BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE AIR FORCE ...

AFMAN 11-217V1 3 JANUARY 2005 213
assessment has not been properly completed. At these airports, a diverse departure
may not be authorized for certain runways. You will be notified via NOTAM, or in
the case of DoD/NACO FLIP books, by a statement in the front of the book under the
section titled, “IFR Takeoff Minimums and (Obstacle) Departure Procedures.” The
statement will say, “Diverse Departure Not Authorized.” Commercial or foreign
government products may not follow this convention.
Figure 9.16. Diverse Departure Not Authorized.
Figure 9.17. Diverse Departure Authorized (Runway 10 Only).
9.10.2. How to Fly a Diverse Departure.
9.10.2.1. “Will ATC Clear Me for a Diverse Departure” ATC will not specifically
“clear” you for a diverse departure. If you are “cleared as filed,” there is no minimum
published climb gradient or “Trouble T” for the departure runway, and ATC does not
issue you further instructions (by providing radar vectors or assigning a SID), then
ATC expects you to execute a diverse departure. See Figure 9.17 for an example of a
runway where a diverse departure is authorized. If a diverse departure is not
authorized for your runway, you must choose another departure method.
9.10.2.1.1. WARNING: By definition, diverse departures are only authorized
when there are no penetrations of the 40:1 OCS and nothing is written for that
runway in the front of the IAP book. Therefore, if there is a minimum climb
gradient specified above 200 feet/nm for the departure runway, then a diverse
departure is not authorized for that runway. Do not be confused by the “cleared
as filed” terminology. If you are “cleared as filed” in a location with a climb
gradient above 200 feet/nm (or other annotations in the front of the IAP book such
as an ODP), and ATC does not issue you further instructions (by assigning a
SID), then you are expected to fly the published ODP for the runway used then
proceed to your first filed point. This is an ODP, not a diverse departure.
9.10.2.2. How Do I File a Diverse Departure There is no special annotation for
filing a diverse departure. Simply file your first point on the route of flight. When
you are “cleared as filed” and ATC does not issue specific departure instructions
(radar vectors or SID), then make a turn to your first filed point after reaching 400
feet above the departure end of the runway elevation.
9.11. Visual Climb Over Airport (VCOA).
9.11.1. VCOA is a method for pilots to depart the airport where aircraft performance