Originally Posted by
NoyGonnaDoIt
The "thumb" method is just one of a variety of ways of helping pilots to visualize their position with respect to a holding pattern. I'm not that familiar with that one in particular but with your upside down result...
I'm guessing that you are using "radial" rather than "outbound course." Draw it out:
If you were holding =at= a VOR, your outbound course is the same as your radial. For example, in "hold west of the XYZ VOR on the 270° radial, your outbound course and the radial are identical.
But here you are holding east of a point in space that is =west= of the VOR. Even though you are on the VOR's 270° radial, your outbound course is 090°.
In using your thumb method, use the "outbound course" not the "radial" and see how that works.
This is exactly correct. I believe there is a question like this on the instrument written. I would always give this example to my students and they would mess it up. It really emphasizes the fact that you use the "outbound course" and not the radial.