Tips and tricks for sector entry, holding patterns etc ...
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.
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.
Not entirely true, Machi.E.A.. If the aircraft is yawing then there will be a heading change even if the wings are level.
Last edited by Tinstaafl; 12th Oct 2009 at 01:02.
Seasonally Adjusted
One P#nis, Two T!ts.
One Parallel, Two Teardrop.
One Parallel, Two Teardrop.
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Pat The Dog
Nah, I'll stick with Stallie's version, it seems much easier for a pilot to remember.
FRQ CB
And what happens when there's a boy dog with the girl dog? Is that a Sector 1 entry? Or a Straight in? 
And don't mention diphallia as that will really confuse things...
And don't mention diphallia as that will really confuse things...
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.
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!!
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!!
Seasonally Adjusted
And what happens when there's a boy dog with the girl dog? Is that a Sector 1 entry? Or a Straight in?
Hey LeadSled, where does Goldilocks fit into the "Bears Method"?
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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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
Originally Posted by Mach e avalli
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.
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.
Just try not to move your head too much.
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Jarse's Proven Process
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
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
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.
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.
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."
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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.
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.