Clearance & Entry
Two skills bolted together: copying the clearance correctly (DFRATE) and figuring out which entry to fly (the 70° pen rule). Get both right and the entry is mechanical — direct, parallel, or teardrop, each with a fixed step sequence. The pen rule looks gimmicky on paper but it's how working pilots resolve entries in the cockpit in seconds.
DFRATE — copying the clearance
ATC delivers holding instructions in a fixed order. Copy them in the same order. The mnemonic is DFRATE:
- D — Direction of holding from the fix (N, S, E, W, NE, SW, etc.)
- F — Fix (named — VOR, intersection, waypoint)
- R — Radial (or course / bearing) on which to hold
- A — Altitude
- T — Turns — specified only when non-standard (left turns); otherwise assume right turns and ATC won't say anything
- E — Expect Further Clearance time (EFC) — the time at which you'd proceed if comm is lost
Example clearance: "Hold southwest of BDL VOR on the 231° radial, left turns, expect further clearance at 1845Z."
That parses cleanly into D=southwest, F=BDL VOR, R=231°, A=(your assigned altitude — usually mentioned earlier in the clearance string), T=left, E=1845Z.
The 70° pen rule — sector determination
The single most useful holding mnemonic. It tells you which entry type to fly based on your current heading relative to the holding course.
- Place a pen across the fix at 70° to the inbound (holding) course:
- 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.
- The pen divides the compass around the fix into three sectors:
- Big sector (≈ 180°) — direct entry.
- Medium sector (≈ 110°) — parallel entry.
- Small sector (≈ 70°) — teardrop entry.
- Your current heading falls in one of those three sectors — that's the entry to use.
If the hold isn't 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. ATC doesn't actually require a specific entry as long as you stay in protected airspace.
Direct entry
The simplest. Used when your heading is in the big sector (≈180°) — roughly, you'd fly through the fix on a heading already on the holding side or close to the inbound course.
- Cross the fix.
- Begin a standard-rate turn to the outbound heading (the reciprocal of the inbound holding course).
- Fly outbound for the appropriate time/distance, turn back at standard rate, intercept the inbound course, fly inbound to the fix.
Parallel entry
Used when your heading falls in the medium sector (≈110°) — typically when you'd be approaching the fix from the non-holding side.
- Cross the fix.
- Turn to fly the inbound course in the opposite direction — that is, parallel to the holding course but on the non-holding side.
- After 1 minute, turn opposite to the holding direction (i.e., a teardrop on the non-holding side back through the protected airspace).
- Intercept the inbound course back to the fix and continue normally.
Parallel is the trickiest of the three — the turn at step 3 is opposite to the standard turn direction of the hold itself. Pilots sometimes mis-turn here. Visualize the geometry on the chart before flying it.
Teardrop entry
Used when your heading falls in the small sector (≈70°) — you're approaching the fix at a shallow angle from the holding side.
- Cross the fix.
- Turn to a heading 30° offset from the inbound leg, biased toward the holding side.
- Fly outbound on this teardrop heading for 1 minute.
- Turn in the holding direction (the same direction as standard turns in the hold) back to intercept the inbound course.
The teardrop is named for its shape: a tapered loop that swings outside, then back in.