Launching on the Gauges

On a recent IFR flight, climbing through 500 feet, I noticed the tach was low by 300 RPM. It had been normal just moments before when I checked it on the takeoff roll. Just as it really sunk in that something was amiss, Tower called to hand me off to Departure. I declined, asked to land immediately and alerted them to the abnormal condition. The discrepancy didnt reappear on a second run-up, or ever since.

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Prioritize thorough pre-departure checks and avoid rushing, ensuring all navigation, altimeter, and critical "killer items" are verified before takeoff to prevent errors.
Always prepare for immediate returns and emergencies by having an appropriate approach ready, understanding local obstacles beyond standard procedures, and pre-planning emergency turn-back strategies.
Master takeoff execution, focusing on precise pitch and speed control immediately after rotation, and practice maintaining the correct attitude when entering IMC.
Utilize all available resources, including briefing any accompanying pilots on the flight plan and workload, and maintain instrument proficiency by regularly practicing "under the hood" departures.

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I was VMC at the time, but it got me thinking what I would have done had I been about to enter the clouds. I make a habit of having the return approach ready in case of emergency, but what if the bases are above the circle-to-land minimums? I could just circle and not risk an engine failure on the approach—except that I except that I usually don’t brief circling minimums before takeoff.