PLT293: Instrument Departure Procedure Chart
What code PLT293 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Instrument Departure Procedure Chart before your checkride.
Recall information on an Instrument Departure Procedure Chart
What this means for your checkride
An instrument departure procedure (DP) is a preplanned IFR procedure that provides obstruction clearance from the terminal area to the en route structure. There are two types: Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODP), published textually or graphically, and Standard Instrument Departures (SID), always graphic. You read the chart or text for the routing, headings, altitudes, and crossing restrictions that carry you safely from the runway to the airways.
Flying the charted DP correctly guarantees obstacle clearance and an orderly transition into the en route structure on an IFR departure.
Assuming any DP is optional; if a DP is accepted in the clearance the pilot must comply with it as published.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.