IFR Checkride Guide
Chair flying / Holding — Entry and Established

Holding — Entry and Established

Enter and fly a holding pattern — pick the correct entry, manage timing and wind correction, and stay inside protected airspace while talking to ATC.

Guided rehearsal is PremiumACS III.B — Holding Procedures

Setup

  1. Copy the holding clearance — fix, radial/course, leg length, direction of turns, EFC
    Standard holds use right turns; "left turns" in the clearance makes it nonstandard. No leg length given = 1-minute inbound legs (1½ minutes above 14,000 ft).
  2. Slow to 90 KIAS within 3 minutes of the fix
    Reduce before the fix for fuel conservation. Max holding speeds: 200 KIAS at or below 6,000 ft, 230 KIAS 6,001–14,000 ft, 265 KIAS above 14,000 ft (AIM 5-3-8).
  3. Visualize the pattern and choose the entry — direct, parallel, or teardrop
    From the fix, the inbound course splits the sky into entry sectors: direct (~180°), parallel (~110°), teardrop (~70°). Within ±5° of a sector boundary, either entry works.

Execution

  1. Cross the fix — start time, turn per the entry“Fix, time, turn”
  2. Report entering the hold — time and altitude
  3. Fly the entry: outbound 1 minute, then turn to intercept inbound
    Parallel: track outbound on the holding side of the course, then turn toward the protected side more than 180° to intercept inbound. Teardrop: fly 30° off the outbound course, then a single turn inbound.
  4. Established: time the inbound leg — adjust outbound to make inbound 1 minute
    Inbound long → shorten outbound; inbound short → lengthen. Start outbound timing abeam the fix, or wings-level if you can't identify abeam.
  5. Triple the inbound wind correction on the outbound leg
    The two 180° turns drift with the wind — an outbound crab of roughly 3× the inbound correction compensates (AIM 5-3-8).
  6. Hold: airspeed ±10 kt, altitude ±100 ft, headings ±10°, CDI within ¾-scale inbound

Recovery

  1. Leaving the hold: at EFC or further clearance, depart from over the fix
  2. Resume en route speed and checklist

ACS tolerances

  • Airspeed ±10 kt
  • Altitude ±100 ft
  • Headings ±10°
  • Inbound course within ¾-scale CDI deflection

Common errors

  • Turning the wrong way on entry — visualize before the fix, not over it
  • No wind correction outbound — blown through the inbound course
  • Forgetting to start timing over the fix or abeam
  • Failing to report entering the hold or to note the EFC