his own mistakes since that's the only way for a guy to learn. Still, the FPL couldn't help but mumble in Tom's ear "if this works, Tom, it'll be a miracle!" Tom keys his transmitter. He intends to say "Commuter 123, taxi into position and hold, be ready for immediate." What actually comes out of his mouth is: "Commuter 123, taxi into position and hold, be ready for a miracle." There's a pregnant pause on frequency, and the then commuter pilot says "Tower, I think under the circumstances we better just hold short. I don't feel quite that lucky."