When the airspace ahead is full, aircraft do not stop; they fly a tidy racetrack in the sky until it is their turn, and flying it well is a precise skill.
This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.
What a hold is and how it is defined
A holding pattern keeps an aircraft inside a defined volume of airspace while it waits. It is shaped like a racetrack and defined by three things: a fix (a navaid, an intersection, or an RNAV waypoint), an inbound course that leads to that fix, and a turn direction. The standard pattern uses right-hand turns, and a non-standard pattern with left-hand turns is flown only where it is published. The procedures come from ICAO Doc 8168 (PANS-OPS) and the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, paragraph 5-3-8; the United Kingdom and most States apply the ICAO procedures.
The racetrack has four parts: the inbound leg towards the fix on the holding course, a turn at the fix, the outbound leg flown parallel to the inbound, and a turn back onto the inbound.
Timing the legs
Where a hold is defined by time, the standard timed leg is 1 minute at or below 14,000 ft and 1.5 minutes above 14,000 ft. The values and the 14,000 ft break are shared, but the two authorities time different legs: the FAA times the inbound leg, so you adjust the outbound for wind to make the inbound come out at the target time, while ICAO Doc 8168 times the outbound leg and then adjusts it so the aircraft rolls out established on the inbound track. Many modern holds are defined instead by a DME distance or an RNAV leg length, which removes the timing guesswork.
Maximum holding speeds differ by authority
This is where you must not assume one number is universal. The maximum speed at which you may fly the hold depends on the authority, and the two sets of figures genuinely differ, so use the table for the airspace you are actually in.
In the United States, the FAA AIM gives maximum holding airspeeds in knots indicated of 200 up to 6,000 ft, 230 from 6,001 to 14,000 ft, and 265 above 14,000 ft.
Under ICAO, Doc 8168 gives normal maximum holding speeds of 230 kt up to 14,000 ft, 240 kt above 14,000 up to 20,000 ft, 265 kt above 20,000 up to 34,000 ft, and Mach 0.83 above that, with higher allowances in turbulence.
The bands and several of the numbers are not the same, most visibly between 14,000 and 20,000 ft, so attribute the figure to its authority and check the current table in the FAA AIM or ICAO Doc 8168 rather than carrying one across to the other.
The three entries
You rarely arrive at the fix already lined up on the inbound course, so there are three standard ways to join, chosen by the heading you arrive on relative to the pattern. The sectors are divided roughly by a line 70 degrees from the inbound course. Take a hold at a fix with an inbound course of 270, so the outbound is flown on 090, with standard right turns:
- Direct entry, from the largest sector: cross the fix and turn right to follow the outbound
090, then turn right again to come back onto the270inbound. This is the simplest join. - Parallel entry, from the sector on the non-holding side: at the fix, turn left to parallel the outbound on the non-holding side, fly the outbound timing, then turn left through more than 180 degrees to intercept the inbound.
- Teardrop entry, from the holding-side sector: at the fix, turn onto a heading about 30 degrees offset towards the holding side, fly out, then turn to intercept the inbound. ICAO calls this the offset entry; it is the same manoeuvre.
Common pitfalls
- Forgetting the wind. The outbound leg must be adjusted so the inbound leg meets the target time, and a strong crosswind needs a drift correction on both legs.
- Choosing the wrong entry. Picture the pattern and your arrival heading before the fix, and pick the sector deliberately.
- Treating the speed limits as universal. The FAA and ICAO maxima differ, so use the right table for the airspace.
- Mixing timing and distance holds. Know whether your hold is timed, DME-defined, or an RNAV leg length, and fly it accordingly.
In Pilot EFB
Pilot EFB is a study and planning aid that keeps your weather, NOTAMs, flight time, and logbook in one offline-first place; it does not fly or compute holding patterns and is not a certified Electronic Flight Bag. Fly the published hold from the approved chart and your clearance, and use this article to understand the geometry behind it. Saved data stays readable offline; pulling fresh data needs a connection.