Tips and tricks for sector entry, holding patterns etc ...

[Two_dogs]

G'day All,

I was wondering if anyone would like to share their favourite tips and tricks to successful sector entry, holding pattern and instrument approaches. For example, I have been told to delay the outbound turn for ten to fifteen seconds after station passage on a sector three entry. This is meant to allow a correct abeam spacing on the outbound leg. Of course, this will only be necessary in some cases depending on the track in. In addition, what is the best way to intercept the correct track to the aid on a sector one or two entry? Is it a good idea to use a 30 degree intercept to the correct track inbound?

In anticipation,
Two Dogs

[Chimbu chuckles]

Press HOLD/Next HOLD - check inbound track and turn direction is correct (eg 272/L) - engage L NAV - sip coffee - watch in wonder - try to remember when you could track NDBs and do NDB holding patterns on a DG and fixed card ADF - shudder - sip coffee :}

[MakeItHappenCaptain]

You will find that given the choice between a sector two and a sector three entry, ie. within 5 degrees zone of flex based on heading (and remember no zone of flex for intersection based holding patterns), you will find a sector two entry will be preferable. Using a sector three entry (because you are already halfway through the outbound turn) will keep you too close to the inbound leg, ie you will most likely find yourself overshooting the inbound turn.:ok:

As for intercepting the inbound track, it depends on how far the wind is pushing you and how far from the navaid you are. A 45 degree intercept may be required, but there's no hard and fast rule on this.

[Aerodynamisist]

Get on MS flight sim and do it over and over and over and over again, then dial in some wind then do it over and over again.

[Capn Bloggs]

Get an iphone. There apparently is a proggie which tells oyu how to enter HPs!:}

[mattyj]

pull back the power levers..slow aircraft down..arrive later at holding point and get holding requirement cancelled:ok:

[MakeItHappenCaptain]

WOW! Does the Artificial Horizon application sub for my 20.18 requirements as well???!?!?!:ugh:

[Ted Nugent]

Press HOLD/Next HOLD - check inbound track and turn direction is correct (eg 272/L) - engage L NAV - sip coffee - watch in wonder - try to remember when you could track NDBs and do NDB holding patterns on a DG and fixed card ADF - shudder - sip coffee

I shouldn't be laughing this hard because its so true!

[ollie_a]

Press HOLD/Next HOLD - check inbound track and turn direction is correct (eg 272/L) - engage L NAV - sip coffee - watch in wonder - try to remember when you could track NDBs and do NDB holding patterns on a DG and fixed card ADF - shudder - sip coffee

Forget about the hold exit time you were given - depart hold 60-90 seconds late - receive feeder fix time from ATC - complain to ATC that now you have to speed up to meet that time

Ah good times.

[Capt Fathom]

pull back the power levers..slow aircraft down..arrive later at holding point and get holding requirement cancelled

No .. push power levers all the way forward .. arrive at holding fix first .. no one in front of you .. no need to hold :E

[goldypilot]

haha ill pay that last one

[PPRuNeUser0163]

Two Dogs,

few things. Firstly Sector 3 is divided up into a Sector 3A and 3B. This 5 degree tolerance people are talking about DOES not apply to a Sector 3A.

Sector 1- 110 degrees parallel entry per DAP/JEPP charts means turning onto outbound leg after station passage. Timing commences Abeam aid or wings level- this is critical for keeping the holds/sector entries within the 5 degree tolerance on a CDI for example. All turns in Sector 1 are max AOB due to the proximity of outbound and inbound tracks and thus the intercept inbound is going to be a tight one- ie 45 degrees or less.

Sector 2- 70 degree offset entry. Lets say inbound track is 270 to station, you are coming in from 090. Outbound track is 090 as well, so you would track 30 degrees left (ie 060 if pattern is to the right) Then commence 1 minute timing or per charts. 1 knot of headwind increases timing before turning inbound by 1 second ie if 5 knots headwind 1 mins 5 secs till you turn inbound. Opposite for A tailwind.

Sector 3A as discussed- remaining sector and 30 degrees either side of the inbound track.

Sector 3B.. Remaining sector- put aircrafts wing 90 degrees to outbound leg. Ie if outbound leg is to your right 090 degrees, then track northbound for for 15 secs nil wind, 10 for tailwind and 20 for headwind before turning onto 090. Commence approach as normal.

