Handheld Holding Pattern Entries

As a charter member of the KISS (Keep it simple, stupid) club, I use a lot of rules of thumb and other short cuts. One of them helps me visualize a holding pattern entry, and the only equipment you need is two hands - one left, and one right. You use your left hand to see which entry - parallel, teardrop, or direct - will get you into a holding pattern with left turns, and you use your right hand to see what entry will get you into a right-hand holding pattern. So far, so simple.

If you haven't noticed, the angle between your thumb and fingers is about 70 degrees. Obviously it was attached this way so we can use it when entering a holding pattern because, as you're probably aware, the dividing line between using a parallel entry or a teardrop is 70 degrees to the left or right of the inbound holding leg.

To see what entry to use, hold up the appropriate hand, keep your fingers together, and extend your thumb. Orient your hand on the chart so the holding point, be it an intersection, VOR, or NDB, is in the angle between your thumb and index finger (Figure 1.) Your palm should cover the holding pattern. If it doesn't, make sure you're using the correct hand, or rotate the chart and try again.

Imagine that a line passes along your thumb and continues through your wrist. This is your 70-degree "dividing line."

Now for the easy part. Your fingers are parallel to each other, so entering the holding pattern from this quadrant of the chart requires a parallel entry. Your arm goes directly from your body to your fingers, so entering a hold from this quadrant requires a direct entry. All that remains is a teardrop entry. If you look at it, the angle between your thumb and index finger resembles the bottom of a teardrop, so entering from this quadrant requires that you use a teardrop procedure.

The same technique works with the aircraft's heading indicator or horizontal situation indicator. Let's say ATC instructs you to "Hold southeast of the WALLY intersection on the Training [VOR] 330 radial, left turns." In this instance, turn the aircraft so the inbound holding course lies under the indicator's lubber line. Use the appropriate hand as previously shown to indicate the quadrants and the correct holding pattern entry to be used from each quadrant.