Once again reading the flying forums I felt the urge to post on my blog. Todays topic, hold entries. The pilot in training wrote about his frustration with selecting the correct entry for the hold. Talk of using a pencil and dividing up the directional gyro to help select the entry brought back memories of the King IFR course.
I never liked that process and it seemed to complicate matters even more. Instead, my instrument training had me visualize the entry. What does that mean? Let’s start with the basics, the approach plate is oriented north up. We have the best pointers on either hand, pick one. Follow that natural pointer (finger) on you flight path heading to the fix and make your choice. This is all made easier if following a published hold but a random fix with a quick sketch will provide the same tools necessary to make your selection.
After watching the uploaded video I noticed I did not address 'how' to perform a teardrop entry. The teardrop entry starts by crossing the holding fix, then turning 30 degrees from the outbound leg (towards the protected side). After flying outbound on the 30 degree heading for 1 minute, turn toward the inbound course and intercept. I reloaded the corrected version to YouTube.
Here is a short video explaining the simple process and how I go about the entry selection.
2 comments:
This is a great topic, Gary. Like everyone else, I earned my rating by futzing around with that 70° angle stuff to determine the correct pattern entries for each hold on the FAA written or using the "pencil rule" on the DG while in flight, which had to be reversed depending on whether it was a left or right turn holding pattern.
Then I read a very practical article from Barry Schiff about hold entries in the real world. It was very similar to what you're advocating here: just look at it. That requires no calculations or visualizations with the DG. It all boiled down to three rules (my internalization of his advice):
1. Always stay on the protected side of the hold. That's really the most important part anyway.
2. If you can enter direct, do it. As I recall, Schiff advocated a 90° cutoff instead of 70° to simplify the visualization.
3. If you cannot enter direct, look at your trajectory relative to the holding pattern when crossing the holding fix. If your trajectory heads into the pattern, use a teardrop entry. If your trajectory is heading outside the pattern, it's a parallel entry.
Stupid simple. Works every time.
In your third example inbound from the east, you initially called that a parallel entry, where I would have gone teardrop (because you're heading into the pattern). And, of course, right after that, you showed an entry from the same direction using a teardrop instead. So you supported a point that Schiff was trying to make: your choice doesn't really matter in real world flying so long as it is geometrically expedient (in that example, both entries were), you establish yourself in the proper pattern (correct inbound heading, etc.), and you remain on the protected side of the hold.
I am also not a CFI nor have I stayed in a Holiday Inn (lately). :-) Thanks for the discussion!
Chris,
Thanks for the comments. I should have added that tid bit about always staying on the protected side of the hold, hopefully that's understood. ;)
As long as we get into the hold, and allowing for wind corrections, stay inside the protected area it doesn't need to be complicated. As you well know it gets busy in the cockpit when IFR and keeping it simple and less stressful really helps.
The pilot on the facebook instrument pilot group seemed to really have a hard time trying to figure it all out which prompted my post. Unfortunately some of the instructors with little real world IFR experience only know to teach from the book.
Post a Comment