What is the purpose of "hold" procedures at fixes and how are they typically depicted?

• A. Holds are used to expedite departure and are depicted as straight-line vectors.
• B. Holds are used to manage sequencing and spacing; depicted as racetrack patterns with inbound/outbound legs, leg timing, and clearance or expected further clearance times.
• C. Holds are for emergency only and depicted as circles.
• D. Holds are only for weather events and not used otherwise.

Answer: (B)

Holds at fixes are used to manage sequencing and spacing of traffic, giving controllers a predictable way to queue aircraft so arrivals and departures can be separated safely while waiting for a further clearance or for other traffic to clear.

On charts, a hold is drawn as a racetrack pattern centered on the fix. The inbound leg aligns with the holding course, and turns are usually right-hand unless the chart specifies left-hand turns. The depiction includes the leg lengths or times for the outbound legs and the clearance time or expected further clearance (EFC) time, telling pilots how long they should expect to remain in the hold and when a clearance is expected. For standard holding, leg times are typically one minute below 14,000 feet and 1.5 minutes above 14,000 feet.