IFR Holding Patterns: Entry, Timing, Speeds, and ACS Tolerances

What is a holding pattern and when is it used?

A holding pattern is a predetermined flight maneuver that keeps an aircraft in a defined airspace block until ATC authorizes further progress, as described in AIM 5-3-7. It is used when traffic sequencing, weather, or airport capacity requires an aircraft to remain airborne at a fix rather than proceeding immediately to its destination.

ATC issues holding instructions in several common scenarios:

• Traffic sequencing at a busy terminal — you are number four for the approach and need to absorb a delay.
• Weather at the destination requires a hold while conditions improve or an approach becomes available.
• Pilot or aircraft emergency requires holding until the situation is resolved or the runway is clear.
• Clearance limit at a fix — in IFR operations, a clearance limit is a point beyond which you are not authorized to fly without further clearance. If you reach it, you must hold.
• Published holding-in-lieu-of-procedure-turn (HILPT) on an instrument approach — the chart instructs you to hold rather than execute a procedure turn.

ATC is also required to assign a holding clearance with an Expect Further Clearance (EFC) time whenever a delay is anticipated. Without an EFC, you have no reference for lost-communications planning, so if ATC omits it, you should request it.

What is the geometry of a standard holding pattern?

A standard holding pattern is a racetrack-shaped course defined by an inbound leg, a holding fix, and two 180-degree turns flown at standard rate, per AIM 5-3-7. All turns are to the right in a standard pattern. Left-hand (non-standard) patterns are specifically charted or assigned by ATC.

The key reference points:

• Holding fix — the navigation reference (VOR, NDB, GPS waypoint, intersection, or DME fix) that anchors the pattern. You cross the fix on the inbound leg and again at the end of each outbound leg.
• Inbound leg — the segment you fly toward the holding fix on the published or assigned inbound course. This is the leg ATC uses to define the pattern and the one you time.
• Outbound leg — flown in the opposite direction from the fix, on the non-holding side. You adjust outbound timing to achieve the correct inbound leg length.
• Holding side — the side of the inbound course where the turns occur. In a standard (right-turn) pattern, the holding side is to the right of the inbound course.
• Non-holding side — opposite the holding side. The outbound leg is flown on the non-holding side.

The entire pattern takes approximately 4 minutes to complete in no-wind conditions: two 1-minute legs plus two 1-minute 180-degree turns. Wind will expand or compress this; the outbound timing adjustment corrects for it.

What are the three entry types, and which sectors define them?

AIM 5-3-7 defines three standard holding pattern entries — direct, teardrop, and parallel — based on your heading when you arrive at the holding fix. The correct entry depends on which sector you are in, defined by 70-degree and 110-degree boundaries relative to the inbound course.

To determine your entry, draw the inbound course through the holding fix as a reference line. Extend that line in both directions. Then define three sectors:

Direct entry is used when you arrive in the 140-degree sector centered on the inbound course. You cross the fix, turn immediately in the direction of the holding pattern (right turn in a standard hold), and fly the outbound leg.

Parallel entry is used when you arrive from the non-holding side — in the 110-degree sector opposite the turns. You fly over the fix, turn to parallel the inbound course outbound (on the non-holding side), then turn back toward the fix and intercept the inbound course.

Teardrop entry is used when you arrive from the holding side — in the 70-degree sector on the same side as the turns. You cross the fix, fly an offset course at approximately 30 degrees into the protected area (on the holding side), fly outbound for a timed interval, then execute a turn back to intercept the inbound course.

The AIM presents these as recommended entries, not regulatory requirements. The objective is to keep you within the protected airspace surrounding the holding pattern while maneuvering to establish the inbound leg.

How do you determine your entry type from your arrival heading?

The practical skill is converting your arrival heading into the correct entry type without hesitation. The calculation is straightforward if you work from the inbound course, per AIM 5-3-7.

Step 1 — Identify the inbound course. The inbound course is the course you will fly toward the holding fix. If ATC tells you "hold northeast on the 045 radial," the inbound course is 045 (flying FROM the fix, outbound, is 045 — wait, ATC means fly inbound on the 045 course, so inbound heading is 045).

A common source of confusion: the AIM defines the holding course by the inbound leg. If a hold is "on the 180 radial," you fly the 180 radial inbound — heading 180 toward the fix. Outbound is 360.

Step 2 — Determine your arrival heading relative to the inbound course. Subtract the inbound course from your arrival heading (add 360 if the result goes negative). The result tells you which sector you are in:

Step 3 — Verify the turn direction. In a standard (right-turn) hold, the holding side is to the right of the inbound course. The parallel entry is on the left (non-holding) side. If the hold is non-standard (left turns), flip the sides.

On the practical test, the DPE may give you a heading and a hold, then ask you to call your entry without reference to a diagram. Practice working through the arithmetic until it is automatic.

What are the maximum holding airspeeds by altitude?

AIM 5-3-7 establishes maximum holding airspeeds for civil aircraft to ensure all aircraft remain within the protected airspace of the published holding pattern. Exceeding these speeds causes the aircraft's ground track to extend beyond the protected area, creating a potential conflict with obstacles or other traffic.

