DEPARTURE PROCEDURES and DESIGN CRITERIA
---Designed to be efficient routing of traffic and workloads
---All are based upon U.S. Standard for terminal departure procedures (TERPS)
---Assumes 200 foot climb per nautical mile (NM) and over 35' above departure end of runway (DER)
---This climb rate clears the obstacle clearance surface based on 40 to 1 with at least 48' clearance
---TERPS design requires positive course guidance by 10 NM straight departures and by 5 NM otherwise
---Airport terrain might require a greater climb gradient to see and avoid obstacles for all aircraft
---A rate of climb table exists to calculate requirements (See Figure 2-17)
---A visual climb over airport (VCOA) is for when an aircraft cannot make climb gradients.
---Performance limited aircraft require the pilot have emergency plans to cope with the problem

STANDARD INSTRUMENT DEPARTURE (SID)/OBSTACLE DEPARTURE PROCEDURE
---Published by the National Flight Procedures Office (NFPO)
---IFR Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODP) or Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs)
---ODP defines procedures that only obstacle clearances with nothing to do with ATC requirements.
---All RNAV ODPs are in graphic form perhaps charted as though a SID
---Use of a graphic ODP in a flight plan must be coded into the filed flight plan without ATC clearance

FLIGHT PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
---Pilot determines if ODP exists for airport by reference to Approach Chart Booklet
---Airport must have and Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) in order to have an ODP
---ODP may have departure in wrong direction, higher climb rate, different runway and flight route
---ODP diagram may require pilot visual avoidance of obstacle.

STANDARD INSTRUMENT DEPARTURES (SID)
---Designed by, for and requested by ATC
---Planned to increase capacity and flow of traffic, noise/environmental abatement
---Reduces pilot/ATC workload and gives seamless entry into en route airways
---A NO-SID request for a preferential departure route (PDR) or ‘as filed' flight plan is alternative
---SIDs are charted graphically and after last approach chart for airport in terminal procedures publication
---SID charts show, routes, fixes, transition route and altitudes for each runway
---Transition route gives course, altitudes, and distances between fixes (Figure 2-21)

PILOT NAV AND VECTOR SIDS
---A SID may be by vectors, pilot nav or a combination of each
---Vector SIDs require radar contact and immediate compliance
---Good radio clearance procedures and communications required
---Lost communications as charted rather than as in (Airman Information Manual) AIM

FLIGHT PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
---Getting a SID from ATC may require review of aircraft performance
Note: I once had to take 10/15 minutes to figure out complicated SID with the engine running only to have ATC give me a series of radar vectors shortly after takeoff. Bummer!

PROCEDURAL NOTES
---You must do planning to know if you can fly a charted procedure
---All charted notes are mandatory including equipment, facilities, climb, restrictions and limited use
---You must not file or accept procedure where unable to comply

DP RESPONSIBILITY
---Safety of DP is shared between pilot and ATC based on clearances given and clearances acknowledged
---Pilot acknowledges, reads back especially any ‘hold short' instructions, seeks clarification, changes
--Pilot must consider departure route terrain and obstructions
---Should obstacle avoidance be visual or ODP?
---Is ODP or SID available
---Alternate safe departure procedure

PROCEDURES ASSIGNED BY ATC
---You can request a SID and get a clearance with textual description for acceptance or rejection
---Pilot must have required performance, have textual description and understanding thereof
---On pilot acceptance ATC is responsible for separation and obstacles while pilot must fly as charted
---When visual pilot shares traffic avoidance with ATC
---Pilot must notify ATC if clearance impairs safety

PROCEDURES NOT ASSIGNED BY ATC
---ODP assigned by ATC unless required to achieve separation
---Pilot must ascertain if ODP exists
---If pilot is not given a SID or vectors and an ODP exists pilot must use the ODP
---ATC expects procedure compliance unless conditions allow VFR obstacle avoidance