Critical things in the sector entries are staying ahead of the acft, so anticipate turn by setting new heading 10-15 secs before you turn and keeping a good scan going between AH, ASI, etc.

[longrass]

Perhaps you should read the book again....

This is a rumour network, not a "learn to fly" network...

Wake up to yourself

[Unhinged]

Sector 3 is divided up into a Sector 3A and 3B. This 5 degree tolerance people are talking about DOES not apply to a Sector 3A.

Eh ? It might be so at the school where you learnt, but that isn't what AIP has to say on the matter.

All turns in Sector 1 are max AOB

Same comment

Make sure you're very clear on the differences between what is required, what is advisable, and what has been handed to you by your instructor simply because that's what their instructor handed them

[Two_dogs]

Longrass

You're a w anker.

I asked a simple question ... Would anyone like to impart their knowledge to further my (and others) understanding of sector entry, holding patterns and instrument approach techniques.

Most pilots I know are always eager to improve their knowledge and improve their skills.

You of course must be an ACE and have nothing to learn.
WAKE UP W ANKER!

[Two_dogs]

Further to my last post. I just had to see what other drivel comes from you Longrass ...
Here's a few links to other condescending crap you come out with.

WAKE UP W ANKER!
http//:www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/391482-indonesian-airline-advertisement.html

http//:www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/391714-jetstar-pilot-hold-file.html

http//:www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/360208-av8-darwin-rip-html

http://www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/390421-you-didnt-make-cut-neednt-apply-again.html

http//:www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/385216-c182-crash-darwin-batchelor.html


Kind regards,
Two Dogs

I found a w anker smilie for you but it was blocked ... SORRY!

[Mecarsa Bitrusty]

Perhaps you should read the book again....

This is a rumour network, not a "learn to fly" network...

Looks like longrass needs to practice what he preaches!

Name of forum, see below!

DG&P General Aviation & Questions

Mods, do your thing! :ok:

[training wheels]

Perhaps you should read the book again....

This is a rumour network, not a "learn to fly" network...

Wake up to yourself

My my, you're a grumpy old fella aren't you? what's the matter mate? didn't make it past a PPL and have no advice to offer? :rolleyes:

[longrass]

Name of forum PPRuNE? Perhaps,

So from my understanding that would mean General Aviation Questions and Answers pertaining to "Rumours"....

You guys have way to much time to put links to threads I have commented on, little bit childish really...

[Two_dogs]

So from my understanding that would mean General Aviation Questions and Answers pertaining to "Rumours"....No ... Just "QUESTIONS and ANSWERS", pertaining to aviation, W ANKER.

Sorry folks, just couldn't help myself.

And, I stand by my links. You really show you true self.
W ANKER

Most Kind Regards,
Two Dogs

[MakeItHappenCaptain]

This stuff ain't exactly secret squirrel business.

If someone asks for better ways to do the job, you don't make yourself look any better by making out they're stupid for asking.

Try to remember...
We were all there once.

[Two_dogs]

I call a truce. This is developing into a s***fight.

Does anyone have any further constructive advice to efficiently and safely conducting IFR approach procedures? Thank you to all previous posters, especially the humorous.

Much obliged,
Two Dogs

[Chimbu chuckles]

Hey look - its a bit hard to do without diagrams but here goes.

There was some really, REALLY weird **** written on Sector 1 entries on the last page which I cannot allow to pass unchallenged. Some crap about being too close to the inbound course and overshooting the turns and/or using max angles of banks?:ugh:

Sector 1: After station passage turn to TRACK parallel to the inbound track. Timing begins wings level tracking outbound. When the time is up (1 minute +/- wind) carry out a rate 1 turn until on an intercept heading to establish inbound to the aid from inside the pattern.

Sector 2: After station passage turn to track 30 degrees off the reciprocal of inbound trk for 1 minute (+/- wind) carry out a rate 1 turn to intercept inbound track to aid.

Notice in both above examples we are joining the pattern from INSIDE the pattern?

Sector 3: Fly to fix and turn (rate 1) left or right.

