how do YOU fly IFR procedures?

[lusthansa]

Hello guys, I am just about to make my annual IFR proficiency check. I have passed it always in the 6 years I did it before.

In my proficiency check I shall have to show:

DME ARC.
Holding procedure
NDB interceptions
VOR interceptions
procedure turns
flying correct Distance of Lead / Angle of Lead. ETC

The problem is: My former Flight Training Organisation was a kind of "academic". So I make everything I do correct but ... let´s say ... too complicated. This thread shall start a discussion on how to faciliate things in aviation whilst staying on the safe & correct "side".

So I am looking for good work techniques / mnemonics / shortcuts how to fly e.g. a holding yet correct but with less effort in the preparation in advance.

Can you reply how you prepare a holding, etc.?

Here is my (complicated?!) way how to prepare a holding (can you improve it? ... and also gimme good "abbreviations" on other aspects of flying like interceptions etc?):

1.) reduce to respective holding speed
2.) calculate entry procedure
3.) calculate WCA
4.) calculate entry procedure outbound heading with 2 * WCA when not flying Upper Altitude holdings.
5.) calculate (entry procedure) inbound heading with 1 * WCA.
6.) calculate abeam position
7.) calculate outbound timing: 60 sec +/- 1/2 WS when wind angle is btwn 30° ... 60°, 60 sec +/- WS when wind angle is btw 0° ... 30° and no time correction to get a precise 60 sec. inbound leg.
7a) Brief your copilot
8.) enter the hold over the fix
9.) start outbound timing when not flying direct entry proc
10.) inform ATC
11.) fly the rest ...

Appreciate your help.

Yours lusthansa

[Tinstaafl]

If the hold entry sectors aren't charted for you (they are in Oz - yay!.... but not in the US - ptooey!):

Right hand hold pattern - use your right hand / Left hand pattern use your left hand

Make a pretend pistol with the appropriate hand (fist?) ie thumb extended to represent the hammer, first finger extended to represent the barrel, and remaining three fingers clenched.

Hold your 'pistol' in front of you so that you can see the back of your hand and then touch the 1st joint below your thumbnail to your forefinger (but at the same time keeping the tip of your thumb away from the finger). For most people the following applies:

1. Forefinger/barrel represents the inbound track of the hold
2. Angle between forefinger & thumb/thumb 1st joint axis is approx. 70 deg. & is automatically oriented to represent the Teardrop/sector 2 entry.
3. Angle between first finger knuckle to fourth finger knuckle is approx. equal to the parallel/sector 1 entry. It too is automatically oriented to its entry.

When I learnt this method I found it helped hold my hand over a largish diagram of sector entries to get the orientation/angle relationship between my hand & the real thing.

In flight, hold your pistol hand against the DI/HSI with your forefinger aligned with the required holding pattern inbound course. Your heading is oriented up the DI from the bottom of the instrument panel so whatever sector of your hand it intersects is the sector entry you need to use.

It's great for pop up holding instructions. No fiddling around drawing diagrams on a bit of paper to work out the correct entry.

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Drift allowance: Don't buggerise around. It's either 0 deg, 5 deg in light winds, 10-15 in moderate breezes or 20-30 in strong winds. If it gets to howling gale or storm force then just be glad you got back over the aid in time to commence the next turn around the pattern waiting for FISO or
ATC to get out of bed (cough.....Shetland the middle of the night in winter in an Islander.....cough.

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Timing adjustment: 1 sec/kt/min outbound based on your guestimate of HWC/TWC inbound to the aid from enroute. Hint: compare GS vs TAS. Don't get too anal about it.

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If you have an RMI or RBI then at 1 min on the outbound it should be ~30 deg off the tail. For 2 mins then ~15 deg. If less than these then you have drifted closer to the inbound leg while on outbound and will need to allow for this in the turn inbound. If more than this then your spacing has drifted away from the inbound so expect to have to roll out of the turn inbound for a period.

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How to judge the inbound turn (holding pattern or teardrop approach with typical 1 or 2 min or so outbound timing):

After commencing the turn inbound, at 90 deg left to turn the RMI/RBS needle should lead by ~10 deg ie the head of the needle 10 deg above the 90/270 RB. At 45 deg left to turn the head should be ~ 5 deg above.

If more than these then roll level until the needle falls to the appropriate position then resume the turn. If less than this then you're probably going to overshoot the intercept. Either increase the rate of turn or expect to overshoot & re-intercept from the other side, or both.

