Holding Patterns

Why ATC Issues a Hold

• Traffic congestion at the destination or en route
• Waiting for an Expect Further Clearance (EFC) time
• Weather below approach minimums — waiting for improvement
• Unavailability of a runway (closed, occupied, or tested)
• Course reversal in lieu of a procedure turn (hold-in-lieu-of-PT)

Anatomy of a Hold

• Holding fix: A VOR, intersection, NDB, OM, or DME fix — the anchor point
• Holding course: The course flown inbound to the fix. Always fly toward the fix on this course.
• Inbound leg: 1 minute below 14,000 MSL; 1.5 minutes at or above 14,000 MSL (unless a different time or DME distance is specified)
• Outbound leg: Adjusted in length to make the inbound leg the correct duration after wind correction
• Outbound turn: Begun at the fix. All turns are standard rate.
• Abeam: The point opposite the fix where outbound timing begins. If abeam is not determinable, start timing when wings level outbound.
• Holding side: The side of the holding course where the pattern is flown — more protected airspace allocated here
• Standard hold: Right turns. Non-standard: left turns. Both use standard rate (3°/sec).
• Maximum holding speed: 175 KIAS for prop-driven aircraft. In practice, set a power that gives a comfortable, controllable airspeed (training: approach-level power).

DFRATE — Holding Clearance Acronym

Copy holding instructions in this order. ATC delivers them in this order, so write them down in this order.

• D — Direction of holding from the fix (N, S, E, W, NE, etc.)
• F — Fix (named — VOR, intersection, waypoint)
• R — Radial (or course / bearing) on which to hold
• A — Altitude
• T — Turns (specified only if non-standard / left turns; otherwise assume right)
• E — Expect Further Clearance time (EFC) — the time you would proceed if comm is lost

Example clearance: "Hold southwest of BDL VOR on the 231° radial, left turns, expect further clearance at 1845Z."

The 70° Pen Rule — Determining Entry

The single most useful holding mnemonic. Determines entry type from your current heading relative to the holding course.

1. Place a pen at 70° to the inbound (holding) course, across the fix:
   • For right turns (standard hold): pen tilts with the right side up
   • For left turns (non-standard hold): pen tilts with the left side up
2. The pen divides your approach heading into three sectors:
   • Big sector (≈ 180°): Direct entry
   • Medium sector (≈ 110°): Parallel entry
   • Small sector (≈ 70°): Teardrop entry
3. Your current heading falls in one of those three sectors — that's the entry to use.

If a hold is not in your published route or your training was on procedure-turn-style entries, defaulting to a direct entry is legal, safe, and commonly preferred — circle into the protected airspace and intercept the inbound course on the second lap.

The Three Entry Types

• Direct entry:
  1. Cross the fix
  2. Begin a standard-rate turn to the outbound heading
  3. Fly outbound for the appropriate time/distance, turn back, intercept inbound course
• Parallel entry:
  1. Cross the fix
  2. Turn to fly the inbound course in the opposite direction (parallel to it on the non-holding side)
  3. After 1 minute, turn opposite to the holding direction (i.e., a teardrop on the non-holding side back through the protected airspace)
  4. Intercept the inbound course back to the fix
• Teardrop entry:
  1. Cross the fix
  2. Turn to a heading 30° offset from the inbound leg (toward the holding side)
  3. Fly outbound on this teardrop heading for 1 minute
  4. Turn in the holding direction back to intercept the inbound course

The 5 Ts — At Every Fix and Turn

Every time you cross a holding fix or complete a turn, run the 5 Ts in order. They cover every action you might forget.

• T — Turn to the appropriate heading
• T — Time — start the clock (1 min inbound below 14,000 MSL, 1.5 min above)
• T — Twist — set the OBS / CDI to the inbound course (tail of the needle to the radial when tracking from; head of the needle to the bearing when tracking to)
• T — Toggle — switch nav source (VLOC / GPS / OBS) as required
• T — Talk — report as required (entering hold, leaving hold, etc.)

Timing & Wind Correction

• Goal: Make the inbound leg exactly 1 minute (1.5 minutes above 14,000 MSL)
• Start outbound timing when abeam the fix, or when wings level outbound if abeam can't be determined
• First lap is for diagnosing the wind — if the inbound leg comes out at 45 sec, your next outbound leg should be 1 min 15 sec to compensate
• Wind correction angle: Multiply the WCA on the inbound leg by 3 and apply to the outbound leg in the opposite direction (triple drift correction)

Lost Communications at a Hold

If you reach a clearance limit without receiving onward clearance, ATC expects you to:

• Maintain the last assigned altitude
• Begin holding in accordance with the depicted holding pattern
• If no pattern is depicted, enter a standard hold on the course you approached the fix on
• Immediately request further clearance
• Always report time and altitude on reaching a holding fix

Mandatory Reporting — MARVELOUS VFR C500

Even with comm equipment working, certain events must be reported to ATC. The mnemonic catches all of them:

• M — Missed approach
• A — Airspeed change of ±max(10 kts, 5%) of filed TAS
• R — Reaching a holding fix (time + altitude)
• V — VFR-on-top altitude change
• E — ETA changed ±2 min (3 min in the North Atlantic) — non-radar only
• L — Leaving a holding fix or holding point
• O — Outer marker (or fix used in lieu of) — non-radar only
• U — Unforecast weather
• S — Safety of flight (emergencies, urgency)
• V — Vacating an altitude or flight level
• F — Final approach fix — non-radar only
• R — Radio / nav / approach equipment failure
• C — Compulsory reporting points (depicted as solid triangles) — non-radar only
• 500 — Unable to climb or descend at least 500 fpm

In radar environment most of these are visible to ATC, but the reportable items marked are still your responsibility.

Procedure Turns & Course Reversals

A procedure turn (PT) is the maneuver to reverse direction and become established inbound on the final approach course. Required when depicted on the approach plate, unless:

• ATC clears you for a straight-in approach
• The initial segment is marked "No PT"
• You are receiving radar vectors to the final approach course
• You are conducting a timed approach from a holding fix

45/180: Most common. Fly outbound, turn 45° from the outbound course, fly that heading for 40 sec to 1 min, then turn 225° back to intercept the inbound final.

80/260: Rarely used — fly outbound, turn 80° one way, then immediately reverse 260° back to the inbound heading. Use only when nothing else fits.

Teardrop: 30°, 20°, or 10° offset from the outbound for 1, 2, or 3 minutes respectively, then turn back to intercept inbound. Often charted as the procedure turn for an approach.

Hold-in-lieu-of-PT (HILPT): A racetrack pattern depicted on the chart in place of a procedure turn. Same protected airspace, same purpose, but flown as a holding pattern.