Hold Me, Thrill Me?

You want me to do what? You didnt say it aloud, but you may well have been thinking it when the controller directed, N12345, hold northeast of XYZ on the 050 radial, 20 DME fix, three-mile legs. Expect further clearance at 45 past the hour; time now 20 past the hour. A hold? Who holds anymore?

Tom Turner

Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Holding patterns are becoming more frequent, often assigned at unpublished fixes, requiring single-pilot IFR pilots to be prepared beyond standard practice.
While hold entry flexibility exists (outside of checkrides), pilots must prioritize remaining within protected airspace and understand diverse hold scenarios like missed approaches, flow control, or delays.
Essential operational knowledge includes managing leg lengths, adhering to speed limits, and understanding the specific information ATC provides for non-published holds.
Workload can be significantly reduced by slowing down, sketching the pattern, utilizing automation, and even proactively requesting a hold when extra time is needed.

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You want me to do what? You didnt say it aloud, but you may well have been thinking it when the controller directed, N12345, hold northeast of XYZ on the 050 radial, 20 DME fix, three-mile legs. Expect further clearance at 45 past the hour; time now 20 past the hour. A hold? Who holds anymore?

In fact, Im hearing more and more reports from pilots being put into holding patterns in busy terminal airspace. Most recently, I ran across a friend who flies a turboprop-converted Beech Bonanza, a Cessna Citation and (with a copilot) a Lear 55. He says hes regularly assigned holds in the Dallas area. Frequently hes assigned a hold at a controller-defined fix (e.g., XYZ 050 radial, 20 DME fix) that is not published anywhere on the charts or in his panel-mounted, GPS-driven display database. Its a big problem for a single pilot flying IFR, my friend says.