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Instrument rating · ACS IR.III.B · lesson pack

Holding Procedures

Why this one matters

Holding is where weather and fuel meet. A hold that was meant to last 10 minutes can stretch to 40 as the destination gets worse, and the pilot who keeps circling hoping it improves can end up with no fuel for the alternate. Holding well is half the task; knowing when to stop holding is the other half.

1 · Know these cold

  • •A standard hold turns right; a non-standard hold turns left. A holding clearance gives the direction to hold from the fix (one of eight compass points), the fix, the radial, course or airway, the leg length in miles for a DME or RNAV hold (or minutes if not standard), left turns if non-standard, and an EFC time.(AIM 5-3-8, Holding)
  • •Recommended entries: direct, parallel or teardrop, chosen by your heading to the fix relative to the holding course (the 70° line).(AIM 5-3-8, Holding)
  • •Inbound legs are 1 minute at or below 14,000 feet MSL (1½ minutes above), unless a distance is given. Start outbound timing over or abeam the fix, whichever is later (or when the outbound turn is complete if you can't tell abeam), and adjust the outbound leg so the inbound one comes out right. In a DME or RNAV hold the legs are distances, not times.(AIM 5-3-8, Holding)
  • •Maximum holding speed: 200 KIAS up to 6,000 feet MSL, 230 KIAS from 6,001 to 14,000, 265 KIAS above, unless charted otherwise.(AIM 5-3-8, Holding)
  • •Slow to holding speed within 3 minutes of the fix.(AIM 5-3-8, Holding)
  • •Wind: find the inbound correction, then apply about three times that correction outbound, to the opposite side of the course (into the wind).(Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B))
  • •Report the time and altitude reaching the holding fix and when leaving it. Recompute fuel against the EFC.(AIM 5-3-3)

2 · The lesson

The pattern and the entry
  • Read the clearance: "Hold northeast of the ABC VOR on the 040 radial, left turns, expect further clearance 1530."(AIM 5-3-8, Holding)
  • Picture the hold, then pick the entry. Direct: at the fix, turn in the holding direction and fly the pattern. Parallel: at the fix, turn to the outbound heading on the non-holding side for 1 minute, then turn more than 180° toward the holding side to intercept the inbound course or return to the fix. Teardrop: at the fix, turn to a heading 30° off the outbound course toward the holding side for 1 minute, then turn in the holding direction to intercept inbound. Each keeps you in protected airspace.(AIM 5-3-8, Holding)
  • Start outbound timing over or abeam the fix, whichever is later; if you can’t tell when you’re abeam, start when the outbound turn is complete.(AIM 5-3-8, Holding)
  • Use the MFD or GPS track to see the pattern drawn, but fly the course and timing.(Advanced Avionics Handbook (FAA-H-8083-6))
Wind, speed and timing
  • Correct drift inbound, then triple the correction outbound, applied to the opposite side of the course. Adjust outbound time so the inbound leg comes out at 1 minute.(Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B))
  • Turns: 3° per second, 30° of bank, or 25° with a flight director, whichever needs the least bank. An RNAV system that limits bank below 25° may not stay in protected airspace: tell ATC. Fly a steady holding speed for fuel economy.(AIM 5-3-8, Holding)
Fuel, weather and when to leave
  • Holding usually comes from weather or traffic at the destination. Ask early for the reason and the expected delay.(AIM 5-3-8, Holding)
  • When you get an EFC, recompute fuel: holding until the EFC, the approach, a missed approach and the alternate, plus reserve. The EFC is also your lost-communications plan: if the clearance limit is a fix where an approach begins, start the approach as close as possible to the EFC (or your ETA if none); if it isn't, leave it at the EFC (or on arrival if none), go to the approach fix and start as close as possible to your ETA.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A); 14 CFR 91.185(c)(3))
  • "Minimum fuel" is only an advisory: it gets no priority. If you can’t accept any more delay, declare an emergency and report your fuel in minutes.(AIM 5-5-15)
  • If the hold leaves you without enough fuel for the alternate, leave now.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))

Want it all on one page, with scenarios? Read the full lesson.

