Page 24 - April 2016

Making Sense Of “Climb Via” And“Descend Via”Almost two years ago, Air Traffic Controllers began issuing a new clearance relating to Standard Instrument Departure (SID) procedures. You may have heard the following clearance or something similar; “N716RM, proceed direct GOPHER, climb via the KBREW SEVEN departure.” If that sends a chill, you aren’t alone. The “climb via” clearance (and its older cousin, “descend via”) can be tricky to understand. And failure to comply with these clearances can result in a pilot deviation being filed by the FAA. Let’s review the concepts, so you can accept these clearances with the confidence of an appropriately- seasoned airline pilot.To quote the Pilot/Controller Glossary, the “climb via” clearance is:“An abbreviated ATC clearance that requires compliance with the procedure’s lateral path, associated speed restrictions, and altitude restrictions along the cleared route or procedure”.In short, ATC uses the “climb via” clearance to minimize radio calls. Rather than issuing numerous “climb and maintain” or “fly heading...” clearances, ATC will issue one clearance, with the assumption that the pilot will meet the lateral and vertical requirements depicted on the SID chart. ATC expects the pilot to meet all of22 • TWIN & TURBINEby Shayne Dakuthe altitude crossing restrictions indicated on the chart. If your aircraft cannot meet the climb gradient requirements of a SID, notify ATC prior to accepting the clearance or by including NO SID in the remarks section of the IFR flight plan.Typically, the “climb via” clearance will be part of your initial IFR clearance. It will sound something like this:“Superjet 123, you are cleared to the San Diego airport, BAYLR THREE departure, TEHRU transition, climb via the SID, expect runway three five left for departure”.When you receive a climb via clearance, be sure to take some time to familiarize yourself with the procedure. If you need extra time to prepare, request your IFR clearance prior to starting engines. You can typically request the clearance up to 30 minutes prior to your scheduled departure time. This is also a good time to mention that ATC is expecting you to read the “climb via” clearance back verbatim, including your aircraft call sign. You cannot abbreviate the read-back of a climb via clearance.Let’s take a look at the BAYLR THREE departure at Denver in more detail.The first thing you should determine is the published top altitude for theprocedure, depicted on the upper right-hand corner of the chart - FL230. This is the top of the climb via clearance. It’s possible for ATC to amend this top altitude. I’ve underlined the top altitude in the example transcript for an amended clearance below.“Superjet 123 you are cleared to the San Diego airport, BAYLR THREE departure, TEHRU transition, climb via the SID except maintain one seven thousand, expect runway three five left for departure”.SW-1, 04 FEB 2016 to 03 MAR 2016SW-1, 04 FEB 2016 to 03 MAR 2016APRIL 2016