Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) [DELETE]

Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) [DELETE]

At certain airports, an instrument flight rules (IFR) departure clearance may include departure instructions known as a standard instrument departure (SID). A SID is a planned IFR air traffic control (ATC) departure procedure, published in the Canada Air Pilot (CAP), for pilot and controller use in graphic and textual form. SIDs provide a transition from the terminal to the appropriate en route structure, and may be either:

  • Pilot navigation SIDs – established where the pilot is required to use the chart as reference for navigation to the en route phase; or
  • Vector SIDs – established where ATC will provide radar navigational guidance to a filed/assigned route or to a fix depicted on the chart. Pilots are expected to use the SID chart as reference for navigation until radar vectoring has commenced

SIDs incorporate obstacle and terrain clearance within the procedure. Pilots should note, however, that SIDs for military aerodromes that are only available in textual form do not incorporate obstacle and terrain clearance. At these aerodromes, it is the pilot’s responsibility to ensure appropriate obstacle and terrain clearance on departure.

Pilots of aircraft operating at airports for which SIDs have been published will normally be issued a SID clearance by ATC. No pilot is required to accept a SID clearance. If any doubt exists as to the meaning of such a clearance, the pilot should request a detailed clearance. Routings contained in SIDs will normally be composed of two segments:

  1. An initial segment from the departure end of the runway to the position where the aircraft will first turn from the initial departure heading; and
  2. A second segment, either via radar vectors or by pilot navigation, from the first turning point to the SID termination point.

When instructed to fly on the runway heading, or when flying a SID for which no specific heading is published, pilots are expected to fly or maintain the heading that corresponds with the extended centreline of the departure runway until otherwise instructed by ATC, drift correction must not be applied. When flying a SID for which a specific heading is published, the pilot is expected to steer the published SID heading until radar vectoring commences. This is because initial separation is based on divergence between assigned headings until radar separation is established.

Graphical Depiction

Textual Depiction

REFERENCES
AIM RAC 7.5 Standard Instrument Departure (SID)
Scroll to Top