| Do you find yourself struggling to select the correct | | | | stresses of a flight training environment to the mix and |
| holding pattern entry while in the cockpit? This problem | | | | you can easily become overwhelmed when the |
| is very common in instrument training and can delay | | | | controller issues you a holding instruction. |
| your progress towards the instrument checkride. | | | | You should never wait until your actual flight lesson to |
| Why is it so difficult for most people to decide on the | | | | practice a specific procedure or technique, unless you |
| holding entry? Although you might perfectly understand | | | | want to waste a lot of time and money. Sit down with |
| the theory behind holding procedures and can easily | | | | a friend, or with your flight instructor on the ground and |
| figure how to enter them while sitting comfortably in a | | | | ask him to make up different holding scenarios. He |
| classroom, somehow its just a lot harder to do all | | | | should give you a holding fix, a bearing to or from the |
| these calculations in the air. | | | | fix, the holding direction and your position in relation to |
| The answer to that is that, like any other complex task, | | | | the fix. Draw each scenario on a sheet of paper and |
| you need practice in addition to a solid understanding | | | | decide on the correct holding entry. |
| of the theory. | | | | Once you master drawing it while sitting on the ground, |
| Flying requires a lot of attention dividing. While you pilot | | | | try the same exercise in front of a mock cockpit or a |
| the aircraft, you have to navigate, look for traffic, | | | | flight simulator. The more you practice, the better you |
| manage the radios, and perform many other tasks | | | | will become. Next time you practice holding patterns in |
| required for the safe operation of the flight. Add the | | | | the air, you will see how easy it really is. |