When should the inbound leg timer be started in a hold?

• A. Wings level
• B. Abeam the station
• C. On the outbound leg completion
• D. At the fix

Answer: (A)

The inbound leg timer should be started when you are established on the inbound course with the wings level. This provides a stable, straight-ahead segment to time, ensuring you measure the inbound leg accurately as you fly toward the fix. Starting the timer during a turn, or at crossing the fix, or when abeam the station would give an unreliable, distorted measurement because you’re not yet on a steady inbound path. Initiating the timer only after completing the outbound leg would time the outbound leg, not the inbound one, defeating the purpose of the inbound-leg timing.