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Aviation vocabulary · Flight Phases

Holding pattern

Meaning in aviation, with examples

nounCommon term

In aviation, holding pattern means: A racetrack-shaped path that an aircraft flies over a fixed point while it waits for clearance to continue, for example because of traffic or weather.

In Turkish: bekleme paterni, bekleme usulü

How it is used

Often shortened to 'the hold' or 'holding': 'enter the hold', 'expect further clearance at 15:40'. Standard holds use right turns. Long holding uses up fuel and can end in a diversion.

Example sentences

  1. We spent twenty minutes in a holding pattern because the runway was closed.

  2. Fastair 345, enter the holding pattern over the VOR, expect further clearance in 15 minutes.

Common collocations

  • enter the holding pattern
  • leave the hold
  • holding fuel
  • holding delay
  • expect further clearance
  • approachThe phase of flight after the descent in which an aircraft is guided towards the runway it will land on, usually following a published procedure.
  • divertTo fly to a different airport from the planned destination, for example because of bad weather, a medical emergency or a technical problem.
  • waypointA fixed point in the sky, defined by coordinates, that aircraft use to build and follow a route. Most waypoints have five-letter names that can be pronounced.
  • ETAEstimated time of arrival: the time at which an aircraft is expected to arrive at its destination or at a point on its route.

More terms: Flight Phases

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