Departure Difficulties

Too often, instrument training can focus only on approaches, those procedures at the end of a flight allowing us to find a runway and land on it. But well before we’re cleared for an approach, we have to take off, climb to altitude and get through the en route system to someplace close to our destination. Sure, approaches are sexy, but other portions of an instrument flight are just as important. Take initial climb and departure, for instance, something at which pilots routinely fail.

Key Takeaways:

• Instrument flight training often overlooks the critical initial climb and departure phase, which frequently leads to fatal accidents even for experienced pilots in well-equipped aircraft.
• These accidents often stem from a failure to establish/maintain a positive climb, deviation from the cleared path, or distraction during the high-workload, low-altitude phase, frequently due to inadequate preparation or basic attitude flying skills.
• Prevention requires meticulous pre-departure planning (e.g., knowing pitch/power settings, programming avionics, checklists), solid basic attitude flying skills, correct autopilot/flight director use, and maintaining a sterile cockpit until safely established in climb.

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