ATC Holding — Clearances & Copy Sheet

Sample · practice

Generate an ATC hold clearance in real phraseology, break it into the items you copy, get the readback, and see the entry. Then print the blank copy sheet to use in the sim or aircraft. Verify phraseology & procedures against the current Canadian AIM / CARs.

Clearance trainer

Your readback

Entry — visualised

What ATC gives you (and what to copy): direction to hold from the fix · the fix · the radial / course / airway · leg length (only if non-standard — otherwise 1-minute legs at/below 14 000, 1½ above) · turns (only stated if left) · your EFC time · plus the altitude to maintain and any speed restriction. Holding instructions must be read back.

Hold copy sheet

HOLD — COPY SHEETWHEN CLEARED TO HOLD, WRITE IT DOWN

Holding fix

Direction (from fix)

Turns L / R

Radial / course / airway

Leg — time / dist

Max speed

Maintain (alt)

EFC time

Freq / squawk

Time entering hold

Entry (circle one) — from your inbound track

DIRECTPARALLELOFFSET

Rule of thumb (standard/right): visualise the pattern, draw the 70° line off the holding course on the holding side — offset wedge (70°) next to the inbound course, parallel (110°) on the non-holding side, direct (180°) the rest. Left turns = mirror image.

Sketch the hold + your entry

Readback: read the holding instructions back to ATC. Standard timing: start the outbound clock abeam the fix (or wing-tip); inbound leg to 1 min (1½ above 14 000′); adjust the outbound leg for wind.