Approved holding pattern aid for IFR test

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DaveInPA

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Dave
Hi - I just signed up for my IFR written and the online system said something about me being allowed to bring a “holding pattern entry aid”. I googled around and didn’t see any references to this.

can I just print out the standard diagram that has the different entries per the headings? Not a big deal as I can memorize this but every little bit helps…
 
DaveInPA said:
Hi - I just signed up for my IFR written and the online system said something about me being allowed to bring a “holding pattern entry aid”. I googled around and didn’t see any references to this.

can I just print out the standard diagram that has the different entries per the headings? Not a big deal as I can memorize this but every little bit helps…
Click to expand...
I just use my hand. Unfortunately, tinypic blew away my crude diagrams:
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/com...ttern-questions-ifr-exam.113554/#post-2595964
 
DaveInPA said:
Hi - I just signed up for my IFR written and the online system said something about me being allowed to bring a “holding pattern entry aid”. I googled around and didn’t see any references to this.

can I just print out the standard diagram that has the different entries per the headings? Not a big deal as I can memorize this but every little bit helps…
Click to expand...
During IFR training, I got really annoyed with all the tricks, like "POD" (parallel/offset/direct) with sectors on the heading indicator. Like many things in flight training, they make easy things hard.

All you have to do is join the holding pattern with whatever entry keeps you on the protected side and requires the least extra maneuvering. That's it. You don't have to know what the entries are called (at least, they don't ask me in Canada during my biennial IPC), mess around with "POD" sectors on your DG, or use a "holding pattern entry aid" -- if you just remember what the three entries look like, it will be obvious which one is best without any extra mnemonics, hold-entry aids, etc. And they're all similar to the procedure-turn styles for full approaches, so it's not even any extra memory work.
 
The thumb trick they teach you in the Sportys course was all I needed to easily figure out any entry, I'd highly recommend it
 
I think I drew a really bad circle on my scratch paper with the inbound course and a couple of other key numbers sketched in if it wasn’t obvious from the picture they gave.
 
the best "holding pattern entry aid" is to study and know how to enter holds. I know everyone has their roadblocks when studying for each check ride, but I simply don't see the difficulty with hold entries. this can all be studied well before your check ride to the point where it's not even an issue.

sorry, I re-read your post and looks like you're talking about for the written. same thing applies though, just study holding pattern entries until you're sick of it, by then you'll have zero issues with holding pattern entries. they are only difficult until they aren't, then they're easy AF.
 
I used exactly what RGBEARD posted for my written in April
 
In order to use it during the written, it must be factory printed.
 
David Megginson said:
During IFR training, I got really annoyed with all the tricks, like "POD" (parallel/offset/direct) with sectors on the heading indicator. Like many things in flight training, they make easy things hard.

All you have to do is join the holding pattern with whatever entry keeps you on the protected side and requires the least extra maneuvering. That's it. You don't have to know what the entries are called (at least, they don't ask me in Canada during my biennial IPC), mess around with "POD" sectors on your DG, or use a "holding pattern entry aid" -- if you just remember what the three entries look like, it will be obvious which one is best without any extra mnemonics, hold-entry aids, etc. And they're all similar to the procedure-turn styles for full approaches, so it's not even any extra memory work.
Click to expand...
It’s only hard because, especially for the written, the rule has to be specific enough to test, so it’s got to be down to the unit of a degree.

The worst part (or maybe best) is that there’s really only two entries. Direct and teardrop really are no different.
 
If you can't sketch one out on the scratch paper during the exam, perhaps you should reconsider your prep. The magic number is 70 degrees and 70 degrees to what is pretty obvious once you show the hold/fix/course in a sketch.
 
Salty said:
It’s only hard because, especially for the written, the rule has to be specific enough to test, so it’s got to be down to the unit of a degree.

The worst part (or maybe best) is that there’s really only two entries. Direct and teardrop really are no different.
Click to expand...
Yeah, kinda, sorta, in a way. But for the test it's most likely the question is going to be which one do you choose to do based on how you first arrive at the fix. The 70 degree thang is going to come into play here.
 
Salty said:
It’s only hard because, especially for the written, the rule has to be specific enough to test, so it’s got to be down to the unit of a degree.

The worst part (or maybe best) is that there’s really only two entries. Direct and teardrop really are no different.
Click to expand...
It's been too long (17 years) for me to remember if that was part of the written test for the instrument rating in Canada, but it strikes me as a silly kind of question, especially since it's not a regulation or a safety issue. I do remember a lot about weather and regs, which makes sense; the practical stuff you can check during the ground/air portions of the flight test.
 
It would be much better to just go ahead and learn the entries before the written, then you will burn them into your brain as you do the rest of your training. They’re really kind of simple if you look at them and apply the names. Learn them, rather than memorize them.
 
As I said, unlike trying to figure it out in the air, on the exam, where you have time and scratch paper, just draw out the hold and arriving course on the paper. It's going to be pretty obvious which to use. Trying to figure it out in your head with a bunch of heading numbers is the hard part.
 
David Megginson said:
It's been too long (17 years) for me to remember if that was part of the written test for the instrument rating in Canada, but it strikes me as a silly kind of question, especially since it's not a regulation or a safety issue. I do remember a lot about weather and regs, which makes sense; the practical stuff you can check during the ground/air portions of the flight test.
Click to expand...

Eliminating the silly questions from an FAA test would make for a very short written.
 
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