DEPARTURES FROM AIRPORTS WITHOUT AN OPERATING CONTROL TOWER
---All IFR flight plans must be filed at least 30 minutes in advance using FSS (Tower en route don't)
---You can contact the AFSS or ATC but they may not be ‘workload permitting' help you
---You contact the AFSS using a Remote Communications Outlet (RCO) if you know where one is
---Truckee CA has a Ground Communications Outlet direct to Reno FSS
---You can depart VFR and try getting a ‘Pop-up clearance from ATC
---Contact Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) by phone but expect a ‘void time' clearance
---The ‘void time' reserves airspace for you but failure to depart requires that you contact ATC to cancel

GROUND COMMUNICATIONS OUTLETS (GCO)
---Unmanned VHF radio to telephone contact using four key clicks to ATC and six clicks to FSS
---Scheduled to be at all instrument airports country wide
---Truckee CA has a Ground Communications Outlet direct to Reno FSS
---Ends need to depart airport before getting IFR clearance
---Frequency available in AFD and on airport signage

OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE
---The goal for any IFR departure is to be the safest procedures in avoidance of obstacles
---Procedures designed for obstacle avoidance, minimum climb gradient and traffic avoidance

CLIMB GRADIENTS AND CLIMB RATES
---Within 1000' of an assigned climb/descent altitude you are expected to be doing so at 500' per minute
---Use the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to determine how your aircraft performs (Figure 1-17)
---If you can't perform the above requirements advise ATC

SEE AND AVOID TECHNIQUES
---For obstacle avoidance during departure, minimums of visibility and ceiling may be non-standard
---Nonstandard minimums allow lower climb gradient using visual avoidance of obstacles

AREA NAVIGATION DEPARTURES
---RNAV now refers to any system giving point-to-point navigation or free-flight equivalent
---RNAV system may use ground, airborne, space or inertial technology
---RNAV is used to minimize vectoring and communications
---RNAV departures include position, time, altitude and ability to predict future parameters.

RNAV DEPARTURE PROCEDURES
---An RNAV departure as a part of a SID or ODP always includes the term RNAV in the title
---RNAV routes are designed for Required Navigational Performance (RNP) 1.0 or 2.0 (Figure 2-26)
---RNAV charts have two kinds of waypoint fly-by (FB) and fly-over (FO) (Figure 2-27)
---Fly-by waypoint has four point star where course direction changes and cutting the corner is allowed
---Fly-over waypoint has four points star in a circle that must be flown over before turning
---Fly-over waypoint used for missed approach point missed approach holding point
---RNAV charts specific system aircraft requirements by suffix codes/E. /F, /R, and /G (Figure 2-30/31)

PILOT RESPONSIBILITY FOR USE OF RNAV DEPARTURES
---Pilot responsibility is to know what his equipment can and cannot do.

RADAR DEPARTURE
---A radar departure might be available if no other departure exists
---If you request no SIDs expect an initial departure heading from ATC as a vector heading
---Tower then hands you off to departure radar controller after confirming your altitude
---A radar departure is the easiest of all departures
---You will be asked for position reports if radar contact is lost
---A some point you will be released to ‘own navigation and perhaps squawk VFR'
---On handoff to another controller give your full call sign and altitude as level, climbing through and to.
---When your encoded altitude does not agree with your stated altitude you need to give position reports
---You are expected to read back all headings and altitudes assigned and respond immediately to them
---Advise ATC immediately to any instruction you believe in error or hazardous

DIVERSE VECTOR AREA
---ATC has Minimum Vectoring Altitudes (MVA) established in there areas (May be 200' AGL)
---Airports Diverse Vector Area (DVA) allows vectoring on departure below MVA (Figure2-23)

VFR DEPARTURE
---If IFR departure delays exist you should consider making a VFR departure and doing a Pop-up IFR
---VFR Pop-up request is done to a radar facility with aircraft information, route altitude and destination
---Maintain VFR until IFR clearance is approved

NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES
---Noise abatement procedures exist at most airports
---Some SIDs are used just for noise abatement purposes
---ATC may require a turn or give a vector to avoid a particular area
---Pilots are obliged to comply with written and spoken requests from ATC

Continued on En Route Operations

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