The Mystery of Holding Patterns
As aircraft cannot stop dead in the sky like a car can at traffic lights they have to fly a holding pattern. This is normal when aircraft approach busy airports at peak times. Air Traffic Controllers will hold aircraft until they can safely fit them into a safe landing approach pattern.
The hold should be a rate one turn 25 degrees bank normally followed by a minute flying straight followed by another rate one turn. The holding speed is normally 210 or 220 knots add I second for every knot of headwind subtract one knot for every knot of tailwind. With a crosswind you may have to treble the drift as the wind will push you out in the turn. The pattern will then look more like a triangle then that as above. Remember there maybe aircraft may be 1000 ft above and below you doing the same . Make sure you stay at your assigned altitude
Before you can fly a hold, you have to work out how to get into the pattern This means changing direction in some cases, to get the aircraft flying the hold the correct way round. Below shows the method of doing this. You will see it is governed by the direction you approach the hold from.
