In the context of holding patterns, what does the inbound leg describe?

• A. The leg toward the fix or runway
• B. The leg away from the fix
• C. The leg perpendicular to the fix
• D. The entire pattern is inbound

Answer: (D)

The key idea is how a holding pattern is laid out and what each leg does. The inbound leg is the segment of the hold that you fly toward the holding fix. It’s the path you take as you approach the fix and set up to continue the hold with the next turn. The entire pattern isn’t inbound—a standard hold comprises multiple legs: inbound toward the fix, outbound away from the fix, and the connecting turns between them. So the correct way to describe the inbound leg is that it is the leg flown toward the holding fix, not the whole pattern.