How you fly holding patterns

[Taipan 30]

Someone was asking about putting in multiple offset waypoints in a row in another thread here.

 

So I was thinking since the HOLD feature is not modelled in our PMDG version GNS-XLS, maybe we could just fly the hold using several offset waypoints around the fix?

 

Do you guys fly your holding patterns like this?

I've been practicing some holding patterns using the VOR or NDB, plus the RMI and Heading mode for the second leg. But I wonder if it's easy to use the FMS instead.. or it could be harder because you have to keep entering those waypoints constantly.

 

It seems kind of difficult to figure out the second and third waypoints though without drawing a picture and getting a protractor.

 

Does anyone have a good method for this? I wouldn't have thought it was common though given that most FMS that allow offset waypoints should at least have the HOLD functionality...

[tupolev280 21]

I believe you make it with the VOR, since it's a rather small airplane. In real life there are two pilots aboard so the workload is reduced...

 

I do not know about turboprops, but when I was in the cockpit of a flight from Sofia to Moscow (a Tu-154B-2) they made a vor hold, even though the aircraft navigation systems is NVU or KLN-GPS.

 

My point is that you do not always need to use the FMC : )

 

I'm wondering the same as the guy above, so any answers would be appreciated.

[crazy voyager 13]

If I end up in this situation I fly it manually, it seems to be less of a hassle than inputing custom waypoinst (not to mention that you have to calculate them very carefully, since the hold is supposed to be based on a standard rate turn and drifting out of the protected area in any direction can cause a lot of headache for ATC, and your TCAS...).

[Taipan 30]

Yeah I would be worried about it turning the wrong direction too.

 

I'll stick with the VOR/NDB manual/HDG method

[Longbow 0]

hey, what we need is a full functional FMC for the JS41!! There were a lot of flights i was ordered for a Holding and have to fly by Hand!!

 

Come on PMDG, give us a SP2!!!! Please!!!!

[scandinavian13 5,192]

Just fly it by hand. You'll learn something from it, I promise. It's not that hard in the end.

[Taipan 30]

This is an old thread, its not that hard to fly by hand but I was getting inventive with the offset waypoints, although I figure out its actually harder to do it that way.

 

Yes I agree though it's more fun and better practice to fly by hand, and easier too than offsets.

 

As for the hold function, that's a different story but doing it by hand let's us actually make use of our instruments which can only be good.