gkrangers said:
When you enter the hold, just like any other, you aren't looking for a perfect first circuit.
You just want to get established in the pattern without busting out of the protected area.
Once you are established, then you can worry about the 5 mile legs.
10 mile legs, protected area? With so much area to protect on those long legs, I think I would just concentrate on protecting the crotch.
How accurate do you think you're going to be when flying the outbound leg of a ten mile leg holding pattern in a crosswind much less the entry? Not very. Almost every time I ask for and I get 10 mile legs, the controller puts me up at an altitude where he can see me on the radar and says "Hold south east on the localizer at xylme, maintain 5,000. Expect further clearance at 1500Z. LEGS AND TURNS AT YOUR DESCRETION."
You are not going to be worried about "protected areas" for holding with 10 mile legs. Without even looking it up in a manual or the AIM, I'm going to guess that the "protected area" is serviced by enroute or terminal separation standards, because the only way a controller is going to grant you 10 mile legs or "legs at your discretion" is if you are in a radar environment.
Chances are, the controller will grant the direction of the turns at your discretion as well.
To start out, calculate a heading to fly for the outbound leg using the AIM "10 mile leg-out bound leg derivement table"
Once you cross the fix, utilize that heading to fly outbound for 10 miles DME...using the autopilot with "ALT" selected and "HDG" selected. Monitor AWOS, in case vis comes up so you can demand an approach clearance from the controller. Unzip the insulated lunch pail and get your lunch and the wide mouth jar handy...at least get them in arms reach anyway.
At 10 DME make the first of many turns inbound by utlilizing the heading bug to set an inbound intercept heading, then select "NAV". You might as well...you're going to look pretty dorky out there at 10 miles, rolling out no where near the localizer, by turning a one minute timed turn and hoping you'll be "on it".
After selecting "NAV", fly an intercept angle to intercept the localizer and fly the inbound leg to the fix. Make sure you got awos turned up enough to hear, but not loud enough to block out the controller or the Marker Beacon audio.
Take five and rest your head on the glareshield...catch ten winks. When the marker beacon wakes you up, turn the heading bug to the new and improved derived out bound heading, which once again will be based on "kentucky windage".
Hit "HDG", make your turn. Fly the calculated outbound heading. Take a sip of coffee and take a bite out of your sandwhich, take a glance at the little plane on the moving map GPS once in a while and note its relationship to the final approach course.
Make the turn inbound at 10 miles DME using the heading bug. Set autopilot to "Nav". Intercept the localizer, fly it inbound, 20 winks...let the marker beacon wake you up. Set heading bug on outbound derived heading, set autopilot to HDG. Eat some sandwhich, take a sip of coffee, tap pencil on glare shield while watching DME climb to 10.0 miles. Turn heading bug to intercept angle for the localizer. Hit "NAV" on autopilot...take short nap, get woke up by the Marker Beacon. Hit "HDG" on auto pilot after setting the bug on re-derived "kentucky windage" outbound "HDG"...finish sandwich, finish coffee, check the awos again, find wide mouth jar in flight bag.
BAM! Hit 10 miles on the DME, turn the bug to intercept heading, hit "NAV" on the autopilot, intercept the LOC, listen to AWOS again, fill the wide mouth jug...don't take a nap on this inbound leg, because you want to be awake when the controller querries you about your request for a new EFC.
Get your new EFC, hear the beacon, pavlov dog the the heading bug and hit HDG. Fly outbound, while you search for a "Pop Tart" in your flight bag. Note remaining fuel and estimated flight time to ANY alternate, plus IFR reserves. Watch DME climb to 10 miles, make the course change, hit "NAV" watch the intercept...then make a choice, eat the second Pop Tart or accumulate more beauty rest? Decisions, decisions.
