Holding Pattern Calculator

Free holding pattern calculator for pilots. Enter your heading, the inbound course or radial and the turn direction to see the entry (direct, parallel or teardrop) on a live diagram, with step-by-step instructions, wind-corrected headings, outbound timing and the maximum holding speed.

Entry

Enter your heading and the holding course to see the entry.

Aircraft heading

Your heading to the fix

Holding course

The course flown to the fix

Turns

Wind, speed and altitude›

True airspeed

Knots

Wind from

Degrees

Wind speed

Knots

Altitude

Feet: 1:00 legs up to 14,000 ft, 1:30 above

The three entries

Direct: cross the fix and turn straight into the pattern. Parallel: cross the fix, fly outbound parallel to the inbound course on the non-holding side, then turn back into the holding side to the fix. Teardrop: cross the fix, fly 30° into the holding side, then turn onto the inbound course.

Need the wind on a runway instead? Try the crosswind calculator.

Frequently asked questions

›How do I find the holding entry?

Compare your heading with the inbound course. For a standard (right-turn) hold, headings from 110° to 180° right of the inbound course give a teardrop entry, 180° to 290° (70° left) a parallel entry, and everything else a direct entry. Left-turn holds are the mirror image. Within 5° of a sector line, either entry is fine.

›How long are the legs?

The inbound leg is 1 minute up to 14,000 ft and 1 minute 30 seconds above (ICAO and FAA). Adjust the outbound time so the inbound leg comes out right: shorter outbound into a tailwind, longer into a headwind. The calculator works it out from your TAS and the wind.

›How do I correct for wind?

Inbound, hold the heading that keeps you on the course. Outbound, apply three times the inbound drift correction in the other direction (FAA AIM), so the turn brings you back onto the inbound course.

›What is the maximum holding speed?

ICAO: 230 kt up to 14,000 ft, 240 kt up to 20,000 ft, 265 kt up to 34,000 ft and M0.83 above. FAA: 200 KIAS up to 6,000 ft MSL, 230 KIAS up to 14,000 ft and 265 KIAS above. Charts may publish other limits. The chart always wins.

›Can I use this to fly a real hold?

It is a planning and training aid. Fly the published procedure, follow ATC and your operator's procedures, and use your aircraft's instruments.

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