Entering a Holding Pattern (HOLD)
PremiumintermediateHolding is not a manoeuvre you fly from memory on an airliner — you build it in the box. Here is where the HOLD page hides and what it wants.
What this scenario covers
On the A320 the hold lives under a lateral revision at the waypoint you want to hold over. From there the HOLD page offers the inbound course, the turn direction and the leg time or distance, with a computed pattern the FMGS proposes based on the published hold or the aircraft's default.
Inserting it puts the pattern into the flight plan as a proper leg, which means managed navigation will fly the entry, the racetrack and the exit — and the fuel and time predictions account for the time spent going round.
How it applies in flight ops
Holds happen for flow control, weather, and traffic. When they do, the crew is usually also managing a fuel decision, so having the pattern in the box — and therefore in the predictions — is what turns "how long can we hold?" into a number rather than an estimate.
The published hold on the chart and the one the FMGS proposes should agree; when they do not, the chart wins and the crew edits the entry. Checking that is a normal part of setting one up.
Fly this one with Premium
Everything about this scenario is on this page, steps included — reading it costs nothing and always will. What Premium adds is doing it: the MCDU validates every entry as you make it, tells you when an entry was accepted but wrong, and saves your progress across devices.
Step-by-step: Entering a Holding Pattern (HOLD)
- Enter a route. Type EGLL/LFPG into the scratchpad and press 1R.
We will hold at LFPG (Paris CDG) — a realistic place to hold while waiting for the approach.
- Press F-PLN to open the flight plan.
The HOLD function is reached from the flight plan, through a lateral revision on the waypoint you want to hold at.
- Open a lateral revision at LFPG. Press 3L — the LEFT line key next to LFPG.
A LEFT line-select on a waypoint opens its LAT REV (lateral revision) page — the menu for departures, arrivals, new destination, airways, and holds.
- Select HOLD. Press 3L (the <HOLD prompt).
The FMGS offers a default computed hold. You can fly it as-is or tailor the inbound course, turn direction, and leg length to match the chart or ATC instruction.
- Set the inbound course. Type 090 into the scratchpad and press 1L (INB CRS).
INB CRS is the course flown TOWARD the holding fix on the inbound leg. With a right turn (the default), this defines the racetrack. Set it to the published holding course.
- Insert the hold into the flight plan. Press 6R INSERT*.
INSERT enters the hold into the active flight plan — the FMGS will now fly the racetrack at LFPG. To leave a hold once established you use the IMM EXIT prompt (or a DIR TO), but inserting it correctly first is the skill this scenario builds.
What to take away
- The HOLD page is reached through a lateral revision on the holding fix.
- Inbound course, turn direction and leg time define the pattern.
- Inserting the hold puts it in the predictions, which is how fuel decisions get made.
- Cross-check the proposed pattern against the published hold on the chart.
The rest of Enroute Operations
Step Climb Mid-Cruise
PremiumadvancedMid-Atlantic at FL340, hours of fuel burnt off, and the aircraft can now fly higher and cheaper. Check the maximum, then step up.
📍 EGLL → KJFK⏱ ~5 min📊 5 stepsATC Shortcut: Going Direct
Premiumintermediate"Direct OCK" — five seconds of radio and a chunk of your flight plan gone. On this FMS the keypress is the commitment: there is nothing to confirm and nothing to undo.
📍 EGLL approach — direct routing⏱ ~4 min📊 5 stepsDiversion to Alternate
PremiumintermediateMid-planning, ATC sends you to Brussels instead of Paris. Rebuild the flight around a new destination without unpicking the whole thing.
📍 EGLL → LFPG, then divert to EGLL → EBBR⏱ ~4 min📊 8 stepsSpeed & Altitude Constraints (VERT REV)
PremiumintermediateATC wants you at an altitude by a waypoint. The vertical revision page is where that promise gets written into the flight plan.
📍 EGLL → DVR → LFPG⏱ ~4 min📊 5 steps
Background reading
- GuideHolding Patterns: Direct, Teardrop, and Parallel Entries Explained
ATC says hold and you have 30 seconds to react. The three holding pattern entries — direct, teardrop, parallel — how to pick one, and fly it in MSFS.
- GuideThe A320 MCDU Explained: Every Page, Simply
What is the A320 MCDU? A plain-English guide to every Airbus MCDU page — INIT, F-PLN, PERF, RAD NAV and more. Practice free in our MCDU trainer.
- GuideThe Boeing 737 CDU / FMC Explained: Every Page
What is the 737 CDU and FMC? A plain-English guide to every Boeing 737 CDU page plus the EXEC/MOD workflow. Practice free in our CDU trainer.