Holding Patterns: Entries, Timing and Wind Correction

16 min read

It's the final leg of your trip, and everything is set for landing at JFK.

You tell the passengers there are 20 minutes to go and ask the flight attendants to prepare the cabin.

Then the controller calls:

"Are you ready to copy holding instructions?"

The short version. A holding pattern is a racetrack you fly at a fix while ATC delays you. Unless ATC or the chart says otherwise, U.S. holds use right turns and a 1-minute inbound leg at or below 14,000 feet MSL (1½ minutes above). You choose a direct, parallel or teardrop entry from your heading when you reach the fix, and you cross the fix at or below the maximum holding speed: 200 KIAS up to 6,000 feet MSL, 230 KIAS from 6,001 to 14,000 feet, and 265 KIAS above. Source: AIM 5-3-8 (Change 3, effective 9 July 2026).

Why ATC holds you

When ATC needs to delay you in the air, it clears you to a fix and has you hold there. Common reasons:

Weather at the destination or along the route
Traffic congestion
A closed runway or airport
An equipment outage
Time to deal with an abnormal situation or an emergency

The hold keeps you inside a block of protected airspace around the fix until you can continue to your destination or divert to an alternate.

The parts of a holding pattern

A standard (right-turn) holding pattern with an inbound course of 090°.

Holding fix: the point you hold at: a VOR, an intersection, a DME fix or a GPS waypoint.
Inbound leg: flown toward the fix on the holding course. Everything else is built from it.
Fix end and outbound end: the two 180° turns.
Outbound leg: parallel to the inbound leg, flown away from the fix.
Holding side and nonholding side: the pattern lies on the holding side of the inbound course.
Abeam the fix: the point on the outbound leg alongside the fix, where outbound timing usually starts.

A standard pattern uses right turns. A nonstandard pattern uses left turns, and ATC or the chart will tell you when to use them.

Bank angle

The AIM (not the regulations) asks you to make every turn, during the entry and in the hold, at whichever of these needs the least bank:

3° per second (a standard-rate turn)
30° of bank
25° of bank, if you're using a flight director

In a typical training aircraft, that's a standard-rate turn.

The holding clearance

When ATC clears you to a fix other than your destination airport and expects to delay you there, it gives you holding instructions (unless the hold is charted), an expect further clearance (EFC) time, and its best estimate of any further delay.

Charted holds. If the hold is drawn on the chart you're flying, the controller can shorten the instructions to the direction and "as published", for example "Hold east as published." You can always ask for the complete instructions.

Uncharted holds. The clearance includes:

The direction of the hold from the fix, as one of the eight compass points (north, northeast, east and so on)
The holding fix
The radial, course, bearing, airway or route to hold on
The leg length in miles, if you'll use DME or RNAV. It's given in minutes only if you ask or the controller thinks it necessary; otherwise, fly the standard timing below.
The turn direction, if it's left turns
The EFC time and any further delay information

For example: "Hold west of the ETX VOR on the 270 radial, expect further clearance at 1855 Zulu." No turn direction, so the turns are to the right. No leg length, so you fly the standard timing: a 1-minute inbound leg at or below 14,000 feet.

From the radial to the inbound course. "West on the 270 radial" puts the pattern west of the VOR, and you fly inbound toward the station on 090°, the reciprocal of the radial. Flying 270° inbound instead is a common mistake under pressure. At an intersection, work it out the same way: draw the fix, put the pattern on the side ATC named, and the inbound course points from the pattern to the fix.

No holding instructions. If the hold isn't charted and you haven't been given instructions, ask for them before you reach the fix. If you can't get them (a busy frequency or a stuck microphone), enter a standard pattern on the course you arrived on and ask for further clearance as soon as you can. ATC protects your altitude at the clearance limit.

Reports. Tell ATC the time and altitude when you reach the clearance limit, and report leaving it.

Write down the EFC. If your radios fail, it tells you when to leave the hold (see holding with a radio failure below).

Holding speeds

Altitude (MSL)	Maximum holding speed
Minimum holding altitude to 6,000 ft	200 KIAS
6,001 to 14,000 ft	230 KIAS
14,001 ft and above	265 KIAS

Slow down before you get there. When ATC gives you advance notice of the hold, start slowing so that you're at or below the maximum holding speed at least 3 minutes before you cross the fix. If you're 3 minutes or less from your clearance limit and haven't been cleared beyond it, start slowing so that you cross the fix at or below the maximum holding speed.

