DC9 CREW WAS ISSUED HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS 'HOLD AS PUBLISHED.' THEY HAD DIFFICULTY FINDING; AND THEN INTERPING THE HOLDING PATTERN.

Narrative

WE WERE APCHING MSS ON THE FOLLOWING CLRNC: DTW...PISTN...DXO020...ABELE.J94.ECK.J594.MSS.FRANX2.YUL. ON ACCOUNT OF THE TSTM IN THE VICINITY WE WERE GIVEN THE FOLLOWING CLRNC '...PROCEED DIRECT MSS; HOLD W; AS PUBLISHED; 20 MI LEGS APPROVED; EFC XA45Z.' SINCE I HAD BEEN OPERATING PRIMARILY IN CANADIAN AIRSPACE; I HAD BEEN USING THE CA (HI) 3/4 CHART. HOWEVER; I FOUND NO HOLDING PATTERN 'PUBLISHED.' REALIZING THAT MY DSCNT TO 15000 FT PUT ME ON THE LOW CHARTS; I GRABBED THE CA (LOW) 5/6. AGAIN; NO HOLDING PATTERN 'PUBLISHED.' ASSUMING THAT I WOULD FIND IT ON THE STAR I CHKED THE FRANX 2. AGAIN; NO HOLDING PATTERN AT MSS! MY TRUSTY FO; MEANWHILE; HAD BEEN USING THE US (HI) 7/8 CHART. HE RPTED THE HOLDING PATTERN WAS 'PUBLISHED' ON HIS CHART. I FELT MUCH RELIEF; UNTIL I ATTEMPTED TO DETERMINE WHAT THE HOLDING RADIAL WAS -- 271 DEG RADIAL OR 266 DEG RADIAL. WE DISCUSSED THE ISSUE AT LENGTH AND WERE JUST ABOUT READY TO ASK ARTCC WHEN SOME OTHER WEARY AVIATOR RPTED 'UNABLE TO LOCATED THE PUBLISHED HOLDING PATTERN' AND CTR RESPONDED '271 DEG RADIAL OFF OF MSS.' WHAT AM I MISSING? HOLDING SHOULDN'T BE THIS DIFFICULT! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CREW WAS GIVEN THE HOLD ONLY ABOUT 10 MI FROM THE FIX. NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND THE 'AS PUBLISHED' PATTERN CREATED A FAIR AMOUNT OF CONFUSION IN THE COCKPIT. AFTER THE FO FOUND THE CHARTED HOLD NEITHER CREW MEMBER WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THE HOLDING RADIAL. A MIN OR 2 IS REQUIRED BY THE CREW TO DETERMINE THE CORRECT HOLDING PATTERN ENTRY AND TO VERIFY IT WITH THE OTHER CREW MEMBER. THIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE IN THIS CASE.