Instrument Departures

(a) Pilot.

(1) Prior to departure considers the type of terrain and other obstructions on or in the vicinity of the departure airport.

(2) Determines if obstruction avoidance can be maintained visually or that the departure procedure should be followed.

(3) Determines whether an obstacle departure procedure (ODP) and/or DP is available for obstruction avoidance. One option may be a Visual Climb Over Airport (VCOA). Pilots must advise ATC as early as possible of the intent to fly the VCOA prior to departure.

(4) At airports where IAPs have not been published, hence no published departure procedure, determines what action will be necessary and takes such action that will assure a safe departure.

(b) Controller.

(1) At locations with airport traffic control service, when necessary, specifies direction of takeoff, turn, or initial heading to be flown after takeoff, consistent with published departure procedures (DP) or diverse vector areas (DVA), where applicable.

(2) At locations without airport traffic control service but within Class E surface area when necessary to specify direction of takeoff, turn, or initial heading to be flown, obtains pilot's concurrence that the procedure will allow the pilot to comply with local traffic patterns, terrain, and obstruction avoidance.

(3) When the initial heading will take the aircraft off an assigned procedure (for example, an RNAV SID with a published lateral path to a waypoint and crossing restrictions from the departure end of runway), the controller will assign an altitude to maintain with the initial heading.

(4) Includes established departure procedures as part of the ATC clearance when pilot compliance is necessary to ensure separation.

(5) At locations with both SIDs and DVAs, ATC will provide an amended departure clearance to cancel a previously assigned SID and subsequently utilize a DVA or vice versa. The amended clearance will be provided to the pilot in a timely manner so that the pilot may confirm adequate climb performance exists to determine if the amended clearance is acceptable, and brief the changes in advance of entering the runway.

(6) At locations with a DVA, ATC is not permitted to utilize a SID and DVA concurrently.