by 
Anonymous
ANSWERS: 5
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I think it is referring to a group of aircraft circling over an airport (at different altitudes, hence the 'stacking') awaiting their turn to land.
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Quite literally what it sounds like, only with huge flying hulks of metal. When there are delays affecting the landing aeroplanes the control tower advises aircraft to take up a holding position where they circle the airport at a given height. Because the aircraft are placed at different heights, but all making the same circuit, they are said to be stacked, and they are then given permission to land in the order the control tower decrees, perhaps due to fuel reserves or connection times.
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Exactly. It kinda resembles a multi story car park with the planes circling over each other. You can often see good examples in busy airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, and O'Hare.
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Basically stacking means keeping airplanes in the air above and adjacent to the airport with different altitudes. Stacking occurs when there is just too much planes for the airport to handle. Each plane will just have to wait until they are given the clearance to land.
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Picture a racetrack-style oval, 1 portion normally crosses a navigation station. Aircraft are instructed to fly this oval pattern in either a left or right direction, depending on local procedures, for usually 2 minutes on each side of the oval. There will be only 1 aircraft at each altitude apaced 1000 feet vertically. When a lower level is vacated by an aircraft, the next higher aircraft will be cleared to decend to the next lower altitude. This process will continue until conditions warrant a change. Hubs and other very busy airports may have several holding stacks. Basicaly, everyone is going nowhere fast.
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