Have you ever been on a plane that was supposed to land, but then suddenly started going around in circles in the sky? You might have wondered what was going on. This is actually a common procedure known as a “holding pattern.”
A holding pattern is used by air traffic control to manage traffic congestion at airports. When there are too many planes trying to land at once, air traffic control will ask some of the planes to enter a holding pattern. This means that the plane will fly around in circles while waiting for permission to land.
In short, holding is a maneuver used by pilots to delay an aircraft that is already in flight while keeping it within a specific airspace. It’s most commonly used when aircraft arrive at their destination but can’t land due to factors such as traffic congestion, poor weather, or runway unavailability.
How a Holding Pattern is Implemented
A holding pattern typically involves flying a racetrack pattern based on a holding fix, which can be a radio beacon like a non-directional beacon (NDB) or VHF omnidirectional range (VOR). The fix is the start of the first turn of the racetrack pattern, and aircraft will fly towards it and then enter the pattern once they reach it.
The pattern usually consists of right-hand turns and takes around four minutes to complete, with two one-minute straight-ahead sections and one minute for each 180-degree turn. Deviations from this pattern can occur if long delays are expected, with longer legs or patterns defined by nautical miles instead of minutes.
Several aircraft may fly the same holding pattern at the same time, separated vertically by 300 meters or more. This is generally referred to as a stack or holding stack. New arrivals are added to the top, and the aircraft at the bottom are taken out and allowed to make an approach first. After that, all aircraft in the stack move down one level.
Entry into a Pattern
There are three standard types of entries into a holding pattern: direct, parallel, and offset. The proper entry procedure is determined by the angle difference between the direction the aircraft flies to arrive at the beacon and the direction of the inbound leg of the holding pattern.
It’s important to note that holding has speed limits that are established to keep aircraft within the protected holding area during their one-minute inbound and outbound legs. If an aircraft has an emergency, it will always be allowed to bypass the holding pattern and go directly to the airport, causing more delays for other aircraft already in the stack.
Holding patterns play an essential role in aviation to ensure the safe and orderly flow of air traffic around airports. When planes are unable to land due to traffic congestion, poor weather conditions, or other reasons, air traffic controllers guide them to fly in circles within a specified airspace until it’s safe to land. Although being in a holding pattern may seem frustrating to passengers, it is a necessary procedure to maintain safety in the air and on the ground. By following the standardized racetrack pattern and speed limits, planes can circle around within a designated area until it’s safe to land.
So if you notice that your plane flies around in circles in the sky, there is nothing to worry about. You are just in a holding pattern and should be landing anytime soon.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
