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Easy way to teach holds?

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JetSpeed219

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 27, 2003
Posts
473
I've got my CFII checkride on tuesday and I know I will be asked to teach holds. Any suggestions on an easy way to teach a hold? Thanks in advance...
 
Ive used this and it seems to work fairly well.

When trying to figure out how to enter the hold there are basically two headings you could use. The parrellel/direct heading, or the teardrop heading. Simply note those two headings and when you hit the fix turn until you arrive at one of them.

Seems to work all the time.
 
Get some sidewalk chalk, draw it out and "walk the chalk".
 
DC8 Flyer said:
Simply note those two headings and when you hit the fix turn until you arrive at one of them.

Seems to work all the time.
Except when you turn in the wrong direction?!?!




.
 
I use an easy to remember acronym for determining your entry heading.

LARS (For determining entry heading)

Left
Add
Right
Subtract

Teardrop: +/- 30 degrees from the Outbound Leg
Parallel: +/- 30 degrees from the Inbound Leg

For instance:

Hold west of the ORL VOR right turns, 1 min legs, etc...

Inbound 090/Outbound 270 and you're SE of the VOR

First its Right Turns so you will subtract and its a parallel entry so you subtract from the inbound:

Inbound Leg 090 - 30= 060

After you cross the fix and parallel outbound 1 min, you'll turn left to a heading of 060 and then intercept your course inbound and hold to the right.

If you were NE of the VOR it would be a teardrop.

Outbound Leg 270 - 30= 240

Once you cross the VOR turn to a heading of 240 for 1 minute then turn right to intercept your inbound heading of 090.

It seems to help with most of my instrument students. Good luck on your checkride.
 
TonyC said:
Except when you turn in the wrong direction?!?!




.

Not sure I follow what you mean. Works for both left and right hand holds? Only thing is you have to use a little grey matter to figure out when are entering direct.
 
Last edited:
One way I teach is that whenever you reach the fix, you will always need to turn towards/fly on the outbound heading.

If the student has in mind that they always have to turn in the direction of the outbound heading, combined with labbats 'walk the chalk', it works out well and they tend to pick the appropriate entry.

Also, always separate the entry from the actual hold. These are two separate pieces of the 'hold'. I separate them as the student will have less tendency while entering the hold to get caught up in the whole "left turns" "standard turns". Those come only after the student has entered the hold.
 
More of a practical note vs what you will have to teach but...

I had a pretty experienced instructor and corporate pilot tell me to forget the parallel completely. He recommends, and only uses, either direct or teardrop.
I have tried it, and it is a lot easier when you only have to remember two entries. The parallel confuses many anyway. I take it a little further and make the division line that you draw to be a 90d, not that crazy 30/60 thing that no one can remember. Try it, you will prefer it.
 

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