Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

1 Answers

CFII in-training asking about ODP

Asked by: 929 views Flight Instructor, Instrument Rating

CFII in-training and quick question. I fly out of KCDC and was planning a XC for flight planning purpose for check ride. I planned from KCDC to KPRC. I was looking at recently cleared routes on Foreflight and one for piston was set up to depart KCDC and fly direct to MATZO which is roughly 34 NM south off V235. V235 has an MEA of 12,400. So would I still fly the ODP if ATC cleared me direct MATZO? Or would I fly the ODP off RWY 20 until reaching the MEA for the direction of my flight? Thank you

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.

1 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Jul 14, 2023

    Unless it is one of those situations in which ATC is guaranteeing terrain and obstruction clearance, flying the ODP is the pilot’s prerogative, even of it is not part of the cleared route. You will find plenty of references to that. Start with AIM 5-2-9. (I did an article on departures a while back – https://www.ifr-magazine.com/avionics/ifr-departures/)

    If conditions are VFR, I have no problem with direct MATZO. IMC, I’m informing ATC I’m flying the ODP.

    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.