Holding entries

[rjdreamer]

Anyone have some suggestions on how to remember/figure out which entry to use to enter a holding pattern? All replies sincerely appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[hyper]

Dreamer,

There are many rules of thumb out there that you could adopt. I have always used the "keep it simple rule" with my students. Draw your hold and your position from the hold. Eventually you will get to where you can totally visualize it in your head. Then ask yourself, "what entry makes the most sense?". It truly comes down to a common sense situation, what's the easiest way to accomplish this?

Conditioning your familiarity and thought process for this will make things alot easier in a busy cockpit. Methods to getting established are suggestions, not rules. Just make sure you're always in protected airspace.

 

[mar]

Some can visualize better than others

Just takes practice my friend. I've had my rating for 15 years and I've had jobs for the last 6 years that require IFR flight--I still draw them out.

Some CFIs will teach you tricks with your fingers or dividing up the DG into different sectors.

I couldn't explain them well enough here--I'd have to show you in person. Just get yourself a good CFI and pracitice, practice, practice.

Use a desktop sim or a real sim or even better, go do them for real in an airplane.

Just be careful holding VFR over navaids and intersections. There's always a lot of cross traffic.

Fly safe.

 

[azpilot]

Re: Some can visualize better than others

Some CFIs will teach you tricks with your fingers or dividing up the DG into different sectors.

This is a great trick. Get someone to show it to you. It is so easy to visualize entries by just placing your finger across the DG. I have seen stickers which can go on top of the DG as well. I think Aircraft Spruce sells it.

- AZPilot

 

[avbug]

You can memorize all sorts of aids, but this is easiest: when crossing the fix, just turn the shortest way to the outbound leg. That's it.

Look at the DG. If the outbound leg's heading falls on the left side of the instrument, turn left. If the heading falls on the right, turn right.

After that, time for a minute, then turn inbound.

You have at least that one minute, assuming the hold was given to you on short notice, to decide which way to turn inbound.

Drawing is easier than visualizing. Practice drawing holds on paper. Grab a low altitude enroute chart, and pick out an intersection. Then imagine you're somewhere else on the chart, going direct to that intersection, and figure out the hold. A few times doing this, and you have it down cold.

If you can draw the hold, entry is intuitive. Forget trying to figure out if it's seventy degrees this or that. It doesn't matter.

When I teach holds, I teach someone to draw it, look at it, and tell me. No numbers, no adding or angles. What looks right? Okay, now fly it. You're done. Find the easiest looking way to enter the hold, and don't try to think too much about it.

The other thing you can do is get slowed down early. Don't wait until the fix. Slow down early...you may not even need to hold. If you do hold (a rarity these days), then you eat up less airspace when slower, and you'll find the entry much easier. Have a ball.

 

[stingray]

I can never remember that stuff, I just tell the FMS to hold at X intersection and it figures it out. Hope to god that box doesn't go out.

 

[PilotoHalcon]

Every holding is direct entry if you can pull enough "G"s. Actually I use the Avbug method.
j

 

[BrokenWing]

One of the best methods I've seen (and use) came from an article in Professional Pilot magazine a few years ago. Once you practice it, it becomes quite easy.

1) Look at your heading to the holding pattern and then look at the holding pattern. If the pattern is RH turns, place your right thumb at the 3:00 o'clock position of your RMI/HSI to cover up the last 20 degrees of the compass rose. For example, your inbound course to the fix is 340, you would be covering up the 050 to 070 portion of the compass. Now imagine that you've got three regions on your compass: 1) the 70 degrees on top of your thumb (340 to 050) - this would be TEARDROP; 2) the 180 degrees from your thumb and then clockwise (050 to 230 in this case - this would be DIRECT; and 3) the remaining 110 degrees (230 to 340 degrees) - PARALLEL.

2) Now take a look at he OUTBOUND course of the holding pattern. Let's assume in this case it's 270. Since it falls in the 230 to 340 region, you would perform a PARALLEL entry. Let's make the outbound course 030; you would perform a TEARDROP entry.

3) Sit down with a chart and make up different scenarios and you'll find that within 10 minutes or so you'll be able to master this and perform to ATP standard on any checkride - at least when it comes to holding pattern entries.

4) By the way, if the holding pattern is LH turns, you would put your left thumb on the RMI/HSI and the 3 regions would be a mirror image of a RH pattern.

If you need further explanation, let me know.

BW

 

[j41driver]

I can never remember that stuff, I just tell the FMS to hold at X intersection and it figures it out. Hope to god that box doesn't go out.

