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SID and ODP

Asked by: 3285 views Flight Instructor, General Aviation, Instrument Rating

For Sid we need Atc clearance and ODP in general we dont. But do we need to have ifr flight plan as well? Or we can practice sid or odp vfr with just clearance from the tower?

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1 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Nov 15, 2017

    I don’t see any issue with flying an ODP under VFR as long as if you are at a towered airport you advise the tower and comply with any ATC instructions. An ODP is primarily a way of climbing to the MIA when some or all of the climb can’t be accomplished visually. You would still be obligated to observe airspace requirements for example two way radio contact while in class B, C and D airspace and a clearance in Class B airspace as well as maintain VFR.

    A SID is an ATC procedure that includes climb provisions to avoid terrain and obstacles. The ATC part of the procedure may be designed to avoid conflicting airspace or traffic flows and can have level segments or climb requirements that are not needed for obstacle clearance. Even if it is not illegal to fly the lateral path, it may interfere with IFR traffic flow and put the aircraft in the path of higher speed IFR traffic overtaking you from behind. It would make more sense to have ATC in on your plan to practice the procedure and maintain radio contact with the tower and departure control and if they say it is not a good time for the practice, try some other time. If you penetrate Class B airspace you will need a Class B clearance anyway. Class C and D may instruct you to not fly the procedure and even though you don’t need a VFR clearance, you must still comply with ATC instructions. If the total procedure is inside G and E airspace, it is still a good idea to check in with the local departure controller, tell them what you are doing and request flight following.

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