Holding Speed Limit Checker
The altitude-banded maximum holding speeds (200/230/265 kt and ICAO's bands) checked against your speed — with the why behind each ceiling.
The limits size the protected airspace: turn radius grows with speed squared, and the containment templates were drawn at these maxima. Slow to holding speed within 3 minutes of the fix — that's what the buffer in the design assumes.
Formula
⚠️ For flight planning and education only — verify with current charts, AFM and ATC clearances. Not for primary navigation.
The altitude-banded maximum holding speeds (200/230/265 kt and ICAO's bands) checked against your speed — with the why behind each ceiling.
About Holding Speed Limit Checker
Holding speed limits aren't etiquette — they're the input the protected-airspace template was drawn with: 200 knots below 6,000 ft, 230 to 14,000, 265 above (FAA; ICAO bands differ and this tool speaks both dialects). Enter altitude and your planned speed for the applicable ceiling and margin, with the geometry lesson attached: every knot over the limit grows the turn radius the containment never budgeted.
How to use Holding Speed Limit Checker
- 1Enter — sensible defaults are pre-filled so you see a worked result immediately.
- 2Read the live results: .
- 3Check the "With your numbers" line to see the formula FAA: ≤6,000 → 200 kt; 6,001–14,000 → 230; >14,000 → 265 KIAS (ICAO bands differ) substituted step by step.
- 4Adjust inputs (or flip the unit toggle) until the scenario matches yours, then copy or share the result.
Why use Holding Speed Limit Checker?
- ✓Instant, free and private — every calculation runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded
- ✓Built on the published formula FAA: ≤6,000 → 200 kt; 6,001–14,000 → 230; >14,000 → 265 KIAS (ICAO bands differ) with sources cited on the page
- ✓The limits size the protected airspace: turn radius grows with speed squared, and the containment templates were drawn at these maxima. Slow to holding speed within 3 minutes of the fix — that's what the buffer in the design assumes.
- ✓Switch units, tweak any input and watch every result update live
Frequently asked questions
Why do the limits step with altitude?+
TAS and turn radius: the same indicated speed is a faster true speed higher up, sweeping a bigger circle at the bank-limited turn rate. The protected templates grow with the altitude band's assumed maximum — letting limits rise where airspace is less congested while keeping templates finite. A 265-KIAS hold at FL180 already sweeps several miles per turn.
What if my aircraft can't slow to the limit?+
Then say so: aircraft unable to hold at the charted/standard speed (some military and a few heavy configurations) must advise ATC, who will protect more airspace or offer alternatives. For normal civil aircraft the issue is planning, not capability — the AIM expects speed reduction beginning 3 minutes before the fix precisely so the limit is met AT the fix, not negotiated past it.
Are there holds with non-standard speed limits?+
Yes — charted holding patterns may carry their own limit (a boxed speed on the plate, commonly 175 or 210 kt) where terrain or airspace demanded a smaller template. The charted figure overrides the altitude-band default. Climb-in-hold and missed-approach holds are frequent carriers of these surprises; the plate always wins.
Do these limits apply to the entry maneuver too?+
Yes — the entry is flown within the same protected airspace, so the speed limit applies crossing the fix initially, not just once established. The practical sequence: holding speed achieved 3 minutes out, entry flown at it, timing begun. Blasting the fix at cruise speed and decelerating in the turn is exactly the trajectory the template wasn't drawn for.
Related Field tools
Sunrise & Sunset Calculator
Exact rise, set, solar noon and day length for any place and date — the NOAA solar equations with the refraction fine print included.
● LiveGolden Hour & Blue Hour Calculator
Tonight's golden hour and blue hour, computed from sun elevation — the photographer's light windows with the angles that define them.
● LiveDay Length Calculator
Hours of daylight for any date and latitude, how fast it's changing, and the swing between your solstices.
● Live