What directions are holding turns?

What directions are holding turns?

• A. All left turns except at Juniper (Right)
• B. All right turns except at Juniper (Left)
• C. Left turns only at Juniper
• D. Turns alternate left and right on every leg

Answer: (A)

Holding patterns are designed with a consistent turning direction around the hold course. The standard pattern uses left-hand turns, so you fly the racetrack on the left side of the course and make all the 180-degree turns to the left. Juniper is the exception in this procedure: at that fix, the hold specifies right-hand turns, so the pattern there flips to the opposite direction. So the holding pattern is left turns everywhere except at Juniper, where it uses right turns. The other options would contradict the standard hold practice (right turns everywhere, left-only at a specific fix, or alternating turns each leg), which aren’t how published holds are defined.

Holding patterns are designed with a consistent turning direction around the hold course. The standard pattern uses left-hand turns, so you fly the racetrack on the left side of the course and make all the 180-degree turns to the left. Juniper is the exception in this procedure: at that fix, the hold specifies right-hand turns, so the pattern there flips to the opposite direction.

So the holding pattern is left turns everywhere except at Juniper, where it uses right turns. The other options would contradict the standard hold practice (right turns everywhere, left-only at a specific fix, or alternating turns each leg), which aren’t how published holds are defined.