Reporting when entering a hold
 

When entering a hold do you guys report once established inbound to the fix or crossing over the fix? I have talked about this with a couple instructors and we even hunted around and it is a really grey area in all the textbooks... Thanks for any insight.

-Rick

Initial crossing of the hold fix is what I report.

"Citation 123, entering the hold at XYZ, FL230."

that is what i have always reported as well... and is that after say doing your teardrop entry or once you hit the fix for the very first time?

Once I hit the fix for the first time.

Hence why we have hold "entries." Crossing that point is entering the hold, regardless of what direction or entry you have chosen.

Report the first time you cross the fix. ATC doesn't really care if you are doing an entry, or what kind of entry you are doing. They just want to know that you are in the protected area at your assigned altitude, and will stay there.

cool thx for the input!

What the other guys said - crossing the fix for the entry is crossing it "for the very first time". The reason you report is so that ATC will protect the airspace (and Alt.) for your hold - you want that protection while you're getting established too.

the aim wants you to report established when you cross the fix for the first time on a direct entry, and then for a tear drop and parallel entry its the second time. I teach all of my students the second time regardless. Once they are established they report their time and altitude.

I've never heard that one, can you share the page?

The Feb. revision of the FAR AIM makes it easy (page 5-3-9):