In flying we are occasionally assigned to ‘hold’ at designated ‘holding fixes’ along our route of flight. And on Instrument Approaches there are often holding fixes depicted – not always used, but depicted just the same. There are many reasons for ‘holding,’ among them weather delays, congested traffic, priority traffic, etc. This is a typical Holding Fix.
If we are assigned holding, and subsequently cleared to continue on with our flight, we are required to report, “Departing the (holding) Fix” when we actually pass over the designated holding fix.
So, a lot of use the expression “Departing the fix” as an euphemism for leaving where-ever….
(Of interest, I have occasionally seen guys “get lost” in holding! It is an incredible experience to sit through!)
Afternoon Bob:
degreed in Math and Physics. Trained to shoot a Howitzer (never did it in any active duty, actually — three days is too short); trained to shoot Pershings (never did that either — they discovered I was mostly deaf). Aside from being really color blind (they would not let me fly even a kite), I suppose I have another reason why they didn’t let me fly. I can’t figure out how in the hell I am supposed to keep a massive flying machine in a tiny triangle (I would want to keep going around — after all, these things are not helo’s). Obviously, I don’t understand, and I would be departing fix on a regular basis. Hence, I never got a chance to fly, but I love the friggin flying buses and flying Ferrari’s. Hell, they could have given me a garbage scow, I would have flown it — to hell with color vision, and I could always conveniently say “I didn’t hear a word you said, SIR, but your spare parts are landing now, somewhere near the landing strip.”
John