Two important caveats from AIM 5-3-7:

• Turbine-powered aircraft at or below 6,000 feet MSL are limited to 230 KIAS, not 200 KIAS, unless a lower speed is required by the approach procedure.
• When ATC clears you for an approach while holding, the speed limit immediately drops to 200 KIAS until established on an approach segment — at which point approach procedure speeds apply.

For most general aviation aircraft practicing IFR in a Cessna 172 or similar, the 200-knot limit is academic — the aircraft cannot reach it. But on the practical test oral, you must know all three thresholds and be able to state them by altitude band without prompting.

How do you time the inbound leg and correct for wind?

The inbound leg target duration comes directly from AIM 5-3-7: 1 minute at or below 14,000 feet MSL; 1.5 minutes above 14,000 feet MSL. The timing starts abeam the holding fix on the outbound leg (or at the time of wing leveling if abeam position cannot be determined) and ends when the aircraft crosses the holding fix inbound.

The challenge is that the inbound leg timing changes with wind. Headwind on the inbound leg makes it shorter in time; tailwind makes it longer. You adjust the outbound leg to compensate.

Wind correction technique, per the Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B):

1. 1
   Fly the first inbound leg and note the actual time to cross the fix inbound.
2. 2
   Compare to the target (1 minute or 1.5 minutes). Note the difference.
3. 3
   Adjust the next outbound leg by the same difference. If inbound took 1:20 against a headwind, shorten outbound by 20 seconds. If inbound took 0:40 with a tailwind, lengthen outbound by 20 seconds.
4. 4
   Apply a wind correction angle (crab) on the inbound leg to track the inbound course despite crosswind. Record that correction angle.
5. 5
   On the outbound leg, triple the inbound correction angle to account for the outbound being flown in the opposite direction and the additional time needed to correct. A 5-degree inbound correction becomes 15 degrees outbound, applied in the opposite direction.
6. 6
   Reassess after each circuit and refine until the inbound leg consistently hits the target time.

The tripling rule for outbound crab is a widely taught approximation, not a regulatory formula — but it is the standard taught in FAA-H-8083-15B and expected by DPEs.

What is EFC time and what happens if you lose communications?

EFC — Expect Further Clearance — is the time ATC expects to issue your next clearance from the holding fix, per AIM 5-3-7. Whenever ATC assigns you to hold, they must also issue an EFC time. It serves two functions: it gives you a planning window for fuel management, and it provides the regulatory trigger for lost-communications procedures.

Under 14 CFR 91.185, if you lose two-way radio communications while in IFR conditions, you must:

1. 1
   Squawk 7600.
2. 2
   Continue on the last assigned route — or if being radar vectored, proceed direct to the fix, route, or airway specified in the vector clearance.
3. 3
   Fly at the highest of: (a) the last assigned altitude, (b) the minimum IFR altitude for the route segment, or (c) the altitude ATC advised you to expect.
4. 4
   At the clearance limit (your holding fix), if no EFC time was received, hold until the estimated time of arrival based on your filed flight plan, then begin the approach. If an EFC time was received, leave the fix at the EFC time and commence the approach.

In practice, this means the EFC is the moment you depart the hold and start your approach if comms are lost. If ATC never gave you an EFC, you use your ETA at the fix from your filed flight plan.

Always write down the EFC when ATC issues it, along with the holding clearance. On the checkride, the DPE may simulate a lost-comm scenario and ask when and how you would leave the hold.

What are the ACS tolerances for holding on the practical test?

The FAA Instrument Rating ACS (FAA-S-ACS-8C), Task III-B (Holding Procedures), establishes the performance standards the DPE applies when evaluating your holding pattern airwork:

The DPE is watching for three things beyond the numbers: (1) that you select the correct entry without hesitation or prompting, (2) that you demonstrate active wind correction rather than passive flying, and (3) that you maintain altitude within tolerance throughout the pattern — holding is when altitude busts most commonly occur because pilots focus on timing and forget to cross-check the altimeter.

What oral questions does the DPE ask about holding patterns?

DPEs draw oral questions directly from the ACS knowledge and risk management elements for Task III-B. The following question types appear repeatedly:

One question that surprises candidates: DPEs sometimes ask about the difference between a HILPT (holding in lieu of procedure turn) and an en route hold. A HILPT is charted on the approach plate at the IAF — the holding pattern is used instead of a procedure turn to reverse course. You must fly it unless ATC cancels the procedure turn requirement or you hold a straight-in clearance. A HILPT at the IAF counts as part of the approach procedure, not an ATC-assigned delay.

This article was researched from FAA primary sources (AIM 5-3-7, 14 CFR 91.185 via Cornell LII, Instrument Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-15B, Instrument Procedures Handbook FAA-H-8083-16B, and Instrument Rating ACS FAA-S-ACS-8C) and citing current regulations — drafted by MockDPE. Last updated: May 2026. If you spot an inaccuracy, email corrections@mockdpe.org.