On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 17:30:12 GMT, Greg Esres wrote:

you receive a vector from ATC, you are obligated to follow it (or
question it if you feel it is unsafe

What tower would give you is not a vector; it's a heading.

That's not always the case. And to make matters worse, the pilot has no
way of knowing without direct knowledge. However, I have been told that
any tower-issued pre-takeoff headings (which really are Departure Control
generated) should comply with either an applicable ODP, or established
radar diverse vector area criteria.

Unfortunately, there have been plenty of holes in that system, so it
behooves the pilot to be alert if a tower-issued pre-takeoff heading is at
variance with a published ODP.






Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)