Question about holds for departing aircraft
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: London
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Question about holds for departing aircraft
Hello,
I understand that busy airports have holding stacks to queue/sequence arriving aircraft. Heathrow has four, if I am not mistaken.
What I wondered is: if you want to enter a hold after departure (e.g. to trouble-shoot a technical issue with the aircraft / deciding whether a return to base is necessary), would ATC direct you into those same holding stacks used for arriving aircraft? Or is it not possible to get from runway departure to the point where you enter the hold?
Similarly, to use my favourite 'remote' airport Nimes as an example, where I don't imagine there is an established holding pattern (? I stand to be corrected if so!), what happens if, on departure, you want to fly a holding pattern for the same reason? How is this done?
Nick
I understand that busy airports have holding stacks to queue/sequence arriving aircraft. Heathrow has four, if I am not mistaken.
What I wondered is: if you want to enter a hold after departure (e.g. to trouble-shoot a technical issue with the aircraft / deciding whether a return to base is necessary), would ATC direct you into those same holding stacks used for arriving aircraft? Or is it not possible to get from runway departure to the point where you enter the hold?
Similarly, to use my favourite 'remote' airport Nimes as an example, where I don't imagine there is an established holding pattern (? I stand to be corrected if so!), what happens if, on departure, you want to fly a holding pattern for the same reason? How is this done?
Nick
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Berkshire, UK
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Aircraft can fly holding patterns anywhere, not necessarily at an established holding point. In the event of a problem occurring after take of from Heathrow, for example, if the aircraft is low it could be routed to EPM or CHT to hold. If it had climbed to a higher level it could enter one of the main holds. As a last resort, it could be held on radar.
