First, the failure case — Page 316, Lesson 415

Let’s pick this up right where we left off — you’re in the hold, and now I want to walk you through what happens when things don’t go as planned, and then we’ll get into the two big concepts: Expected Approach Time and en route holding. First, the failure case. If you’re in a stack — that’s the layered holding pattern over a beacon — and you’re told to attempt an instrument approach while other aircraft are still holding, you have to be ready for the possibility that the approach doesn’t work out. If your approach is unsuccessful, you won’t just be left to figure it out. ATC will direct you back into the stack at the top. So the sequence is: you leave the hold, you try the approach, and if it fails, you rejoin the hold at the top of the stack, not at the level you left. Alternatively, if ATC decides you shouldn’t attempt the approach at all, they’ll instruct you to take up another holding pattern, or direct you to rejoin the hold at the top. Either way, the top of the stack is the reset point. Now, the key timing concept — Expected Approach Time, or EAT. When your aircraft enters a stack, the controlling ATCO — that’s the Air Traffic Control Officer — will pass you an EAT, and you, as pilot, must acknowledge it. The EAT is the time you can expect to commence the instrument approach. So it’s not when you leave the hold; it’s when you start the approach itself. Here’s the critical initial rule: the EAT will not be less than 30 minutes after the time of entry. So when you first join the stack, you’re guaranteed at least half an hour before you can expect to start the approach. But there’s a caveat — if ATC expects that you won’t be held for more than 20 minutes, they’ll inform you with the phrase “no delay expected.” So you have two different messages: a specific EAT that’s at least 30 minutes out, or the “no delay expected” phrase when the hold is short. As the approach sequence progresses, the EAT can be revised. If necessary, it’s revised in 5-minute intervals, passed to you, and you must acknowledge each revision. So the EAT is a living number — it gets updated in five-minute steps as the traffic picture changes, and every update requires your acknowledgement. Now let’s move to en route holding — that’s paragraph 16.55. This is a different scenario. Instead of holding at the terminal area at low level, ATC often prefers to hold your aircraft en route at cruising altitude. Why? Because holding at low level burns fuel at a much higher rate. So the logic is: if there’s a known delay, keep you up high where the fuel burn is lower, rather than bring you all the way to the terminal and hold you down low. Here’s the fairness mechanism. If you’re held en route, you get credit for that time. The way that credit works is that you’re inserted into the approach sequence ahead of other aircraft. So the aircraft that has already spent time holding en route is not penalized — it doesn’t have to wait again at the terminal. The time you spent holding up high counts toward your position in the approach sequence. Now, there’s a practical complication. When ATC instructs you to take up a hold while en route, the holding point might not be a standard one. Normally, a hold is based over an authorized navigational aid — a recognized beacon. But en route, the hold might be based over a non-standard holding point. That could be a town, a point defined by latitude and longitude, or a significant point along your route. So it’s not over a navigational aid at all. And here’s the default rule for that situation: unless you’re otherwise instructed, you should take up a right-hand hold. So the standard turn direction in a non-standard en route hold is to the right. That’s your default unless ATC tells you differently. Let me tie this together. You have two holding scenarios. In the terminal stack, you get an EAT that’s at least 30 minutes out, revised in 5-minute steps, and if your approach fails you go back to the top. En route, you hold at cruising altitude to save fuel, you get credit for that time by being inserted ahead in the sequence, and if the hold is over a non-standard point, you turn right unless told otherwise. One thing I want to make sure you’ve got clearly: the EAT is always acknowledged by you, and every revision is also acknowledged. That acknowledgement is a legal requirement — it confirms you’ve received and understood the time. And the “no delay expected” phrase is the alternative to a specific EAT when the hold is short. So, in practice, when you’re joining a stack, listen for either the EAT — which will be at least 30 minutes after entry — or the “no delay expected” message. Acknowledge it. And remember, if you’re ever sent back into the stack after a failed approach, you’re going to the top, not back to your old level.