✈️ Aviation Brief — Issue #65
Weekly insights for student pilots and the instructors who train them.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC
IA.IV.E — Holding Procedures (Instrument Rating ACS)
1. ACS STANDARDS SUMMARY
The ACS requires the applicant to select and comply with an appropriate holding procedure, use a correct entry (direct, teardrop, or parallel), and comply with ATC instructions or the published chart. The pilot must maintain altitude ±100 feet, airspeed ±10 knots, and track ±10° or within ½-scale deflection on the CDI while applying proper wind correction. Timing must be accurate (one minute inbound at or below 14,000 feet MSL), and the aircraft must remain within the protected holding airspace.
2. THREE COMMON STUDENT MISTAKES
- Entering the hold with the wrong procedure (usually choosing parallel when teardrop is safer or vice versa) because they fixate on the holding course instead of visualizing the entire pattern relative to their current heading.
- Failing to apply sufficient wind correction on the outbound leg, which produces an inbound track that drifts inside or outside the assigned course.
- Not slowing the aircraft to holding speed early enough, so they overshoot the fix and then rush the entry turn while still fast.
3. CFI PRO TIP
Teach students to draw a simple “holding triangle” on the edge of their kneeboard: put the fix at the top, draw the inbound course down the middle, then mark the three possible entry sectors. Once they can point to their current heading on that sketch, the correct entry becomes obvious in under five seconds and reduces the “which way do I turn?” hesitation that causes most entry errors.
4. SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
The NTSB has investigated multiple fuel-exhaustion events in which aircraft were placed in unexpected holding by ATC and the crew failed to recalculate remaining endurance or request priority. In several ASRS reports, pilots also lost situational awareness while repeatedly correcting for wind, resulting in altitude or course deviations that took them outside protected airspace and into terrain or traffic.
5. DID YOU KNOW
When no EFC time is issued, the AIM recommends pilots advise ATC of their planned holding time and fuel remaining at the first opportunity; this single radio call often prevents an uncomfortable “low fuel” situation later in the flight.
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