Holding pattern entry

Model: AIM 5-3-8 sectors relative to the inbound course, split by the 70° line on the holding side: direct 180°, teardrop 70°, parallel 110°; mirrored for left turns; within 5° of a boundary either entry is acceptable (ICAO PANS-OPS and TC AIM zone of flexibility)

Show your work

1. Angle onto the inbound course

   the heading measured against the inbound course

   heading 090° against inbound 360° = 90°

2. Sector

   the entry sector that angle falls in, measured toward the holding side, for a hold with turns to the right

   90° toward the holding side = direct

The same steps an agent gets from the MCP server with explain: true.

Accuracy: Exact sector geometry, using your heading as you reach the fix. ATC instructions and the published procedure govern.

When to use this: Use this when you are cleared to hold, or a hold is published at your clearance limit, and you want to know before you reach the fix which entry to fly: direct, teardrop, or parallel. Give the inbound course, the turn direction, and your heading to the fix, and it names the entry, the headings to fly, and whether you are close enough to a sector line that the next entry is also fine.

Limitations: The sectors are read from your heading as you reach the fix. In a strong crosswind your heading and your track differ, and the FAA draws the sectors by where you come from, so near a boundary work from the course you are flying to the fix. It does not know the holding fix type: at a VOR intersection or a DME fix, ICAO and Transport Canada limit the entry to the radials or arc that form the fix. It says nothing about wind correction or timing on the legs, the maximum holding speed, or an RNAV system that flies the entry for you with a fly-by turn. ATC instructions and the published procedure come first.

Worked example: Inbound 360°, right turns, arriving on heading 090°. Source: AIM 5-3-8 FIG 5-3-4: an arrival 90° right of the inbound course is in the direct sector.

Review: Not yet independently reviewed by a flight instructor (CFI).

Last verified: 2026-09-18, when a maintainer last confirmed this tool's sources at the issuer. See the sources ledger.

Status: version 1.1.0, core 0.1.0. See this tool in the verification report.

Changes

• 2026-09-23, fixed: A left-turn hold flown exactly on the reciprocal of the inbound course got the parallel entry, while the mirror-image right-turn hold got the teardrop. Both entries are acceptable on that line, and the tool still says so, but it now names the teardrop for either turn direction, so a left hold mirrors a right one exactly. Every other heading is unchanged. The worked-out steps now show an arrival along the inbound course as 0 degrees rather than 360. The page diagram also drew each sector label on the wrong side of the fix, as a heading instead of where you arrive from, and drew the pattern to the east of the fix whatever the inbound course; both now match the AIM figure. The tool is now version 1.1.0 and stable. Changelog

Checked against: 35 golden test vectors (download the test vectors, each with its source and tolerance). See how results are checked and every source.

Sources

• Aeronautical Information Manual, Federal Aviation Administration, Current edition (rules as of 2026-09-18). Chapter 5, Section 3, paragraph 5-3-8j (holding: entry procedures, FIG 5-3-4, and maximum holding airspeeds, TBL 5-3-24). Read free.
• Instrument Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-15B, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA-H-8083-15B. Chapter 10 (holding: wind drift correction, triple the inbound drift outbound, and outbound leg timing).
• Procedures for Air Navigation Services, Aircraft Operations (PANS-OPS), Doc 8168, International Civil Aviation Organization, Volume I, 6th edition. Holding procedures: entry by heading against the three entry sectors, with a zone of flexibility of 5° on either side of the sector boundaries. Paid only.
• Transport Canada Aeronautical Information Manual (TC AIM), TP 14371E, Transport Canada, AIM 2026-1, effective March 19, 2026. RAC 10.2 (holding at a clearance limit, example 2), RAC 10.5 (entry procedures, Figure 10.2, the 5° zone of flexibility).