visualising holds

[skyhigher]

can anyone help with visualing hold entry, i'm told there is a trick with using your hand ontop of the HSI to aid with visualisation.

any other tips would be welcomed.
thanks...

[Tinstaafl]

Make a 'pistol' with your hand. Left hand for LH holds, right hand for RH holds. Your extended forefinger represents the inbound track, angle between thumb & forefinger represents the Sector 2/teardrop position and the angle between forefinger & little finger knuckle equates to Sector 1/parallel entry.

Hold your hand against the DI/HSI/RMI with your forefinger pointing to the inbound track to see where the various sectors are. The a/c is represented by the bottom of the instrument, moving towards the 'aid' at the centre.

You might have to adjust how you shape your hand as the 'pistol'to get a more accurate sector representation - I do - but usually not a big deal. I adjust my hand so that my thumb's 1st joint is touching my forefinger's knuckle. Has the added benefit of making that knuckle more closely represent the origin for all radials/bearings

[hugh flung_dung]

Difficult to explain without a picture but ...
Assuming you're tracking inbound to the holding point, but regardless of your heading compared to the hold axis.
Look at your DI; visualise a horizontal line through the centre of the DI and a vertical line from the centre downwards.
For a right-hand hold rotate the horizontal line 20 degrees anti-clockwise ("raise the right")
Locate the hold axis around the edge of the DI. If it's in the top (or largest) segment it's a direct entry. if it's in the bottom right (or middle sized segment) it's a parallel entry, and if it's in the bottom left (or smallest) segment it's an offset entry.
Using this it takes a couple of seconds to work out which entry.
I hope it's obvious what to do for a left-hand hold.

HFD

['I' in the sky]

Probably going to get shot down for this but I always find it strange the contortions people get into trying to work out a hold entry.
90% or even more of the holds you do are printed on a bit of paper infront of you. Look at the picture with North at the top, then plant yourself on it flying towards the fix on the heading you are on and see which entry looks correct.
Sorry if that's too simple.

[Flying Farmer]

I in the sky is spot on, given the 5 degrees allowed either side I have found just looking at the plate works well, we use Aerads, all the info is on them.

The method that never fails is to use the FMS, nice and simple

[Tinstaafl]

Hold entries aren't depicted on US charts. I've been given a number of pop-up holds when the airspace is busy or weather filthy. Holds are often required as part of some checkrides (rating issue/LPC/OPC equivs.).

['I' in the sky]

Hold entry doesn't need to be depicted, just the hold itself which were always shown on the US charts I used.

In the event of ATC giving you an unpublished hold eg "hold east of the ABC VOR on the 080 radial, right hand turns" then I would still maintain that quickly sketching it out reasonably accurately is still by far the easiest way.

[jamestkirk]

a little off track but might supplement your post

Types of entry.

When i was training I used to get a little muddled with offset, direct, number 1,2 or 3.

I use P.O.D with is 123 respectively.

Might help, might not.

I in the sky
Good advice. that how I do it and that 75% of learning is visual holds water here.

[89polaris]

Try this :
write down the inbound track, the out boud track and the teardrop first track, the closest to your heading will be the one to use :

• Inbound track for a direct entry
• Outbound track for a parallel entry
• Teardrop for the teardrop entry

It is easy and it works.

Ciao

[Tinstaafl]

Oh, I *like* that one. How elegant.