With any modern GPS giving GS and TRK this stuff is now childs play really.:rolleyes:

It really wasn't so long ago when we did handfly these on nothing but a fixed card ADF/DG and wrist watch - usually no DME - and it was fun;) I thought all my xmas' had come at once when I finally flew something with a HSI and RMI:ooh:

[The Green Goblin]

Old
People
Tend
To
Drive
To
Slowly

One
Parallel
Two
Teardrop
Three
Straight in

Always try to manouvre the aeroplane to be lined up on runway heading on a GPS/DME arrival by the FAF. In training, the school will have you fly your track all the way over head then circle to land. In commercial ops if possible try to intercept the runway heading to be established on runway heading by the FAF.

On an NDB/VOR maneuver to pick up a sector 3 if possible and track straight outbound in a continuous descent. Overhead the aid at around 4000 feet AGL works well for me. It also helps with not busting altitudes such as the MSA if you are single pilot with a high workload and gives you room to breathe. Watch the limiting height on the base turn of the reversal as this is where most guys mess up especially if assy as you need to be within 5 degrees before continuing the descent.

Always plan for the missed approach in your brief and have a clear plan in your head of what you will do. Through my IFR training you would conduct the missed approach, get a pat on the back and a well done son and never follow the scenario from that point on. The first time I got myself in that situation in a missed approach for real in poor weather I didn't really have a good plan of attack up my sleeve and fumbled around for a while working out what to do. When there is traffic in the hold it can get very messy especially if there is a mix of RPT and other aircraft all talking on the radio when you are in critical phases of flight requesting your position and intentions. Sometimes this is a hinderence so tell them clearly when you will call again such as on the ground or if conducting a missed approach you will climb to xxx and report your intentions.

Plan for the worst, expect the best :ok:

Oh and if there is forecast embedded cells remain visual if you don't have a radar. Nothing worse than breaking into an unexpected cell with your eyeballs bouncing in your head while trying to focus on the six pack. It can get very lonely very quickly in the pointy end and that sinking feeling is not very pleasant at all :( (if this happens turn the autopilot off and slow down!!!)

[compressor stall]

One P#nis, Two T!ts.
One Parallel, Two Teardrop.

:}

[Chimbu chuckles]

A Ladyboy pneumonic? :eek:

Well whatever 'entry' works for ya stallie:E

[Mach E Avelli]

Compressor Stall -thank you, thank you. I have been flying IFR for 45 years and always struggled with this sector 1, 2 and 3 nonsense. I simply disguised my inability (refusal?) to call the entries anything other than parallel, teardrop and direct entry. But Stallie, you have given me the key to be able to talk the talk in my briefings now. Seriously. One penis two tits - how will I ever forget that memonic?

As for how to fly 'em, the trick as Chimbu mentioned is to make an effort at TRACKING either the reciprocal (for the parallel entry - there I go again, can't help it) or 30 degrees offset for the teardrop. By tracking you get an appreciation of the wind, assuming it's not already nicely displayed as a neat little arrow somewhere like on a glass PFD or GPS screen. With the direct entry, if you are coming into it at right angles to the outbound, don't turn as you make station passage (common error) but hold a right angle heading for 10 seconds so as not to be too close in as you come around on to the inbound leg.

And do try to do the whole thing at constant speed and bank angles.

[PPRuNeUser0163]

There was some really, REALLY weird **** written on Sector 1 entries on the last page which I cannot allow to pass unchallenged. Some crap about being too close to the inbound course and overshooting the turns and/or using max angles of banks?

Chimbu Chuckles,

Next time you do a Sector 1 use 10-15 Degrees AOB and let me know what happens k?:ok:

Put it this way you will way undershoot turning back inbound towards the aid as your intercept angle is extremely small on the sector 1- due to the fact you are paralleling the outbound track!!

[muffman]

At the end of the outbound leg in the hold or sector entry, a quick glance at the tail of the ADF needle (or bearing pointer if you have one) will tell you roughly how the inbound turn is going to go. If it's showing about 30 deg offset from the inbound track you'll have no trouble, but if it's less than that, you'll need to steepen up the turn a bit to avoid overshooting. For this reason, the teardrop/sector 2 entry is brilliant because it'll always be 30 degrees.

[Unhinged]

nkand

Next time you fly max angle of bank in the soup (or even worse, at night going in and out of the soup) consider carefully what you're asking yourself and the aircraft to do. Add a little bit of distraction - radio, passenger, other traffic, some real or imagined aircraft issue - retire to a safe distance and wait ... Sheer madness

[compressor stall]

Hmmm.

