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Hold are simple. They are basically parking an aircraft in the sky to allow for other traffic to pass or storms. However, they can be issued due to a variety of things, some of which may actually require you to go to your alternate airport. Holding is NOT only done at lower altitudes though. Holding CAN be done en route, if a specific airway is clogged, or if the controller knows there is a problem or congestion at your destination.
BASICS OF A HOLD
Ok, lets get going. This is how a hold is flown. Make the entry, turn outbound, start your time when you are abeam the fix, fly the outbound leg, make your inbound turn, and fly the inbound leg.
I can't stress this enough - THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO IN A HOLD IS TO MAKE YOUR INBOUND LEG ONE MINUTE EXACTLY (1.5 minutes if you are above 14,000 feet). This becomes a problem when there is wind though, so you can fix it with trial and error. Fly your outbound leg for one minute, then fly your inbound leg. If your inbound leg it 1.15 minutes, then maybe try your outbound for about 40 seconds. It really depends though, and must be judged by the pilot.
Another problem that comes into play if crosswind correction. Since wind pushes aircraft, you need to make corrections to your outbound leg so that you can follow that inbound leg straight. This one is easy. whatever your x-wind correction is inbound to track the fix, then make your outbound correction 3 times in the same direction. This means if your correction angle inbound to the fix is 5 degrees to the right, then your outbound will be 15 to the left. This distorts the outbound leg, yes, but it also allows for a perfect entry to your inbound leg.
PATTERN ENTRY
OK, there is clearly 3 ways to enter a hold. Parallel, teardrop, and direct. Direct is the easiest, but not always the cleanest. I found on holds that I sometimes overshoot the outbound leg with a direct entry. Also, depending on your entry angle, a direct entry could make it so that you are NOT able to see your wind correction, so it normally botches my first circuit. The other entries are pretty self explanatory and are shown. Parallel you just over fly the fix and fly an odd sort of outbound leg then after a minute turn inbound and start your pattern. Teardrop you overfly the fix and turn inbound after a minute of staying on that heading.
I know it aint much, but it is more in depth. So I hope you guys use it in FS and enjoy it!
