Holds on autopilot?

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...


2) Timing the hold to arrive back at the holding fix right at the EFC
time. A hold can be 4,3 or 2 minutes so you mix them up to make the
time come out right.

Huh? Did you make all that up? The only time you need to cross the holding
fix at any particular time is when you are doing a timed approach from the
hold and you are given a crossing time. EFC time has nothing to do with
anything other than lost com, and there is no requirement or recommendation
from the FAA or anyone else I have ever heard to attempt crossing the fix at
EFC time, nor can I imagine any need to do so.

A hold can be 4,3 or 2 minutes so you mix them up to make the
time come out right.

A hold can be almost any time you want unless you are assigned a specific
time, and that time applies to the inbound leg, and is not meant to be
precise. A default hold is a one-minute inbound leg, but you can make it
longer or shorter if you want and nobody cares. Don't go to extremes, and
go do five minutes, but within wide limits (depends on your speed), it just
doesn't really matter. There is no specification anywhere that a hold must
be four or three or two minutes or combinations thereof. The only guidance
is a one-minute inbound leg for the default holding pattern, and staying
within the maximum distance specified on the chart, if any. Of course, on a
checkride, you ought to strive for the specified time for the inbound leg.

On a timed approach, the crossing time is meant to be fairly exact, so you
adjust as required, and not in increments of one minute.

I don't understand the point of telling people that they shouldn't worry
much about holds because you hardly ever have to fly one. You do have to
fly them at times, and when that time comes, you have to know how to do them
and be proficient at it. They are a standard maneuver of instrument flying.