Bit of holding training

[Matthew Hodgkins 1131836]

Hello fellow pilots,

 

I've decided that this year will mark my first trans-Atlantic VATSIM flight when I participate in CTP 2010. I was excited last night to complete my first fully ATC-covered flight, however short, while on the VATSIM network. My sincere thanks to the Boston Center and Approach controllers online last night between 11:30 and 1:00-ish EST. You made my flight very fun and made me feel very comfortable with the procedures. My apologies if I seemed a little out of it, as I was.

 

As fun as this flight was, it was pretty straight forward: take off, climb, cruise, descend, turn, and land. Easy. There weren't many of us coming in and out of KBOS last night at this time. However, I do know that CTP will have a few more pilots and ATC along the way, so this is where I seek the help of the VATSIM community to help me in my preparations for my first long-haul online flight.

 

I would like someone to join me during a session to practice IFR holds and missed approaches. I can take off, make a plane fly, and land it, but one thing I never could really figure out was how to *properly* fly a holding pattern or missed approach. Yes, I have charts, and yes, I have Google'd and YouTube'd texts and videos on the subject, but when it actually comes to applying the lessons learned, well, easier said than done I say.

 

What I am requesting is a patient controller or two or three to help and guide me through some not-so-busy airspace to do this practice. Ideally, this would be a mutually familiar airport. Regardless of the time, day, or weather, to make things simple for myself, I will fly during simulated daytime in clear conditions ("Day" setting and VATSIM weather off (although to keep it consistent with other pilots, ATC will, of course, keep real-time weather enabled. I will then change my settings as I become more familiar with my procedures.

 

As an example, I will depart from KPWM (Portland International, Portland, Maine) or KJFK or surrounding areas and fly a standard route to KBOS, at which time I will be placed into a holding pattern with ATC guiding me as needed (which might be quite a bit at first). After a few turns around the pattern, we will move on to the missed approach and repeat as necessary. After both ATC and I become comfortable with my performance, I will land at KBOS, shut down engines, tally up the flight hours and do the post-flight inspection.

 

This training, I feel, is crucial because in congested airspace, I have to be prepared for anything, and I can't be flying blind pretending I know what I'm doing in the event of bad weather, heavy traffic, or both if I am placed into a holding pattern or a plane does not exit the taxiway and I need to go missed. It is not meant to overwhelm controllers or cause them to do extra work, which is why I am requesting it in advance instead of saying logging in one day and saying, "Hey controller, I want you to help me with this."

 

If anyone is interested in helping me with this, it would be very very appreciated and I would be forever indebted to you. In my example, I used KBOS since that is the my familiar airport that would typically be used on VATSIM but it can be any other location that isn't too busy and where someone would be willing to help. I'll obtain the charts and meet you there. As for time and date, I'll leave that up to you as well.

 

Thanks very much to any interested parties.

[Jason Baxter 920557]

May want to check out http://pilotcerts.laartcc.org If you're interested in controllers helping you learn IFR.

[Matthew Hodgkins 1131836]

Thanks for that link, I've checked it out and it seems like it will be useful to me. However, right on the front page I don't see anything that is exactly what I'm looking for, and if that lesson is beyond the first nine IFR lessons listed, I think it would take a bit too long to get the experience I'm looking for. Of course, I've been wrong in the past and probably am now and might not be seeing it.

[Michael Stein 1035507]

I agree, I would like to learn how to do all of that. Never have I been in a Holding pattern, or know how been on a couple of missed approaches, but all i did was follow ATC instructions. I also need to learn about flying internationally over the Oceans. Anyway good idea, maybe like a training night or something?

[Johan Grauers]

Remeber that you can always sign on and ask the controller on duty. I did this a while ago, signed on and asked Sweden control for some holds later on, no problem at all (not that crowded that day) so I flew a few holds to see I've gotten the hang off it, then I went on to test the go around button

 

So even though arrangin forehand is great you can always sign on and ask If it's not a busy night I'm sure atc will gladly help you out

[Ira Robinson]

You would certainly not be the first pilot I had that asked to fly several ILS and visual approaches and then fly the published missed approach. When it's quiet enough that there is time for the controller to help guide you through this I don't see any reason you can't do it.

 

Ira R..

[Ryan Geckler]

If you use iTunes, I recommend downloading the holding and missed approach videos from "Aerocast", made by the University of North Dakota. They are great videos and very informative.

[Eric Martinez 1136244]

wow. I must honestly say that you speak for hundreds of pilots on the network with your post. Yes we have studied the procedure, read the PRC, but many of us have not DONE a hold or been at an event like CTP.

 

I really want to be there. In fact with my skills in my F-18, I want to see if formation flights are being booked. Understand that its easy for me in Seattle to put in my flight plan. "I WANT TO HOLD ABOVE XXX NAV FIX FOR 10 MIN" and the controller helps me.

Maybe you can do a few of these flights where you request a hold from the ATC regaurdless of the traffic. Vatsim has always been good to me, Im sure that you can put what you know to use in the network.

[Stephen Richey 985064]

I agree, I would like to learn how to do all of that. Never have I been in a Holding pattern, or know how been on a couple of missed approaches, but all i did was follow ATC instructions. I also need to learn about flying internationally over the Oceans. Anyway good idea, maybe like a training night or something?

 

 

I would suggest the book, "FSX for Real World Pilots" (or something like that). It does an exceptionally good job of explaining holds and other IFR procedures and even provides saved flights for you to practice with. Even if you are running FS9 the knowledge is still very helpful...heck even with my real world training it clarified a few things I had not dealt with in a while. Be prepared to have your skills challenged especially if you're not used to hand flying or using small aircraft which is where you really should be learning this sort of thing before trying to do it in a commercial jet. There's a reason (actually several) it's done this way in the real world.