Remember the PANS-OPS procedure is designed in 25° AoB or 3°/sec - whichever is the lesser - at the maximum speed for your category for that segment. If you fly a shallower angle of bank, your turn radius will be larger and you will very quickly find yourself outside the protection area.

However, if you are so concerned about maintaining a lesser AoB for reasons you describe you could calculate the radius of turn at the max speed, then using your slower speed work out the minimum AoB to maintain the same or lesser radius.

There are a few other complicating factors with this approach though. :ouch:

There is also a school of thought (pushed by a large flying school at MB in the 90's) that for Sector 1/Parallel entries, after station passage you should hold heading for 15 seconds before turning parallel outbound. This is wrong. The procedure is NOT designed for this and you may soon be outside the protection area.

Mach - Glad to help. Its funny how something so simple is so hard to remember! I had the same trouble...

Chimbu - I wasn't so much thinking of Miriams, rather what fun can be had with both of them on different people. :ok: You've been in SE Asia too long methinks. :}

[mattyj]

If you're above the 25Nm or 10Nm MSA I wouldn't stress too much about minimising the bank angle..in fact..make life safer for yourself and only hold above MSA if you can

[Tinstaafl]

Try and avoid holds in the USA. They do things differently here.

* Most missed approach holds don't have the hold's inbound track aligned with the arrival track/heading. It's nearly always a reciprocal so you have to do a sector 1 or 2 entry. Buggered if I know why when in most cases aligning the inbound of the hold with the arrival track could be done.

* Similarly many approach holds are also arse about so you have to do a reversal to establish on the approach outbound. Mind you, it's a normal procedure here to extend the hold's outbound leg and then turn to intercept the approach inbound track so that the normal, procedure turn type of approach becomes a sort of base turn from a parallel track type of thing.

* Timing outbound is done to make good the hold timing on the inbound, not outbound leg ie a 1 min hold is 1 min *inbound*. Of course the first lap around is guesswork but you're expected to adjust the outbound timing to make the inbound time work out.

* Hold entry sectors are never charted. You always have to calculate the sectors yourself. Surprised the Pommies haven't adopted the practice - anything to make things unnecessarily more awkward is always welcome there...

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

Can anyone name an approach in Australia where the minimum holding altitude is lower than the 10 nm MSA?

Dr :8

[Capt Fathom]

Shame on you Forkie!

Try Mackay!

And it's in your backyard.....:{

[Chimbu chuckles]

Chimbu Chuckles,

Next time you do a Sector 1 use 10-15 Degrees AOB and let me know what happens k?

Put it this way you will way undershoot turning back inbound towards the aid as your intercept angle is extremely small on the sector 1- due to the fact you are paralleling the outbound track!!

I have been instrument rated for 23 years and was an ATO for a while - and I have NO IDEA wtf you are on about.:ugh:

[Captain Marvel]

Easy method to determine sector entry on a terminal area chart etc.

Draw a line extending through the fix and the arrow head on the outbound leg of the pattern. Gives you a picture of the 70/110 line so you can easily determine which sector entry you will use.

In the days before the sectors were shown on approach plate holding diagrams, it was a very handy guide.

[j3pipercub]

A few freshly rated experts it would seem... you guys fire up easy too...

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

Shame on you Forkie!
Try Mackay!
And it's in your backyard.....

Oh yes, indeed! :ok:

My shame is almost overwhelming! :E

Dr :8

[SM227]

A little off topic, but does anyone have any tips for when you have the leans? I find that the problem is not that i dont trust the AH, but the second I look away to do other things, I automaticaly right myself with my head, no matter how hard I try! :ugh:

It eventualy goes away, but is there a quicker way or a technique of getting rid of it? It makes approaches bloody hard!

[The Green Goblin]

Stare at the AH and believe what you see (as long as there are no flags of course)

It will get less and less over time :ok:

[Mach E Avelli]

Au contraire - do NOT stare at the A/H. These things occasionally get very slight leans themselves, particularly old vacuum-driven jobbies. Even electric ones will sometimes have slight bank errors but not show any flags. So...keep your scan going. If the A/H shows dead level and the heading is drifting slowly, the A/H is probably guilty as charged.
The leans eventually go away with exposure to I.F. in real IMC (as opposed to just pretending under a baseball cap) so seek out cloud with a reasonably high base and just do it for a while. Assuming you have the rating, of course.

