How do you determine which holding pattern entry to use?

Compare your heading at the fix with the inbound holding course. For standard right turns: within about 110° either side of the inbound course toward the direct sector, fly a direct entry; approaching within the 70° wedge on the holding side of the outbound course, fly a teardrop; approaching within the 110° wedge on the non-holding side, fly a parallel entry. The sectors come from AIM 5-3-8, and within about 5° of a boundary either adjacent entry is acceptable.

What is the inbound course if I'm told to hold on a radial?

The reciprocal of the radial. Radials point outward from the VOR, and the inbound leg flies toward the fix, so holding on the 270 radial means the inbound course is 090. This calculator does that conversion for you.

Are entry procedures mandatory?

The AIM entries are recommended, not regulatory; you must stay within protected airspace. In practice examiners and controllers expect the recommended entry, and near a sector boundary you may use whichever adjacent entry keeps you on the protected side. The mandatory parts are the clearance itself: fix, radial or course, direction of turns, and EFC time.

Holding Pattern Entry Calculator: Direct, Teardrop or Parallel

Your heading at the fix (°)

The direction you'll be flying when you cross the fix

Holding radial (°)

"Hold on the 270 radial" → enter 270. The inbound course is its reciprocal.

Turns

Left turns only when the clearance or chart says so

Drag the green arrow to your heading. Sectors: direct · teardrop · parallel

Enter your heading and the radial.

Entry –

Inbound course – reciprocal of the radial

Outbound heading – after crossing the fix

Holding entries follow the AIM 70° sector rule: direct from the 180° sector facing the hold, teardrop from the 70° wedge on the holding side, parallel from the 110° wedge on the other. The CX-3 flight computer's holding function does exactly this; here it is with the sectors drawn around your heading so the geometry finally makes sense.

How the sectors work

Everything is measured between your heading crossing the fix and the inbound course (the reciprocal of the radial you hold on). For standard right turns:

Direct (180° sector): cross the fix and turn right straight onto the outbound leg. Used whenever you approach roughly facing the pattern.
Teardrop (70° sector): cross the fix, fly outbound offset 30° toward the holding side for one minute, then turn right to intercept the inbound course.
Parallel (110° sector): cross the fix, fly the outbound heading parallel to the course on the non-holding side for one minute, then turn left (toward the pattern) more than 180° to rejoin the inbound.

For left-turn holds the picture mirrors. Within about 5° of a boundary, either adjacent entry is fine; pick the one that keeps you on the protected side.

The cockpit shortcut pilots actually use

The pencil trick: on your heading indicator, imagine a line from the 70°-right point of the top of the dial through the center to the 110°-left point at the bottom (mirror for left turns). Where the outbound course falls relative to that line names the entry. This calculator is that trick, drawn accurately: rotate the heading arrow with the stepper (or drag it) and watch which colored sector it sits in.

Worked example (from the CX-3 manual)

Heading 155°, cleared to hold on the 270 radial, standard right turns:

Inbound course = reciprocal of 270 = 090°
Heading 155° sits 65° right of the inbound course: inside the direct sector
Entry: direct. Cross the fix, turn right to the outbound heading of 270°, time one minute, turn right again and fly 090° back to the fix.

What to have ready before the fix

The five Ts at the fix: Turn, Time, Twist (set the inbound course), Throttle, Talk.
Timing: one-minute inbound legs at or below 14,000 ft (1.5 above); adjust the outbound time so the inbound works out.
Wind: triple your inbound drift correction on the outbound leg, since you only fly it once each way per circuit. The wind calculator tells you the inbound correction.
Fuel: holding is minutes at cruise burn with no distance made good. The EFC time plus the fuel calculator tells you how long you can afford to accept.

Common Questions

What if I'm told to hold on a bearing or a course instead of a radial?

If the clearance gives an inbound course directly (GPS holds, "hold north on the 360 course inbound"), enter its reciprocal in the radial box, since this tool converts radial to inbound for you. For NDB holds, bearings TO the station are already inbound courses; enter the reciprocal the same way.

Do examiners care which entry I pick near a boundary?

Within roughly 5° of a sector line either adjacent entry is accepted; what matters is that you commit to one, fly it accurately, and stay on the protected side. Announcing "heading 155, inbound course 090, that's a direct entry" before the fix is what a smooth hold sounds like.

Why do modern GPS units still show entries?

The box flies the geometry, but you still have to recognize whether what it's drawing is reasonable, brief the entry for the examiner, and fly it raw-data when the checkride (or the equipment) demands it. Knowing the sectors is what lets you catch a mis-programmed hold before it turns you the wrong way.

Related tools and guides

Heading & Groundspeed Calculator

The drift correction you'll triple on the outbound leg.

Fuel Burn & Endurance Calculator

How long you can afford to hold before the EFC becomes a diversion.

Descent & Glide Calculator

Plan the descent that usually follows the hold.

Brief the whole flight, not just the hold

FlightDecide checks weather, NOTAMs, fuel, performance, and W&B for your specific route and window, and scores the flight GO, CAUTION, or NO GO with the data behind every call.

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Educational tool for flight-planning practice. It is advisory only and not a substitute for current charts, the AIM, or your own judgment as pilot in command (14 CFR 91.3). Sources: AIM 5-3-8; FAA Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B), Ch. 10. Last reviewed: July 17, 2026.