Departures Revisited

A while back, I wrote an article on departing an airport in Class G airspace. To follow up, well delve a little deeper into the departure and discuss entering the radar environment to see what radar provides. Well also look at what radar doesnt provide.

Editorial Staff

Monday, August 25, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The article details three types of airport departures—Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs), Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODPs), and Diverse Departures—each providing specific guidance and assuming a minimum climb rate of 200 feet per nautical mile for obstacle clearance.
Pilots retain primary responsibility for obstacle avoidance; the term "radar contact" does not relieve this responsibility, as ATC only provides obstacle clearance once specific radar vectors are issued or within a designated Diverse Vector Area (DVA).
A thorough understanding of the provisions and limitations of each departure type, combined with pre-flight terrain awareness, is essential for safely transitioning from an airport into the enroute structure.

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A while back, I wrote an article on departing an airport in Class G airspace. To follow up, we’ll delve a little deeper into the departure and discuss entering the radar environment to see what radar provides. We’ll also look at what radar doesn’t provide.

Basics
As a quick recap, there are three types of departures you can use to get out of any airport, Class G included. A Standard Instrument Departure (SID), which conveniently shrinks long, complicated instructions full of headings, courses, altitudes and navaids into a charted procedure.