Dear All:I am just finishing the reading the Radar Contact Manual. I fly the PMDG 737 series. I read the section in the manual about holding patterns. I am really comfortable in setting up a holding pattern in my FMC as long as it is based on a fix. I know how to do that. But in the RC manual on page 54, it says I may be asked to perform a hold at a preset DISTANCE from a fix (it says "cleared to the Memphis zero-five-five radial, four zero mile fix, hold northeast.") I know how to do a hold once I get to KMEM, but how do I program the FMC to perform the hold at 40 DME from KMEM? The FMC only seems to allow me to select the FIX (KMEM) the radial (055), the length of the pattern (20 miles for example) and right (or left) turns. How do I specify the 40 mile offset that this hold is supposed to take place at? Am I supposed to just eye it on my FMC, and when I get to the 40 DME, initiate the hold? Any ideas? Thanks.Chris Catalano

Enter a "Place/Bearing/Distance" (PBD) point into the FMC.To use your KMEM example.On the LEGS page, enter KMEM/-40. Then press the Left select key where KMEM is (you will have to enter it into the legs page as a fix). This will set up a point 40 miles before KMEM along the route you have set. Then select the hold for that point (it will be listed as KME01) as you would a normal waypoint.

EXCELLENT!!!! THANKS!! What would happen if I entered KMEM/-40/055 (for the radial)? Would it accept that with the radial too?Chris Catalano

>EXCELLENT!!!! THANKS!! What would happen if I entered>KMEM/-40/055 (for the radial)? Would it accept that with the>radial too?Not quite. You'd have to enter KMEM055/40. This would give you a point on radial 055 at 40nm out (40nm northeast of KMEM).Maybe you want to have a look in the manual, chapter 12 page 27. There are a lot more ways to input custom waypoints and it's all written there.EDIT: Sorry I thought you were flying the B744. In the B737's case it is chapter 8 page 30 for the custom waypoints.Regards,Markus

Thanks so much again! Just read the section in the manual now - one last question: in the first reply the distance was labeled as -40. In your last one you labeled it as merely 40. Do they both mean exactly the same thing: (-)40 and (+)40? Or does the minus sign mean something different than the one without the minus sign?In gratitude,Chris Catalano

In the first example the assumtion is that you are tracking to KMEM inbound on the 055 radial. In that case -40 implies that the created waypoint will be 40 miles before KMEM. You could also enter the waypoint as a place bearing distance ie KMEM055/40. This would create the waypoint at 40 miles on the 055 radial which would be in the same place as the first.CheersSteve

Just to make sure you got my reply, Chris, in the RC forum:Your holding fix was a PBD off of the MEM (Memphis) VOR radial, not a bearing from the airport. Usually holding fixes are based on navaids or rnav fixes.Just follow the already posted instructions for creating a fix and then establishing it as a hold point.

Thanks so much Ron - I tried it and it worked fine as you described off of MEM! Thanks again.Chris Catalano