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Keep abreast of what's coming next in the procedure using the mnemonic 'TAA'

Next Track (HDG if appropriate eg O/bound in the hold) & Time/dist limit
Altitude limit
Aid (ident still present or flags away)

I'm sure there's other things I do as a matter of course or out of habit but I've just gone into IMC with beer foggles.

[potatowings]

There are hundreds of ways to do all these things.

The best advice is to keep it simple stupid (KISS). That's the best mnemonic.

I find that using FS 2004 or similar is perfect and bash the procedures out over and over, even if they're not the ones you're going to do, you'll still learn alot.

As for DME arcs, I've seen people use so many different techniques, but I keep it simple. If your goal is to fly say a 10d arc, once you've got a rough idea of your starting heading, simply turn by 10 degrees everytime the DME ticks up by 0.1d. If it keeps increasing, turn 20 degrees next time, and if it decreases too much, only turn 5 degrees next time. It works a treat and compensates for wind. I've used this technique in C152's and Medium Jets and it is the best technique in my opinion because it is so simple.

Just a little tip with the holding procedure, if you run out of time to calculate your 3 times drift for your outbound, simply work out your gate and when you get to it, fly up it, compensates for you. Again, keeps it simple. If you know which way the wind is from, simply throw some heading correction in and you can still fly up the gate, show's you've thought about it.

As for entry to a hold, that's just practice at working it out. Personally with practice, I've become quite good at visualising off the approach plates (if the hold is published).

A lovely mnemonic I use as I enter a hold is TTTTT or 5T's:

Time (start your stop clock)
Turn (turn for your entry)
Throttle (set pwr setting for speed to fly hold)
Tune (set up any nav aids needed and not already set up)
Talk ("Aircraft 123 entering hold")

Hope this helps

[Jez_G]

Just to add slightly to the previous posts. I find the easiest way to work out an entry to a hold is to assume the fix as the center of your DG/HSI and then visualise the holding pattern according to that.
The most important thing to then is to ensure you place the holding pattern on the correct radial and to remember the direction of the turns. With the pattern visualised right in front of you, it is easy to see what entry procedure is required.
With a bit of practice 'hangar flying' this it becomes a really quick and easy way to work out entries. I read some more explaination of this technique somewhere in a flying magazine, if i can find it i'll add to the post at a later date.

I also use the T's theory! Although i have heard many many variations on it. Mine is:
Time, Turn, Throttle, Tune , Talk, Trim
(similar to above i know) reciting each of these at each stage (or fix on an IAP) seems to work well to ensure correct instrument procedures.
As for timings etc i agree with Tinstaafl, just a bit of common sense on the variations based on known winds is a good way to get started, without having to remember specific formulae and keeping 'heads down' in the cockpit. (N.B. I'm not suggesting that you should disregard the wind correction formula, there is just a time and a place especially with a pop up clearance).
Lastly, on some radios i have used you can select 'current radial' from a VOR which allows you to quickly see on a digital display your current radial. This is great for working out abeam positions and for other situational awareness. Off the top of my head i think this was a funciton on the older collins radios.
Just my 2 pence worth!
JG

[PAPI-74]

T - Twist the bug
T - Turn
T - Time
T - Talk
T - Throttle (do I need to decsend?)
I - Ice

Where the time occurs depends whether you roll out on the time or wait till the time than roll. It takes a priod of time for the aircraft to start turning once the bank is applied and to stop turning. This can result in 5 deg off - if you are not rolling briskly.
**Turn - Time start rolling wings level on time
Time - Turn start rolling level before the time to be level on time.

[IrishJetdriver]

If you look at the hold and ask "how do i get in there from here" you will usually pick the correct entry simply because it looks right. As far as the hold is concerned then you already know where the wind is and as you run in to the fix you will know your drift for that particular heading. If you have no time to plan then just get yourself inbound, check the drift as best as possible and then just have a stab at it the first time round. I you overshoot the inbound qdm then you didn't allow enough and if you undershot it was too much. look at your needle pointer and ask yourself does it look about right ? If you need to then tidy it up second time round.
Good previous advice about needle "lead". it's the inbound qdm you are assessed on. As long as you get there is what counts.

[INNflight]

I agree about using the 5 T's for basically anything, not just holdings.
Helps a great deal with instrument approaches too, and works the same everytime.

T - Turn
T - Time
T - Twist
T - Throttle
T - Talk