Definition
Published instrument flight instructions that guide an aircraft from the runway to the en route structure, providing obstacle clearance and a transition to controlled airspace. The two main types are Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODPs), which provide obstacle clearance for pilots departing without ATC instruction, and Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs), which are ATC-assigned routes designed to simplify clearance delivery and manage traffic flow.
Plain English
A set of published flight instructions that tell a pilot exactly how to leave an airport safely on instruments — what headings, altitudes, and routes to fly to climb away from terrain and obstacles and join the en route system.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flying, IFR clearance planning, preflight route review, and the first part of an instrument flight after takeoff.
Why Pilots Care
They guarantee obstacle clearance and a predictable transition to the enroute phase without requiring the pilot to evaluate obstacles individually.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as just “the way an airplane departs.” In FAA instrument flying, Departure Procedures are specific published procedures, not any informal takeoff path a pilot happens to choose.
Example Sentence 1
After receiving their IFR clearance, the crew briefed the departure procedure and confirmed the initial heading and crossing altitude before taxiing.
Example Sentence 2
After liftoff the crew followed the departure procedures through the clouds until reaching the first airway fix.