holding pattern exit times
Thread Starter

Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 481
Likes: 23
From: Melbourne
holding pattern exit times
Often ATC will clear you to hold and say "adjust speed/timing as required to exit a hold at a particular time".
Interested in any techniques to make this work (particularly in the Airbus).
Thanks in advance.
Interested in any techniques to make this work (particularly in the Airbus).
Thanks in advance.
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 399
Likes: 0
From: Australia the Awesome
Put a time marker in the flight plan, adjust the hold speed and leg length as required by rough guessing the hold time, once you enter the pattern wind the speed back or faster to put the time marker over the hold fix to exit on time.
Ie: holding at FL300 @ min speed, 2 min legs will take about 8 mins, 1 min legs will take 6 mins
Ie: holding at FL300 @ min speed, 2 min legs will take about 8 mins, 1 min legs will take 6 mins

Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 668
Likes: 242
From: Elsewhere
Start the stopwatch going over the hold fix, and note how long it is before you need to pass over the fix again. Go outbound until the stopwatch says half that time is up, and turn inbound again. You’ll need to make an educated guess at a wind adjustment, but (at least in Oz) you’re allowed to be up to a minute early. Using a time marker and judicious speed adjustments, it should be possible to be within a few seconds.
Gender Faculty Specialist
Joined: Mar 2002
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 2,325
Likes: 434
From: In your head.
You don't need to exit the hold via the holding waypoint.
Let us not overcomplicate things. Just press 'exit hold' at the time they give you and stop holding.
Let us not overcomplicate things. Just press 'exit hold' at the time they give you and stop holding.


Joined: Sep 2003
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 956
Likes: 68
From: away from home






