What's a DVA?

Captain

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Another thread brought up Halfmoon Bay (KHAF). I was looking at the Jepp airport diagram and saw a Departure Vector Area. It was added last chart revision. Can't say I've ever seen one of these. Anybody know what they are and why they're added? When would I use it and how?
 
Diverse Vector Area. It's just a sector of airspace off the departure end of a runway that's been TERPd out for vectoring below the MVA.
 
From the preamble of the Takeoff Mins document:
At some locations where an ODP has been established, a diverse vector area (DVA) may be created to allow radar vectors to be used in lieu of an ODP. DVA information will state that headings will be as assigned by ATC and climb gradients, when applicable, will be published immediately following the specified departure procedure.
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The important takeaway here is that you can be given a heading to fly on departure but still have a non-standard climb gradient to contend with.
 
Will ATC give a climb rate along with the vector?
 
Captain said:
Will ATC give a climb rate along with the vector?
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Possibly. Like some ODP, it could just be a heading and altitude.

DVAs are nothing more than a supplement to an airport that has ODPs. Once ODPs are established, the surrounding area is analyzed to see if a DVA would be benifical. Traffic load and radar coverage both being important considerations.

Just because ATC assigns a departure heading and altitude, doesn't mean that field has a DVA either. DVAs are established at fields where the 40:1 slope is penetrated. No penetration, no need for a DVA. Where I used to work, we assigned radar departure headings and altitudes, but had no penetration. We could freely vector once the aircraft reached 400 AGL. Basically similar to a Diverse Departure Procedure.
 
I would be stunned if ATC issued a climb gradient with the heading, they certainly don't do it for SIDs or ODPs now. Their SOP's are likely to just contain approved headings for the DVA and leave it at that.
 
coma24 said:
I would be stunned if ATC issued a climb gradient with the heading, they certainly don't do it for SIDs or ODPs now. Their SOP's are likely to just contain approved headings for the DVA and leave it at that.
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SIDs and DPs have established or printed climb gradients and that's the point.
 
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