Flying IFR, Lesson 3
Departures
(SIDS) Let's talk a little about what we're going to
need to do before departing.First, as always, would be a check of the weather. For the
sake of simplicity, I'm going to use rules pertaining to FAR part 91 operations(private
aircraft and operators). Airlines, charter, cargo, etc. have to follow specific
guidelines, but we are allowed to takeoff in any weather we choose. So, if the ceiling is
down to the ground and visibility is zero and all you can see is the runway centerline to
maintain directional guidance during the takeoff role, that's fine, you can takeoff
anyway. Not a really good idea however. What happens if you have an emergency after
takeoff and need to come back? Uh-oh, now the weather is below minimums for the approach
and you're on your way to somewhere with better weather(if you can keep the plane flying
that long). So, the general rule is don't takeoff unless you've at least got the minimums
for the approach back into the airport. At the bottom of your approach chart airport
diagrams, you'll probably see takeoff minimums printed, but those don't apply to you. Also
at the bottom of some approach plate airport diagrams you'll see ``IFR Departure
Procedure:" These aren't explicit instructions for how to get where you're going,
they're instructions on how to maintain obstruction clearance at airports where there are
obstacles nearby. For instance, the IFR Departure Procedure for Ft. Pierce, FLA says ``Rwy
14 & 32 climb rwy heading to 600ft before turning right" This is just telling you
not to make an early turn out so you don't run into something. Also, for every IFR flight,
we're going to have to file a flight plan. We'll discuss how to file a flight plan in the
final lesson when we work up to an entire flight. From our flight plan, we will receive
our clearance. Our clearance, in part, will tell us how we are to depart. At large
airports, there are frequently Standard Instrument Departures(SIDs) which provide explicit
instructions on how to make the transition from takeoff into the enroute structure.
Because of the high volume of traffic in or around these airports, a standard procedure is
needed to keep traffic organized. At smaller airports, we may not receive explicit
instructions on how to depart. Instead, ATC may instruct us however they best see fit in
order to control traffic in the area. So, having said that, let's take a look at a segment
of a sample flight and see how a departure would go...
We would then cruise along until the needle centers, which means we are on course and then turn to intercept it. The needle should remain centered and we should be flying close to the same heading(perhaps a couple of degrees off for wind correction).
So there it is, we've successfully departed Vero Beach and established ourselves on course! OK, now
that we've done that, let's now depart out of a busier area, Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood
International. Before we begin, let me say a few things about SIDs. First, you don't have
to have the SID chart to use one. If there is one available and you would like to use it,
you can tell ATC and they will read off to you the textual description which contains all
of the instructions.
We would then fly along until we intercepted the 335 radial FROM DHP and then turn on course until we reach THNDR.
At that point, we've completed the SID and we would proceed along our route as filed. There you go!
©
1999 - AVSIM Online and Andrew Ayers |
The graphic is only for situational awareness, so you're not required to have it. Second,
you are NOT required to file or use a SID just because one is available. If you choose not
to use one, simply put ``NO SID" in the remarks section of your flight plan. Having
said that, guess what, if there's a SID available, you're going to fly it whether you like
it or not. The only way you can get around it is if you can't climb at least 200ft per NM
which is a standard requirement for SIDs or if you don't have the necessary equipment. Why
is this? Well, SIDs were designs for a reason and ATC wants to make their job as easy as
possible, so they're not going to let you just fly in and out of the airspace wherever you
like. So, let's say that you tell ATC that you don't want to use a SID. They'll come back
to you and say ``No SID huh? OK, cleared to ... via a REVISED routing..." and then
they'll proceed to read off exactly what it says on the SID chart. So, you thought you got
away with it by filing your own routing, but ATC has the authority to change your routing
to fit in with traffic flow, so they're going to make sure you go where they want you to.
OK, let's get to the flying. Here you see the chart for the ``Ft. Lauderdale Eight
Departure". ``A" shows us the chart identifier, letting us know it's a chart for
Ft. Lauderdale, FLA pertaining to Hollywood INTL. Like our Approach plates, ``B" is
the communications box showing us applicable frequencies. ``C" tell us the identifier
of the procedure. At the end, you'll see the ``(FLL8.FLL)". This is the actual ID for
ATC to program in their computer when you file your flight plan. Next to that, you see
``(PILOT NAV)".This tells you that you will have to follow the instructions and
you're responsible for the navigation. Some SIDs are ``(VECTOR)" procedures where ATC
just gives you a vector out to your course as filed. Notice below is says ``DME
Required". Make sure you read these or you won't be able to fly the SID and you'll
have to notify ATC accordingly. ``D" is the beginning of the textual instructions.
Read it just like a book and follow the parts that apply to you. The first part says"
Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Intl Take-off" which means this section will tell us what to
do on takeoff. Let's say we're departing Rwy 27L. The first section says ``Rwys
9L/R". Since we're not using this runway, we skip down to where is says ``Rwys
27L/R" and read that we're supposed to fly runway heading or as assigned
``Thence". When you see ``Thence", that means move on to the next section. Below
that you'll see 
takeoff instructions for Ft. Lauderdale Executive and Pompano Bach,
but since we're not operating from those airports, we skip over those and move on to
``E". ``E" tells us our departure procedure. It tells us to climb and maintain
3000ft or assigned lower and EXPECT a vector to the appropriate transition and EXPECT
clearance to our filed altitude. Now we move on to ``F", which is
``Transitions". Transitions are how we get from takeoff into the enroute part of our
flight. Since you can't see the applicable enroute chart here, you have to work with me a
little bit. Let's say that we were on our way to Tampa Intl, which is northwest of Ft.
Lauderdale. So, we want to use the ``THNDR" transition to take us up to V157 towards
Tampa. So, under ``Transitions" we would go down until we reached ``THNDR" and
read what it says. It tells us that the THNDR transition goes from DHP VOR to THNDR
intersection and to fly it, we would, from over DHP VOR, proceed via radial 335 until
reaching THNDR. Now, above in ``E", it told us to expect a vector to our appropriate
transition, so we shouldn't have to fly to the DHP VOR and then back track up radial 335.
However, if we lost communications, we would have to do that because ATC wouldn't be able
to give us vectors. Now, let's move down to the pictorial overview for a better idea of
what's going on. ``G" illustrates a VOR, just like on enroute and approach plates.
``H" is the airport identifier and you can see the dark black lines with arrows
illustrating the takeoff instructions we saw in section ``D". ``I" points to a
couple of transitions. You'll see that the one on the left is the THNDR transition. Below
the transition ID, you'll see ``2000" which, like our enroute chart, is our MEA.
Below that, you see ``57", which is the DME distance from DHP VOR to THNDR
intersection. Once you reach THNDR, you would proceed on course as you filed. So, you can
see how this saves everyone time. You know exactly what to expect and ATC knows what to
give you, so communication and confusion is cut down. So, let's fly it. Our clearance
would say ``...Cleared Ft. Lauderdale Eight then as filed..." Like I said, we'll
depart runway 27L on runway heading, climbing to 3000ft. After being switched to
departure, we would receive our vector to intercept our course. 