Exceptions:

A hold marked with a speed icon may limit you to 210 KIAS between 6,001 and 14,000 feet.
A speed printed in parentheses inside a charted hold, for example (175), is the maximum for that hold.
At U.S. Air Force airfields the limit is 310 KIAS, and at Navy fields 230 KIAS, unless the chart shows otherwise.
A published climb-in hold allows up to 310 KIAS, unless the chart shows a lower maximum.

If you can't hold at or below the maximum speed (in turbulence or icing, for example), tell ATC right away and ask for another clearance. A faster hold can take you outside the protected airspace.

Holding pattern entries

The AIM recommends three entries: direct, parallel and teardrop. The protected airspace around a hold was designed around them. You choose the entry from your heading when you reach the fix, and within 5° of a sector boundary either entry is acceptable.

The three entry sectors around a standard holding pattern: direct (180°), parallel (110°) and teardrop (70°)

Seen from the fix, the circle around it divides into three sectors. The teardrop sector is the 70° beyond the fix on the nonholding side. The parallel sector is the 110° beyond the fix on the holding side. The direct sector is the remaining 180°, which includes the pattern itself.

Working out the entry from your heading

The sectors are easier to picture than to apply in a busy cockpit, so here is the same rule as arithmetic. Start from the outbound course (OB), the inbound course ±180°, and check your heading against these ranges:

	Teardrop	Parallel
Right turns (standard)	OB − 70° to OB	OB to OB + 110°
Left turns	OB to OB + 70°	OB − 110° to OB

Any other heading is a direct entry. Add or subtract 360° when a range crosses north. In words, for a standard pattern: within 70° to the left of the outbound course, fly a teardrop; within 110° to the right of it, a parallel; anything else, a direct entry. For left turns, swap the sides.

If you'd rather draw it, this short video on the PilotsCafe channel shows how to work out the entry with a sketch:

Flying each entry

Direct. Cross the fix and turn in the holding direction to the outbound heading. You're in the hold.

Parallel. Cross the fix and turn to the outbound heading, which puts you on the nonholding side. Fly it for one minute, then turn toward the holding side through more than 180° and either intercept the inbound course or fly back to the fix. In a standard pattern both of these turns are to the left, against the pattern's direction; in a left-turn pattern, both are to the right.

Teardrop. Cross the fix and turn to a heading 30° off the outbound course toward the holding side: outbound − 30° for right turns, outbound + 30° for left turns. Fly it for one minute, then turn in the holding direction to intercept the inbound course.

Worked examples: choosing and flying the entry

Each example gives the clearance and your heading at the fix. Try it yourself before you read the steps. In the diagrams, the shaded sector is the answer, the black arrow is your arrival, and the dashed blue line is the entry.

Example 1: a direct entry

ATC: "Hold south of the DUNKS intersection on the XYZ 180 radial, expect further clearance at 1620." You arrive at DUNKS heading 030°.

The pattern is south of DUNKS on the 180 radial, so you fly inbound toward DUNKS on 360°. The outbound course is 180°.
No turn direction, so the turns are to the right.
Teardrop: headings from 180 − 70 = 110° to 180°. Parallel: from 180° to 180 + 110 = 290°.
030° is in neither range, so it's a direct entry.

Fly it: cross DUNKS and turn right to 180°. Start timing the outbound leg when you pass abeam DUNKS.

Example 1: arriving on 030° is a direct entry.

Example 2: a parallel entry

ATC: "Hold east of the CRANK VOR on the 090 radial, expect further clearance at 2130." You arrive over CRANK heading 110°.

East on the 090 radial: you fly inbound toward CRANK on 270°. The outbound course is 090°.
No turn direction, so the turns are to the right.
Teardrop: headings from 090 − 70 = 020° to 090°. Parallel: from 090° to 090 + 110 = 200°.
110° is in the parallel range: a parallel entry.

Fly it: cross CRANK and turn left to 090°, on the nonholding side. After one minute, turn left through more than 180°, to about 240°, to intercept the 270° inbound course (or fly direct to CRANK).

Example 2: arriving on 110° is a parallel entry.

Example 3: a teardrop entry with left turns

ATC: "Hold northeast of TRIXI on the ABC 045 radial, left turns, expect further clearance at 1520." You arrive at TRIXI heading 090°.

TRIXI is on the ABC 045 radial and the pattern is northeast of it, farther from ABC, so you fly inbound toward TRIXI on 225°. The outbound course is 045°.
Left turns.
For left turns, teardrop: headings from 045° to 045 + 70 = 115°. Parallel: from 045 − 110 = 295° to 045°.
090° is in the teardrop range: a teardrop entry.

Fly it: cross TRIXI and turn left to 075° (the outbound course plus 30°, toward the holding side). After one minute, turn left to intercept the 225° inbound course.

