A hold is a racetrack flown over a fix while you wait: for traffic to clear, for the weather to improve, or for a slot. Controllers use holds to stack arriving aircraft above each other.
The shape of a hold
A hold has an inbound leg, flown towards the fix on the published inbound course, and an outbound leg flown parallel to it in the opposite direction, joined by two 180° turns.
- Turns: right turns are standard. Left turns are used when the chart or ATC says so.
- Leg length: 1 minute inbound at or below 14,000 ft, 1.5 minutes above 14,000 ft. Some holds use a distance (for example 4 NM) instead of time.
- Timing: adjust the outbound leg so that the inbound leg takes the right time, correcting for wind.
Entries
How you join a hold depends on your heading when you reach the fix, measured against the inbound course. For a right-hand hold:
| Your heading relative to the inbound course | Entry |
|---|---|
| 290° through 360° to 110° | Direct: cross the fix and turn straight into the hold |
| 110° to 180° | Teardrop: turn 30° from the outbound course into the holding side, fly 1 minute, then turn back to the inbound course |
| 180° to 290° | Parallel: fly outbound on the non-holding side for 1 minute, turn back towards the fix and join |
For a left-hand hold the picture is mirrored. Within about 5° of a boundary, either entry is acceptable. The holding entry tool draws the pattern and the entry for any course and heading.
Speeds
| Altitude | ICAO maximum | FAA maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 6,000 ft | 230 kt | 200 kt |
| 6,001 to 14,000 ft | 230 kt | 230 kt |
| 14,001 to 20,000 ft | 240 kt | 265 kt |
| 20,001 to 34,000 ft | 265 kt | 265 kt |
| Above 34,000 ft | Mach 0.83 | 265 kt |
Some holds publish their own limit. Reduce to the holding speed within three minutes of reaching the fix.
Expect-further-clearance times
When ATC puts you in a hold, they should give you an expected time to leave it ("expect further clearance at 1435"). It lets you plan fuel, and it tells you what to do if the radio fails.
For flight simulation and training only. Real-world procedures vary by country and operator; always follow the published charts and your local rules.
Keep reading
- Navaids and instrument approaches: VOR, NDB, DME, ILS and RNAV approaches in plain terms, and what decision altitude and minimum descent altitude mean.
- Planning the descent: Work out where to start down and how fast to descend, with the 3-to-1 rule and a check you can do in your head.