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A hold is a racetrack-shaped pattern flown over a fix while you wait for an approach, for traffic to clear or for the weather to improve. Flying the racetrack itself is straightforward once you are established. The part that catches students out is the entry: how to get from wherever you arrive into the pattern without leaving protected airspace. This guide explains the three standard entries, how to pick the right one quickly and how to fly each one.
If you just want the answer for a specific clearance, our Holding Pattern Entry Calculator gives the entry, headings and leg time instantly.
The parts of a holding pattern
- Holding fix – the point the pattern is built on: a VOR, NDB, intersection, DME fix or GPS waypoint.
- Inbound leg – flown towards the fix on the published or assigned inbound course.
- Outbound leg – parallel to the inbound leg, flown in the opposite direction.
- Holding side – the side of the inbound course where the turns happen. With standard right turns, it is on the right as you fly inbound.
- Non-holding side – the other side, which the pattern should not use.
Standard holds use right turns. Left turns are used only when published on the chart or stated in the clearance, for example “hold west of the VOR on the 270 radial, left turns”.
The three entries
Direct entry
You cross the fix and turn straight onto the outbound leg in the direction of the hold. This is used when you arrive from the holding side or roughly along the inbound course. It covers the largest sector, 180°.
Teardrop entry
You cross the fix and turn to a heading 30° off the outbound course, into the holding side. After the outbound time, turn in the direction of the hold to intercept the inbound course. The track looks like a teardrop. It covers a 70° sector.
Parallel entry
You cross the fix and fly the outbound heading, but on the non-holding side. After the outbound time, turn back towards the holding side (the opposite way to the normal hold turns) and intercept the inbound course or fly direct to the fix. It covers a 110° sector.
How the sectors are defined
Imagine a line through the fix at 70° to the inbound course, angled towards the holding side. That line, together with the inbound course extended beyond the fix, divides the area around the fix into three sectors:
| Sector | Size | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| Arriving from the holding side or along the inbound course | 180° | Direct |
| Arriving from beyond the fix, on the non-holding side | 110° | Parallel |
| Arriving from beyond the fix, on the holding side | 70° | Teardrop |
When you are within about 5° of a boundary, either adjacent entry is acceptable.
A quick mental method
A reliable shortcut uses only your heading and the inbound course. Subtract the inbound course from your heading and express the answer between −180° and +180°.
| Heading − inbound course | Right turns | Left turns |
|---|---|---|
| −180° to −110° | Teardrop | Parallel |
| −110° to −70° | Direct | Parallel |
| −70° to +70° | Direct | Direct |
| +70° to +110° | Parallel | Direct |
| +110° to +180° | Parallel | Teardrop |
For example, inbound course 360° and heading 120° gives +120°, so a right-hand hold needs a parallel entry. Heading 210° gives −150°, so the entry is teardrop.
It sounds abstract the first few times. Drawing the hold on the chart, with an arrow for your arrival, is the most reliable way to build the picture until it becomes automatic.
Worked examples
Example 1. Hold on an inbound course of 360°, right turns. You arrive heading 360° straight down the inbound course. That is a direct entry: cross the fix and turn right to 180°.
Example 2. Same hold. You arrive heading 120°, coming from the north-west, beyond the fix on the non-holding side. That is a parallel entry: cross the fix, turn left to 180° outbound, then after one minute turn left back to the inbound course.
Example 3. Same hold. You arrive heading 210°, coming from the north-east, beyond the fix on the holding side. That is a teardrop entry: cross the fix, fly 150° for one minute, then turn right to intercept 360° inbound.
Timing, speed and wind
In the FAA system and under ICAO PANS-OPS, the inbound leg should take one minute at or below 14,000 ft MSL and one and a half minutes above. You adjust the outbound time after the first circuit so the inbound leg comes out right. Holds can also be published with a distance instead of time, such as 4 NM legs on an RNAV procedure.
Maximum holding speeds differ between FAA and ICAO rules and by altitude, so check the AIM or your country’s AIP. Wind matters: triple the wind correction angle on the outbound leg to compensate for the turns, a long-standing training rule of thumb. Our Wind Correction Angle Calculator gives the base correction.
Common mistakes
- Turning the wrong way. On a parallel entry, the turn back is opposite to the hold direction. On a teardrop, it is in the hold direction.
- Using the radial instead of the course. “Hold west on the 270 radial” means you fly inbound on 090°, not 270°.
- Forgetting the Five Ts. At the fix: turn, time, twist (set the course), throttle (slow to holding speed) and talk (report entering the hold if required).
- Over-thinking it. Entries are recommended methods. Staying in protected airspace is what matters, and any of the standard entries near a boundary is fine.
Related tools and guides
- Holding Pattern Entry Calculator
- Climb Gradient Calculator
- How to Read METAR and TAF
- Zulu Time and UTC in Aviation
For training and general information. Fly holds as published and as instructed by ATC, and follow the FAA AIM 5-3-8, ICAO Doc 8168 or your national AIP.
Sources and further reading
- AIM 5-3, En Route Procedures (holding: 5-3-8)
- FAA Instrument Procedures Handbook (FAA-H-8083-16)
- ICAO Doc 8168, PANS-OPS, Volume I (holding procedures outside the United States)
Sources checked November 2026. Rules differ between countries and change over time: for real flights, use the current publications of the authority that applies to you, your aircraft flight manual and your operator’s procedures.