Vector SID Altitude

R

Rocket

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I want to know when I file an IFR flight plan via direct routing to a local airport what altitude I should file. In my situation ATC will commonly issue a vector SID with an altitude in the clearance. The SID itself does not specify an altitude requirement. The off route altitudes in my area are prohibitive for my aircraft as well as the MEA if I were to file via airway. I know ATC will assign an altitude my aircraft is capable of but I’m not sure what altitude I can legally file.

Thank you for your help!
 
Depends. If you fly out of the airport often you may know the MVA minimum vector altitude. The altitude they use to say, "Can you maintain your own terrain and obstical clearance to _____ feet?" when picking up a clearance in the air. If you are direct to a close airport I would file at that. If they want you higher they will tell you. Around here, that is usual.
 
You can file any altitude you want, but you must fly the altitude assigned in your clearance. ATC takes care of giving you an acceptable altitude in that clearance, but the important issue is how to get from the surface to that altitude without running into anything, and that's the pilot's responsibility.

At any airport for which IFR procedures are published, the TERPS provides standard obstacle clearance as long as you climb to 400 feet AGL before turning on course and maintain a climb gradient of at least a 200 ft/nm (that's feet per nautical mile, not feet per minute -- you have to do some math or consult the table in the back cover of the NACO Terminal Procedures book to convert one to the other). If that's not enough, a departure procedure will be be published, either as a Standard Instrument Departure (SID, found in the NACO charts right after the airport diagram chart or after the last approach chart if there's no airport diagram) or an Obstacle Departure Procedure (ODP, found in section C of the NACO Terminal Procedures book). Note that whenever an ODP is published, you are permitted to fly it when cleared IFR out of that airport, whether it's explicitly included in your clearance or not.

Of course, unless ATC specifically says otherwise, you are not bound to fly the published ODP. You can always make up your own procedure to get up and out of an airport with no tower when you haven't been given departure instructions. However, you'd better have a very good plan of your own, since the FAA will be very critical of any decision to "roll your own" that results in a bad outcome.

For airports without an SIAP, you're entirely on your own to determine what is necessary to get from the runway to the MEA or OROCA or other ATC-assigned altitude. That means a very careful study of the sectional chart and an analysis of the risk in creating what amounts to your own home-grown ODP. Consider this another good reason for always carrying current sectionals even if you're operating IFR.

BTW, virtually all Vector SID's include altitude instructions. If yours doesn't, I'd like to see what it does say. Can you tell us what airport is involved?
 
Thanks for the insight.

The SID is Denver 5. I am flying out of KAPA - Centennial. The instructions on the Jepp chart for the "also serves airports" states : Fly assigned heading and altitude for RADAR vectors to assigned transition. The routing field states: EXPECT filed altitude 10 minutes after departure.
 
Rocket said:
Thanks for the insight.

EXPECT filed altitude 10 minutes after departure.
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That's just in case you lose contact with ATC. And in that circumstance, it would be nice to have filed an altitude that keeps you out of the rocks. Of course you can (and should) go higher if your filed altitude isn't sufficient to maintain IFR terrain clearances.
 
You need to file in accordance with 91.177. Off airway the absolute floor is the 1,000'/2,000' above anything within +/- 4 nm rule. You need not necessarily file for the highest compliant altitude for the entire route, but even if you don't file it you'd better know it--you'll need to bump up before you hit rocks if you loose COM.
 
Rocket said:
The SID is Denver 5. I am flying out of KAPA - Centennial. The instructions on the Jepp chart for the "also serves airports" states : Fly assigned heading and altitude for RADAR vectors to assigned transition. The routing field states: EXPECT filed altitude 10 minutes after departure.
Click to expand...
There you go -- just make sure you can maintain at least 200 ft/nm and don't start the turn to the assigned heading until you reach 400 AGL. And don't worry about what you file, because the FAA only busts people for flying, not filing, the wrong altitude.
 
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