Example 3: arriving on 090° at a left-turn hold is a teardrop entry.

Example 4: a DME hold

ATC: "Hold west of the HOOPS 12 DME fix on the 270 radial, 4-mile legs, left turns, expect further clearance at 0945." You arrive at the fix heading 060°.

The fix is 12 NM west of the HOOPS VORTAC. The pattern is west of it, so you fly inbound toward HOOPS on 090° and outbound on 270°.
Left turns, so the pattern lies north of the inbound course.
With a leg length in miles, distance replaces time: the outbound leg ends at a DME reading. Flying inbound toward the station from a 12 DME fix, the outbound leg ends at 12 + 4 = 16 DME.
Entry, left turns: teardrop from 270° to 340°, parallel from 160° to 270°. 060° is in neither, so it's a direct entry.

Fly it: cross the fix, turn left to 270°, fly outbound until the DME reads 16, then turn left to intercept the 090° inbound course.

If the pattern were on the other side of the fix ("hold east of the 12 DME fix"), you'd fly inbound away from HOOPS on 270°, and the outbound leg would end at 12 − 4 = 8 DME. An RNAV distance to the station can stand in for DME here.

Example 4: inbound toward HOOPS from the 12 DME fix, 4-mile legs. The outbound leg ends at 16 DME.

Timing

Unless ATC or the chart gives a leg length, the AIM sets the length of the inbound leg:

1 minute at or below 14,000 feet MSL
1½ minutes above 14,000 feet MSL

You control it with the outbound leg:

Start the outbound timer over or abeam the fix, whichever comes later. If you can't tell when you're abeam, start it when you complete the turn to the outbound heading.
Fly the first outbound leg for 1 minute (1½ minutes above 14,000 feet).
Time the inbound leg, from wings level on the inbound course to the fix.
Adjust each later outbound leg until the inbound leg comes out right. DME or GPS distance can help.

Example 5: getting the inbound leg to 1 minute

You're holding at 7,000 feet, so the inbound leg should take 1 minute.

Circuit 1: outbound 1:00. Inbound takes 1:25, 25 seconds long, so you have a headwind inbound.
Circuit 2: shorten the outbound leg by the same 25 seconds, to 0:35. Inbound now takes 0:55, 5 seconds short.
Circuit 3: lengthen the outbound leg by 5 seconds, to 0:40. Inbound takes 1:00.

Changing the outbound leg by the inbound error is a good first correction. In a strong wind it can overshoot, because the wind also carries you during both turns, so expect a second or third circuit to settle it. With a headwind inbound, the outbound leg gets shorter; with a tailwind inbound, it gets longer.

Wind correction

Correct for crosswind with heading on both legs. The rule of thumb in the AIM:

On the outbound leg, triple the inbound correction, into the wind.

Because the legs run in opposite directions, the outbound correction goes the other way: correcting left inbound means correcting right outbound. The AIM's own example is 8° left inbound, 24° right outbound.

Why triple? The inbound correction only has to cover the inbound leg. The outbound correction also has to make up for the drift during both turns, so that you roll out of the outbound-end turn on the inbound course.

Example 6: wind correction

You're holding on an inbound course of 090° in a standard pattern. To track 090° inbound, you need a heading of 084°: a 6° correction to the left, so the wind is from the north.

The outbound course is 270°, and the north wind is now on your right.
Triple the correction: 6° × 3 = 18°, to the right, into the wind.
Outbound heading: 270 + 18 = 288°.

Then watch where the turn to inbound puts you. If you roll out downwind of the inbound course, use more correction on the next outbound leg; if you roll out upwind of it, use less.

Arriving at the fix: the five T's

A common memory aid for crossing the fix:

Turn to the entry or outbound heading. At a VOR, start the turn at the first complete reversal of the TO/FROM indicator.
Time: note the time at the fix for your report, and start timing the outbound or entry leg.
Twist the OBS (or set the course) to the inbound course.
Throttle: set power for the holding speed.
Talk: report the time and altitude reaching the fix, for example "Cessna 123AB, VRB at 8,000, 1320 Zulu."

Some pilots add a sixth T: think ahead.

