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4 Answers

What is an “early turn” for a VFR departure?

Asked by: 5326 views
FAA Regulations, General Aviation

The other day a controller asked me if I could accept an "early turn out" due to the fact that there was inbound traffic for the opposite direction runway. I figured that would mean about 400' AGL and accepted the take off clearance. Before I reached the departure end of the 6000' runway at around 350' AGL I was instructed to begin my turn with an aside that whatever I was doing was not an early turn out.

 

Always interested in learning new things, I've since checked the Pilot/Controller Glossary and the AIM, but couldn't find anything that might define the criteria of an early turn other than a note about older DPs using that language which would mean that the pilot should start the turn "as quickly as possible within the bounds of safe operating practices and operating limitations." Does anyone know a more prescriptive definition?

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4 Answers



  1. William Atwood on Apr 30, 2014

    I assume you were VFR departure? 350 feet AGL is certainly not an unreasonable altitude gain before beginning a turn, and in such case, responsibility obstacle clearance is up to you, the pilot in command.

    Under IFR, departure procedures are intended to provide obstacle clearance. If you deviate from the departure procedure, then you have no assurance of clearing obstacles. In such a scenario you like me would’ve been issued an amended clearance for a VFR climb , even though you were on a IFR plan. If you accept such a clearance, Obstacle clearance and traffic advoidance is up to you.

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  2. Brent on May 01, 2014

    Yes, it was a VFR departure, and I understand that accepting the clearance for takeoff with an early turn also means accepting the responsibility for obstacle avoidance. To further refine my question, what I’m interested in is understanding what the controllers expectation of when I would turn would be, given that I agreed to an early turn out. What I did clearly did not meet his expectations.

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  3. Mark Kolber on May 02, 2014

    I “should” mean as soon as you feel it’s safe to make the turn. But since IFR departure obstacle clearance is predicated on a turn at 400′ above the departure end of the runway, I suspect the controller was expecting much lower than that.

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  4. Bob Watson on May 03, 2014

    I would think an early turn would mean anything earlier than normal, which if you’re staying in the pattern could be 1/2-3/4 of a mile past the end of the runway. In the situation you describe, I would try to turn before reaching the end of the runway and only accept if I felt the airplane had the performance to do that.

    But if your are just trying to avoid traffic landing in the opposite direction, one maneuver I’ve used (when the airplane couldn’t climb fast enough to do what I described above) is to just scoot off to one side while climbing and then turn when I feel comfortable. That gets me out of the way without getting too far from the runway while I’m still too low (for me to feel safe) to make a 90-degree turn.

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