Holding Pattern Standard Turn Direction

johnxreid

johnxreid

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JR
Just curious but is there any practical reason why holding patterns default to right-hand turns as standard? I know traffic patterns default to left turns for better visibility from the left seat but why would holding patterns default to the right?
 
Maybe to relieve all the built-up tension in the gyros from all those left turns in the pattern? :-/
 
johnxreid said:
Just curious but is there any practical reason why holding patterns default to right-hand turns as standard? I know traffic patterns default to left turns for better visibility from the left seat but why would holding patterns default to the right?
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So that pilots can unwind from standard traffic patterns.
 
Because helicopter PICs sit in the right seat.
 
Because most pilots are right handed,and that makes turns to the right much easier.
 
50/50 and left lost.


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A CFII once told me it was because "airplanes are generally more stable in right hand turns."

Umm....okay.
 
In a right hand turn, the coffee spills in to the FO's lap, not the captain's, so I guess it's for safety.
 
I "heard" once (so you know the veracity of this is unquestionable) that "back in the day" when Elrey Jeppesen was charting the first procedures, that holding patterns were generally right over the field. Since VFR traffic was using left traffic patterns as standard, he made the holding patterns have right turns in an effort of deconfliction.

This kind of sounds like a reasonable possibility, which means it's undoubtedly completely fictitious.
 
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