[Tinstaafl]

Not entirely true, Machi.E.A.. If the aircraft is yawing then there will be a heading change even if the wings are level.

[Towering Q]

One P#nis, Two T!ts.
One Parallel, Two Teardrop.


Stallie, on a far less anatomical level and more G rated, I have always used..."Pat The Dog" (Parallel, Teardrop, Direct.)

[FRQ Charlie Bravo]

Pat The Dog

I don't get it. Is Pat a boy dog or a girl dog? Don't girl dogs have 6 teats anyway making it seem like a sector six rather than a sector two?:eek:

Nah, I'll stick with Stallie's version, it seems much easier for a pilot to remember.

FRQ CB

[compressor stall]

And what happens when there's a boy dog with the girl dog? Is that a Sector 1 entry? Or a Straight in? :confused:

And don't mention diphallia as that will really confuse things... :}

[Mach E Avelli]

Tinny, you are right of course. I was making the assumption that our tyro had centred the skidball before these 'leans' attacked and had to decide what his priorities were. Staring at the A/H to the exclusion of the total scan can be a health hazard. The Air India B707 that dived into the water soon after takeoff is a classic example of what can happen when one fixates on a dud A/H. Before that crash, Polynesian also lost a DC3 on a dark night takeoff. Although there was no flight data recorder in this aeroplane, the investigation concluded that pilot inexperience in true IFR conditions combined with a possible A/H fault caused it.

[LeadSled]

Folks,
For remembering the sector entries, I like the "Three Bears" method.

Daddy Bear is the big bear, he goes straight in.
Mummy Bear goes over on her back.
Baby Bear is under 30.

With fond memories of the late Jock Roberts, Officer, Gentleman and former QF link thro' to simulator instructor, who thought this up when we moved from four sector entries, to the new fangled three sector. Longer ago than I really want to remember, even before political correctness.

It's worked for me for a long time, long before details were printed on charts. No numbers, no names, just an easy mental picture.

Tootle pip!!

[Towering Q]

And what happens when there's a boy dog with the girl dog? Is that a Sector 1 entry? Or a Straight in?

Possibly Doggy Style?!:eek:

Hey LeadSled, where does Goldilocks fit into the "Bears Method"?

[Alistair]

Easiest way I have been shown for sector entries (apart from CC's first post) goes like this.

LH pattern.
Put left hand (fingers together, thumb open) with the 'v' of your thumb over the aid and fingers pointing away from the aid in the direction of the pattern entry. Then just picture your current track in relation to your hand. If you are tracking in over your fingers = parrallel entry, along your forearm = direct entry, through the 'v' of your thumb = offset entry.

RH pattern, do the same with your right hand over the aid.

Hope the explanation is clear, would be better in pictures, as it is very simple no thought required as you can see the entry required immediately.

As for flying the hold, the Poms taught me a great system using a 'gate'. Works anytime with any wind but would be difficult to explain here. It is simple when shown but hard to put in words.

[Tinstaafl]

I do something similar to Alistair only I fold all except my forefinger to make a 'pistol fist' with my partly extended thumb as the 'trigger' and forefinger as the barrel. The angle formed along the line of my knuckles to forefinger is similar to the Parallel/Sector 1 angle and between thumb & forefinger near enough to a Teardrop/Sector 2 angle. I find it makes it a bit easier to visualize if I can approximate the angles somewhat.

[ZappBrannigan]

Regarding the leans, if I get them any more than a tiny bit, this technique was shown to me by a very experienced old pilot - I'll make sure I'm wings level, or in a rate one turn if required, then close my eyes for around a second and picture the aircraft perfectly stable in the correct attitude. Then I'll confirm what I just told my brain by continuing the scan. So in a wings-level scenario I'll picture the aircraft nice and stable in S&L flight, then scan AH/TC/DG to confirm there's nil bank angle, nil rate-of-turn, and nil heading change. And if there's a suspect instrument, eliminating it from the scan, and potentially covering it if the error is bad.

I also find keeping a nice light touch on the controls when in IMC and consciously not over-flying the aircraft (make a point of relaxing and being as "casual" as possible, get yourself in the state of mind that you're a professional and you've done this a lot) helps a lot. I find the more relaxed (less nervy) I am in IMC, the less I overcontrol the aircraft, I'm less susceptible to the leans, and the more accurately I fly the correct track and profile.