On the flight

ACS standards

  • Maintain airspeed ±10 knots, altitude ±100 feet, selected headings within ±10°, and track a course, radial or bearing within ¾-scale CDI deflection.(Instrument Rating ACS (FAA-S-ACS-8C), IR.III.B.S4)
  • Change to holding airspeed within 3 minutes of, but before reaching, the holding fix.(Instrument Rating ACS (FAA-S-ACS-8C), IR.III.B.S2)

What your instructor is watching for

Your instructor watches for the right entry, slowing in time, wind correction that gets better each lap, the reports, and a fuel check after the EFC.

3 · Say it out loud

Answer each one out loud, then check yourself and mark how it went.

  1. Remember Recall it

    “What is the maximum holding speed at 5,000 feet?”

  2. Understand Explain why

    “Why triple the wind correction on the outbound leg?”

  3. Apply Use it on a flight

    “You’re holding with an EFC 30 minutes from now, and you’ve just got 50 minutes of fuel left before your reserve. The alternate is 25 minutes away. What do you do?”

4 · Common mistakes

  • Slowing too late.

    You overshoot the protected airspace.

    Instead: Slow within 3 minutes of the fix.

  • Same correction outbound, or the wrong side.

    The pattern drifts.

    Instead: Triple it outbound, into the wind.

  • Holding without a fuel plan.

    Hope eats the alternate fuel.

    Instead: Recompute fuel when you get an EFC.

5 · Quick check

Answer, then reveal. Flag anything you want to see again.

  1. 1. Holding leg length below 14,000 feet?

  2. 2. Max holding speed between 6,001 and 14,000 feet?

  3. 3. Standard holding turns are to which side?

  4. 4. When do you start timing outbound?

  5. 5. Which reports go with holding?

  6. Scenario6. Holding at your destination, the weather is getting worse and ATC can’t give an EFC. What do you do?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice holding procedures out loud with our examiner.

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Connect it

One situation that runs across this lesson and its neighbors in the same ACS area. Decide first, then check.

Connect it · ATC Clearances & Procedures

ATC: 'Hold northeast of the VOR on the 040 radial, as published, expect further clearance 1530.' You're 4 minutes out at 5,000 feet, 140 knots.

What do you do now, and what does the EFC mean if you lose comms in the hold? Decide, then see the worked answer

Read the clearance back. Holding northeast on the 040 radial means the inbound course is 220° to the VOR. Draw the entry sectors from that 220° inbound course and pick direct, parallel or teardrop from your heading as you cross the fix. The maximum holding speed up to 6,000 feet MSL is 200 KIAS, so at 140 knots you already comply; any slowing starts within 3 minutes of the fix. Report the time and altitude when you reach the holding fix, and report leaving it; both reports are required without being asked. Fly the hold: start timing over or abeam the fix, whichever is later. The inbound leg is 1 minute at or below 14,000 feet, so adjust the outbound time to get it, and correct for wind with about triple the inbound drift correction on the outbound leg. Write down the time you reached the fix and the EFC. Then recalculate fuel to the EFC and on through the approach and alternate; if the reserves won't hold, tell ATC now. If comms fail, 91.185 depends on the clearance limit. If it's a fix where an approach begins, start the approach as close as possible to the EFC (or your ETA, if you had no EFC). If it isn't, leave the clearance limit at the EFC (or on arrival, if you had none), go to a fix where an approach begins, and start the approach as close as possible to your ETA. And if you're in VFR conditions when the radio fails, continue VFR and land as soon as practicable.

AIM 5-3-8, 6-4-1; 14 CFR 91.183, 91.185; IPH (FAA-H-8083-16B)

Brings together: Compliance with Air Traffic Control Clearances · Holding Procedures

Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →

Study aid, not FAA guidance. Sources: Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM); Instrument Procedures Handbook (FAA-H-8083-16B); Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B); 14 CFR; Instrument Rating ACS (FAA-S-ACS-8C). Checked against current sources 2026-11-13.