AMEN!!!

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

Holding

I have had several jobs flying IFR by myself and I have yet to encounter a hold that I couldnt enter with a direct entry. For me it keeps things simple and no doodling on a knee board or anything.

 

[bobbysamd]

I like all the methods mentioned. Broken Wing's method is the way I learned to teach it at ERAU and the way I continued to teach it, although . . . . .

A picture says a thousand words. As others suggested, sketch the hold on the enroute chart, know your position, and the correct FAA-approved entry will be apparent. Practice several problems, working out the correct entry. Eventually, you'll be able to visualize the entry.

I think that a lot of the problems with holding entries stems from not understanding a holding clearance. Also, misunderstanding of the correct standard holding pattern. Many people think a standard hold is left turns because a standard traffic pattern is left turns. Of course, a standard hold is right turns. For example, let's say you're given the following clearance: "Hold east of MORON on the 080 radial." People think that the holding course is 080 and forget that they hold toward the fix on the reciprocal of 080, i.e. and inbound course of 260, making a standard-rate turn to 080 outbound upon crossing the fix. Once they understand that concept and understand the hold, then they are on the way to understanding entries to the hold.

Holding, indeed, is uncommon. I recall getting only two real holds during all of my instrument flying. Both were direct entries. One was a hold given in DME. So much for having to calculate outbound time and wind correction.

What's really fun to practice is partial-panel holding, doing timed turns to the outbound and inbound. I would never accept a holding clearance if I was real partial-panel. Of course, beforehand, I would have notified ATC and probably declared.

One common error about holding clearances: Not getting an EFC time. On one of my holds I did not receive an EFC time from ATC. I piped up and got it. What if I had lost comm?

Hope that helps some more.

 

[avbug]

Ironically, a day after posting on holds, I had to hold for the first time I can rember in a very long time, today.

I thought holds were like round parachutes...we remember them just barely, but it's been so long...holding is something you practice on the dance floor, right?

There are three main holding entries. Behind, unsuspecting (parallel, one hand up to ward off face slap). Hand, on the shoulder (teardrop?). Full frontal assault (direct). And of course, no always means no...

 

[VFR on Top]

1) Look at your heading to the holding pattern and then look at the holding pattern. If the pattern is RH turns, place your right thumb at the 3:00 o'clock position of your RMI/HSI to cover up the last 20 degrees of the compass rose. For example, your inbound course to the fix is 340, you would be covering up the 050 to 070 portion of the compass. Now imagine that you've got three regions on your compass: 1) the 70 degrees on top of your thumb (340 to 050) - this would be TEARDROP; 2) the 180 degrees from your thumb and then clockwise (050 to 230 in this case - this would be DIRECT; and 3) the remaining 110 degrees (230 to 340 degrees) - PARALLEL.

A slight simplification of this same method that works for me and the other kids in my kindergarten class: for right hand turns in the hold, use your right hand; left hand turns, left hand. Make a fist and place over the protected airspace, extending your index finger out along the inbound radial beyond the fix. Imagine a line extending across your knuckles continuing outward on the thumb's side. Approaching the fix from forward of this line on the same side as your Thumb calls for a Teardrop entry. Approaching from forward of the line on the same side as your Pinkie calls for a Parallel.

Thumb side = Teardrop
Pinkie side = Parallel

Anything else is a direct entry.

(It's not as complicated as it sounds.)

 

[501261]

Ironically, a day after posting on holds, I had to hold for the first time I can rember in a very long time, today.

I thought holds were like round parachutes...we remember them just barely, but it's been so long...holding is something you practice on the dance floor, right?

There are three main holding entries. Behind, unsuspecting (parallel, one hand up to ward off face slap). Hand, on the shoulder (teardrop?). Full frontal assault (direct). And of course, no always means no...

Ironic!!!!! Hell this post is got some kind of voodoo curse on it. I read it yesterday and flew six turns in a hold today!!! WTF!!!

Someone please post a question on how to have an easy, relaxing day flying, so that this voodoo doesn't hit me on the return trip.

 

[jsoceanlord]

here' what i do;

1) put your finger on the DG pointing outward so it represents the holding radial.

2) if your finger's in the top right quarter of the DG, make a tear drop, if it's on the bottom half make a direct entry, if it's in the left top quarter make a parallel. (that's a little rough but close)

30 it helps to think that you have to maneuver the plane so that it flies up your finger, from the tip to your knuckle.