holding pattern
A published racetrack circuit an aircraft flies to wait, usually for its turn to approach.
Also written
holding stack
A hold is defined by a fix, an inbound course and a turn direction, with legs timed in minutes or fixed by distance. Several aircraft can hold over the same fix at different levels, which is why a busy arrival stack is stacked vertically. Holding is why an inbound flight can be overhead twenty minutes before it lands.
Nearby in Aviation
- heavy — An ATC wake-turbulence category for aircraft with a maximum takeoff mass above 136 tonnes, appended to the callsign on first contact.
- hold short — An instruction to stop before a runway or other boundary and wait.
- IATA — The airline trade body whose three-letter codes appear on tickets and baggage tags.
- ICAO — The United Nations agency that sets international aviation standards, and the source of the four-letter airport codes.