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:

• Initial climb and IFR departures are a critically dangerous phase of flight, often neglected in training, leading to accidents due to pilot distraction and loss of aircraft control, even for experienced aviators.
• Common factors in departure accidents include failure to maintain a positive climb rate, neglecting cleared flight paths, and distraction from predictable events like frequency changes, often stemming from inadequate pre-departure preparation.
• To mitigate these risks, pilots must meticulously prepare avionics, thoroughly brief the departure procedure, master basic attitude instrument flying, and maintain a sterile cockpit until a safe altitude is achieved.

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