IR part 141: Flying Holding Patterns

The next part of the course includes flying holding patterns.

Sometimes it is not possible to make the next planned step or maneuver right away, such as due to congested air traffic or rapidly changing weather. In this case, an aircraft must wait in the air. However, the airplane is constantly moving through the air to stay airborne; it cannot just stop or hover. That is what holding procedures are for: teaching pilots how to properly wait for the next phase of flight.

The holding pattern itself does not differ a lot from the aerodrome pattern, but the wind speed and airplane speed are usually higher. On the other hand, there is no climb or descent during the hold.

This part of the training is mainly about how to enter the pattern and keeping the flight parameters, such as altitude, speed, and course, as close to the chosen values as possible.