How Do You Fly A Holding Pattern?
If you’re a frequent flyer, you have probably had to “hold” at one time or another. Holding is when an airplane makes several 360° turns to avoid other aircraft or wait for a clearance to land. Although not as common now as it used to be, you may still encounter a holding request, especially if you are a pilot working on an instrument rating. With that in mind, the following article is written from a private pilot standpoint and (foolishly) assumes you know how to use aircraft navigation equipment such as VORs, DME, and NDBs. • Determine the Holding Fix. Air Traffic Control (ATC) will give you instructions to “hold north of SKIER intersection as published” or give you specific holding instructions such as “hold southeast of Falcon VOR on Victor 366, left turns.” The holding fix can be identified on an instrument flying chart and will usually be an intersection of Victor Airways (pre-established flying routes between VOR navigational aids), a VOR (Very high frequency OmniRange station),