[The Green Goblin]

Au contraire - do NOT stare at the A/H. These things occasionally get very slight leans themselves, particularly old vacuum-driven jobbies. Even electric ones will sometimes have slight bank errors but not show any flags. So...keep your scan going. If the A/H shows dead level and the heading is drifting slowly, the A/H is probably guilty as charged.
The leans eventually go away with exposure to I.F. in real IMC (as opposed to just pretending under a baseball cap) so seek out cloud with a reasonably high base and just do it for a while. Assuming you have the rating, of course.

I probably did not explain that too well. Staring at the AH meaning the six pack IE your scan rate.

Just try not to move your head too much.

[j3pipercub]

Geez, I didn't realise it was this difficult...must be doing somehting wrong...

[Hugh Jarse]

This is probably the easiest technique (use the HSI as a map).

The method I use (and used to teach before Jepp depicted holds on the Aussie charts) is as follows:

1. Find the outbound track in the hold;

2. For a left hand pattern, use the left hand - and vice versa for a right. Align your index finger with your present heading over the DG/HSI/EHSI etc. As a guide, use the "angle" between your index finger as 110 deg (parallel entry), and the "angle" between your index finger and your "bird" finger as the 70 deg (offset entry).

3. Look on the DG/HSI/EHSI etc as to where the outbound track of the hold is. If it's between your thumb and index finger it's a parallel entry. If the track falls between your index and bird fingers, it's an offset entry. Anywhere else is a direct entry.

Simple.

Once you get used to that method, you can substitute an imaginary line on the DG/HSI/EHSI using the cardinal points ticks. For left hand, use a straight line from 20 deg below the 270 deg tick through the centre of the DG/HSI/EHSI to 20 deg above the 090 deg tick. Use the reverse for a right hand pattern.

Progress in the hold: As a rough guide, I want the tail of the needle to be at about 30 deg off at the end of the outbound for a 1 min pattern, or 20 deg off for 2 mins (+/- drift allowance).

Hope this helps :O

[Mach E Avelli]

Or subscribe to Jeppesen. Then you get to look at the diagram with the hold entries drawn on each approach chart. Very helpful on local base check or simulator exercises where some checkies don't give you much time to transition from one task to the next.
This may not work for en-route holds, but most of those are aligned with something convenient, and en-route in the real world you have more time to think about how you would join the hold if required to.

[Capn Bloggs]

Or subscribe to Jeppesen
Jeppesen copied the AIP DAP diagrams.

[Tinstaafl]

And in the US neither Jepp nor NACO (the US equivalent of DAPs) show the hold entry sectors, just the holding pattern. You're expected here to be able to work it out the entry for your self. Also it's not unusual here to be told, for example, to "Hold southeast of Falcon VOR on the 125 radial, left turns."

[seaeagle2323]

I thought u could only change timing for the hold for known winds :}

[sockedunnecessarily]

Mach E Avelli,

My memory is sketchy at best, but I remember there being absolutely no evidence that the A/H failed in the B707 crash you recall.

At no time did the comparator give any warnings of false A/H information. The investigation and findings were always considered dubious and a number of scenarios are still considered plausible.

[FRQ Charlie Bravo]

You're expected here to be able to work it out the entry for your self. Also it's not unusual here to be told, for example, to "Hold southeast of Falcon VOR on the 125 radial, left turns."

Tinstaafl, is that why all the pilot shops over there sell those silly holding pattern wheels? Seriously, I get it now. When I saw them I thought it was maybe a training aid but then they seemed a bit too popular for that and I thought that somebody had come up with another useless pilot distractor to sell.

Technically in Oz we're meant to be able to do the same but I've never received such an instruction and I'd probably have to think really hard if I did (then I'd f*ck it up and just ask to orbit thereby making my passengers sick and having to clean up :yuk: bags).

FRQ CB

[Tmbstory]

One of the secrets of instrument flying is definitely not to stare at any one instrument.
All the instruments should make up a scene, just like the actors in a movie or play or even a photograph of a group.

