"Harold" wrote in message
...
Well obviously, but I'm not talking about in the pattern area like the
Impossible Turn is. I'm talking about 10 minutes after departure at 7k
feet
where the departure airport, if you can make it, is the best landing
option.
Then for all intents and purposes its a 180 degree turn.

To my knowledge, no one has ever said you can't. Other than aircraft that
cannot climb as steeply as they descend (and there are a number of aircraft
that are like that), obviously after a 10 minute climb, it would be very
likely you could make it back to your original departure airport.

I would never say "guaranteed". Other than aircraft performance, there are
still other reasons you wouldn't be able to make it. For example, climbing
with a tailwind will hinder your ability to make it back to the airport
(just because you take off into the wind, that doesn't mean you'll be
climbing out into the wind, even if you depart straight out).

So, a literal answer to your question is "no", you cannot guarantee that you
can make it back. However, it's true that for many aircraft, once you've
climbed that far, the original departure airport is often going to be a very
good choice for an emergency landing site, at least shortly after takeoff.

Does *that* answer your question?

Pete