On the checkride

Holding is Task B of Area of Operation III in the Instrument Rating ACS. Besides choosing and flying the right entry, the examiner expects you to:

Slow to holding speed when you're 3 minutes or less from the fix, before you reach it
Hold airspeed within ±10 knots, altitude within ±100 feet and headings within ±10°, and track the course within ¾-scale deflection
Correct for wind and comply with the leg length and other restrictions
Make the required reports to ATC
Rework your fuel reserves when you get an EFC you didn't expect, and know when a long hold becomes a minimum fuel or emergency situation

Holds that trip pilots up

Hold in lieu of procedure turn

Some approaches use a holding pattern instead of a procedure turn to reverse course. From AIM 5-4-9:

Fly it in the direction shown, and don't exceed the charted leg length or time.
The maximum holding speeds apply.
Use the normal entries. The maneuver is complete when you're established on the inbound course after the entry. If you're cleared for the approach and at the right altitude, ATC doesn't expect another circuit; if you want one (to lose altitude or to get established), tell ATC when you get the approach clearance.
Don't fly it when the route you're on is marked NoPT, when ATC is vectoring you to the final approach course, or on a timed approach from a holding fix, unless ATC clears you to.
Don't descend from the minimum holding altitude to the final approach fix altitude until you're established on the inbound course.

Missed approach holds

Most missed approach procedures end in a hold. Enter it like any other hold, from your heading when you reach the fix, at or below the maximum holding speed. If you're flying it with RNAV guidance, check that the hold in the database matches the chart.

Holding with a radio failure

If you lose two-way radio communications, 14 CFR 91.185(c)(3) uses your EFC time:

If your clearance limit is a fix where an approach begins: start the descent or the approach as close as possible to the EFC time, or to your estimated time of arrival if you weren't given an EFC.
If it isn't: leave the clearance limit at the EFC time (or when you arrive over it, if you have no EFC), proceed to a fix where an approach begins, and start the descent or approach as close as possible to your estimated time of arrival.

In both cases you may hold until the EFC, which is why it's worth writing down and checking against the clock.

Holding with an FMS or GPS

An FMS or an IFR GPS can fly the entry and the wind correction for you, but it can still fly the wrong hold. The first rule of computing applies: garbage in, garbage out. The AIM's cautions:

Check the hold the system loads against the chart or the clearance: turn direction, leg length or time, and speed limit. A database may store only one hold for a fix, and some systems store every hold as right turns.
Many systems choose the entry from ground track rather than heading, so a strong crosswind can produce an entry you didn't expect.
Slow to holding speed at least 3 minutes before the fix. Some systems size the pattern from your speed before you get there.
Don't set a bank limit below 25° unless you have to; if you must, tell ATC you need more room.
A hold loaded above 14,000 feet can keep 1½-minute legs after you descend below it.
Be ready to step in if the turn inbound doesn't start within a reasonable distance of the charted leg length, especially in a hold in lieu of procedure turn.

Holding outside the United States

Most other countries use ICAO's holding speeds (Doc 8168, PANS-OPS), and the United States publishes its own as a difference from them. They don't line up:

Altitude	FAA (AIM 5-3-8)	ICAO (PANS-OPS)
Up to 6,000 ft	200 KIAS	230 kt
6,001 to 14,000 ft	230 KIAS	230 kt
14,001 to 20,000 ft	265 KIAS	240 kt
20,001 to 34,000 ft	265 KIAS	265 kt
Above 34,000 ft	265 KIAS	Mach 0.83

ICAO's limit is 170 kt up to 14,000 feet in holds limited to Category A and B aircraft, and in turbulence it allows up to 280 kt (or Mach 0.8 if less) up to 34,000 feet.

The trap for a U.S.-trained pilot is between 14,000 and 20,000 feet, where the ICAO limit is 240 kt, not 265. Coming the other way, ICAO-trained pilots need to slow to 200 knots at or below 6,000 feet in the United States. Either way, check the country's AIP (section ENR 1.5) and the chart: a speed shown on the holding pattern applies.

Take it with you

The holding pattern summary puts the clearance items, speeds, entries, timing and wind rules on one printable page, for your flight bag or for a student.

Back to JFK

You copy the hold with an EFC of 1855 Zulu, about an hour away. You ask ATC the reason: arrival congestion, common in the New York area.

Once you're established in the hold and the workload allows, plan ahead:

How long can I hold with the fuel on board?
What will I do if ATC hasn't released me by the EFC?
What's the weather at my alternate and the other airports nearby if I have to divert?

Answering these early keeps a long hold from becoming a low-fuel situation.

After about 30 minutes, ATC releases you earlier than expected. You continue the arrival and land at JFK.

Next step

Practice until it's automatic. Holding Pattern Trainer gives you ATC holding clearances to solve, and works as an entry calculator too.
Review for the checkride. The IFR Quick-Review Study Guide covers holding along with the rest of the instrument oral topics.
Keep a copy. The one-page holding summary prints on a single sheet.

Sources and review

Checked against these sources by Amir Fleminger on Oct 27, 2026.

Spotted a mistake? Report a correction.

Nov 30, 2020
Last Updated: Oct 27, 2026

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