6 .

N DB t ra c k ing, holds a nd proc e dure s

c . H olding proc e dure s (i) T he I CAO holding pa t t e rn

Standard hold with right-hand turns 1 Hold begins at the holding fix

The Inbound leg is defined by a track to the holding fix

6
Holding Fix
2 Outbound Turn
On passing the holding fix, a
Inbound leg Rate 1 turn to the right is
Inbound Turn established.
At the end of the Outbound
leg, a Rate 1 turn to the right
is established, to intercept
the Inbound track 5
Outbound
end The Outbound leg is defined by timing
(1 minute) and track (as published)
4

“H ldi side”
“Holding id ”

“Non-Holding side” Outbound leg 3 The Outbound leg begins at

the Abeam position, or when
Abeam position established on the Outbound
track, whichever is later
The design of the Holding Area and the Buffer Area (ICAO PANS OPS Doc 8168 Part II Section 4)
• The hold is designed to be flown at a max speed of 230KIAS (280KIAS in turbulence) below 14,000’. The max speed increases in stages to Mach 0.83 above 34,000’. Holds
specified as only for Category A & B aircraft are designed for a max speed of 170KIAS. Helicopters are assumed to fly holds at 100KIAS.
• The turns are assumed to use Rate 1 up to a maximum angle of bank of 25O
• The outbound legg timing
g is 1min below 14,000’
, and 1min30s above 14,000’.
, Note that the ICAO hold is no longer
g defined as a 4min p
pattern;; so,, strictlyy speaking,
p g, the
outbound leg time need not be corrected for wind
• A holding area is designed around these specifications, with various tolerances for the fix position, the beginning of turns, time to establish a bank, track accuracy, and the
effect of 95% probable winds at the max holding speed. The holding area provides 1000’ of obstacle and terrain clearance. The buffer area extends to 5nm beyond the
holding area, and provides obstacle clearance of 1000’ at 1nm, tapering to 200’ at 5nm. In mountainous areas, the obstacle clearance is greater.
• In general, the holding area is much larger than required for a light aircraft, because it is designed for jets holding at 230-280KIAS. However, the hold area is not designed for
every adverse combination of strong winds and light aircraft speeds
speeds, and ICAO PANS OPS expects that “the the normal operational adjustments made by the pilots of such
aircraft should keep the aircraft within the area”. Hence, we fly holds making adjustments to track and timing to compensate for wind.
• Note that a published hold may specify a different timing or limiting speed from the ICAO standard, and ‘non-standard’ left-hand turns

52