SAFETY IN THE
DEPARTURE ENVIRONMENT
Thousands of IFR takeoffs and departures occur daily
in the National Airspace System (NAS). In order to
accommodate this volume of Instrument Flight Rule
(IFR) traffic, Air Traffic Control (ATC) must rely on
pilots to use charted airport sketches and diagrams as
well as standard instrument departures (SIDs) and
obstacle departure procedures (ODPs). While many
charted (and uncharted) departures are based on radar
vectors, the bulk of IFR departures in the NAS require
pilots to navigate out of the terminal environment to the
en route phase.
IFR takeoffs and departures are fast-paced phases of
flight, and pilots often are overloaded with critical
flight information. During takeoff, pilots are busy
requesting and receiving clearances, preparing their
aircraft for departure, and taxiing to the active runway.
During IFR conditions, they are doing this with
minimal visibility, and they may be without constant
radio communication if flying out of a non-towered
airport. Historically, takeoff minimums for commercial
operations have been successively reduced
through a combination of improved signage, runway
markings and lighting aids, and concentrated pilot
training and qualifications. Today at major terminals,
some commercial operators with appropriate equipment,
pilot qualifications, and approved Operations
Specifications (OpsSpecs) may takeoff with visibility
as low as runway visual range (RVR) 3, or 300 feet
runway visual range. One of the consequences of
takeoffs with reduced visibility is that pilots are challenged
in maintaining situational awareness during
taxi operations.
SURFACE MOVEMENT SAFETY
One of the biggest safety concerns in aviation is the surface
movement accident. As a direct result, the FAA has
rapidly expanded the information available to pilots
including the addition of taxiway and runway information
in FAA publications, particularly the IFR U.S.
Terminal Procedures Publication (TPP) booklets and
Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD) volumes. The FAA
has also implemented new procedures and created educational
and awareness programs for pilots, air traffic
controllers, and ground operators. By focusing resources
to attack this problem head on, the FAA hopes to reduce
and eventually eliminate surface movement accidents.
AIRPORT SKETCHES AND DIAGRAMS
Airport sketches and airport diagrams provide pilots
of all levels with graphical depictions of the airport
layout. The National Aeronautical Charting Office
(NACO) provides an airport sketch on the lower left or
right portion of every instrument approach chart.
[Figure 2-1]
This sketch depicts the runways, their
length, width, and slope, the touchdown zone elevation,
the lighting system installed on the end of the
runway, and taxiways.
For select airports, typically those with heavy traffic or
complex runway layouts, NACO also prints an airport
diagram. The diagram is located in the IFR TPP booklet
following the
instrument approach
chart for a particular
airport. It is a fullpage
depiction of
the airport that
includes the same
features of the airport
sketch plus
additional details
such as taxiway
identifiers, airport
latitude and longitude,
and building
identification. The
airport diagrams are
also available in the
A/FD and on the
NACO website, http://naco.faa.gov. by selecting “Online digital - TPP.”
[Figure 2-2]
![](images/figure2_1-2.jpg)
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