Instrument Flying Handbook Practice Test

Obstacle Departure Procedures are designed to guarantee obstacle clearance during the initial climb by using a specified climb gradient expressed as feet per nautical mile. The standard assumption for most ODPs is a climb of 200 feet per nautical mile. This means that for every nautical mile of horizontal travel on the departure, the aircraft is expected to gain about 200 feet of altitude (roughly a 3 percent gradient, about 2 degrees). If the airplane cannot meet this gradient, you should not rely on that ODP as published and should seek vectoring or an alternative departure.