Tmb

[Tinstaafl]

I suppose that's correct wrt the holding pattern computers. Off the cuff holds are one of those things that usually occur during a flight test or Instrument Proficiency Check - rather than day-to-day ops - for the occasional times when ATC choose to use it. Vectoring & speed control are more commonly used. Charted holds are used a lot though. Still have to calculate your own sectors.

Curiously, the US doesn't require instrument renewals/IPCs as long as you meet recency requirements - which includes holds.

[Tinstaafl]

At 90 deg remaining to turn the ADF needle should be about 10 deg ahead the abeam position ie 80 deg L or R of the nose. If it's less than that you need to stop the turn & wait for the needle to fall to the '10 ahead' position before continuing the turn inbound. If more than 80 deg then you need to increase turn rate &/or expect to re-intercept from the other side.

At 45 deg remaining to turn the needle should be about 5 deg ahead the 45 deg marks ie about 40 deg L or R of the nose. Same deal about what to do if the needle isn't in position.

If using a VOR then the equivalent to the '10 deg ahead' position is when the CDI becomes alive. '5 deg ahead' equivalent is when the CDI is at half scale deflection.

Some aircraft have a fair bit of needle error during bank. You will have to adjust the ADF needle's expected positions to compensate.

[Mach E Avelli]

Also, if you have a RMI, make sure the needles are selected for either ADF or VOR according to the approach you are flying. Get rid of any indication to an unwanted aid, as even a few degrees difference may confuse you.
When tracking the ADF/VOR needles on RMI, once you roll onto heading approximating track and you see that the needle is not aligned, don't just sit there doing nothing in the hope that it will come good, and don't just point the heading bug at the needle if it is still off track. Turn TO and THROUGH the needle for a proper intercept. Until you are within 5 degrees of the inbound track, you can't descend on final and it just makes life difficult if you end up high on profile as a result.
If you are flying an ILS and there is no other azimuth aid actually associated with the approach, you may find one (usually a locater) on the centerline of the reciprocal approach. Use it to help with judging the turn to final. Relying on the localizer to come alive to start the turn often results in overshooting, especially from large intercept angles.
And if you have an older analogue HSI, one day the localizer indicator WILL stick off scale, yet no failure flag will appear. As you get close to the intercept, a gentle tap on the side of the case - not the glass - can do no harm in reminding the indicator that it has work to do.

[Centaurus]

My memory is sketchy at best, but I remember there being absolutely no evidence that the A/H failed in the B707 crash you recall

If it is the same accident then I think you will find it was a B747 with the Collins FD system. From Wik:
The departure was from Bombay's Santacruz Airport, (now called Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport). The plane's destination was Dubai International Airport in Dubai, with Captain Madan L. Kukar as the Commander.

Approximately one minute after takeoff from runway 27 the pilot made a scheduled right turn while over the Arabian Sea, after which the aircraft briefly returned to a normal level position. Soon the plane began rolling to the left, and never regained level flight.

The cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage revealed the Captain made a verbal comment about his Attitude Indicator (AI) having "toppled", meaning that it was still showing the aircraft in a right bank. The First Officer, whose presumably functional AI was now showing a left bank, said that his AI was also toppled, but there is some belief that the Captain mistakenly took this to mean that both primary AIs were indicating a right bank. It was after sunset and the aircraft was flying over a dark Arabian Sea, leaving the aircrew unable to visually cross-check their AI instrument readings with the actual horizon outside the cockpit windows.

The 747 had a third backup AI in the center instrument panel between the two pilots, and the transcripts of the cockpit conversation show that the Flight Engineer may have been attempting to direct the Captain's attention to that third AI, or perhaps to another instrument called the Turn and Bank Indicator, just five seconds before the plane impacted the sea.

The Captain's mistaken perception of the aircraft situation resulted in his using the flight controls to add more left bank and left rudder, causing the aircraft to rapidly lose altitude. Just 101 seconds after leaving the runway the jet hit the Arabian Sea at an estimated 35 degree nose-down angle. There were no survivors among the 190 passengers and 23 crew members.

[edit] Probable cause
The partially recovered wreckage revealed no evidence of explosion, fire, or any electrical or mechanical failure, and an initial theory of sabotage was ruled out.

The investigation concluded that the probable cause was "due to the irrational control inputs by the captain following complete unawareness of the attitude as his AI had malfunctioned. The crew failed to gain control based on the other flight instruments."