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Wait, Don’t I still climb 400ft? ..DER Departure end of runway. Fort Collins. CO

Asked by: 2441 views , , , , ,
FAA Regulations, Instrument Rating

Help me shed some light on this. 

Fort Collins, Co RWY 33 ODP 

My understanding for departing using an ODP is to cross the DER 35 ft above, climb at a minimum of 200ft/nm and 400ft above airport elevation then turn on course. Unless told to climb high/gradient before making any turns.

Do I simply turn onto my heading after clearing the runway regardless of what altitude?

It sounds like they're just saying after you clear the runway turn onto your heading

IMG_1311

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1 Answers



  1. EAD on Jul 10, 2018

    Take a look at the text you highlighted, specifically “323[deg] CW to 148[deg] from DER”.

    CW means “clockwise” so they are trying to keep you away from the mountains to the west using the DER as the point of reference. They are not saying turn at the DER.

    Any heading from 323 clockwise to 148 off the DER of Rwy 33 will meet the terrain clearance requirements as long as you meet the standard climb gradient. (Unless I missed something, in which case I welcome the correction)

    Since Rwy 33 is a 331 heading you would still climb to 400ft before your turn.

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