Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

3 Answers

IFR Departure, “turn heading XYZ”

Asked by: 1707 views FAA Regulations, Instrument Rating

Hey gang - I recently had a controller jump on me for turning too early on an IFR takeoff, and I’m trying to research the right answer. Clearance was, “ On departure, turn heading 330, radar vectors to XYZ.” WX was clear VMC. After reaching a stabilized climb and and when I felt safe, I initiated my turn.

I know about the diverse departure criteria and the 35’ above DER/400’ AGL criteria that define DPs. But I’m not certain if the context of those definitions translate to regulation (I.e. maybe I should have waited till 400’ to turn?)

Anyway, wanted to see what everyone thought!

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

3 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Jun 27, 2020

    The 35’ above DER/400’ AGL criteria does not just define DPs. It defines the obstacle clearance for any IFR departure unless otherwise specified.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes

  2. Best Answer


    John D Collins on Jun 28, 2020

    What is expected is that the turn will not commence until until past the departure end of the runway and at or above 400 feet above the DER. however, I am not aware of any specific regulation that prohibits a pilot from beginning a turn prior to reaching 400 feet above the runway. The TERPS criteria is intended to provide obstacle clearance when you are in IMC and can’t visually maintain separation from obstacles. So if you are in visual conditions and can avoid obstacles, I don’t believe it is prohibited. The 400 feet is there for your protection and is what is expected by the control tower, but I don’t find any regulation mandating it as long as the turning maneuver would not be careless or reckless so as to endanger the life or property of another.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. RobA61 on Jun 29, 2020

    Thanks for the replies guys, definitely makes sense. BTW I spoke with the tower controller about the situation, which gave me some great insights. It turns out that there was traffic entering a downwind (runway 3, my turn was to heading 330, which put me in conflict of the traffic). I was not aware of this traffic since I was working checklists and not paying full attention to the tower freq. Had I better situational awareness, I probably would have not turned. Knowing that my clearance contained a turn in the direction of downwind traffic, a heads up by the controller wouldn’t have hurt either. Lesson learned on my end!

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.