In a nonradar environment, for two departures on the same runway whose courses diverge by 45° or more within 5 minutes after takeoff, how many minutes of separation is required until courses diverge?

• A. 1
• B. 3
• C. 2
• D. 4

Answer: (C)

Two minutes of separation. In nonradar operations, when two departures from the same runway diverge by 45 degrees or more within five minutes after takeoff, you can reduce the required time-based separation to two minutes until their courses have diverged. The rapid 45° divergence within that five-minute window indicates they’re moving onto clearly separate paths, so a shorter gap is enough to maintain safe separation while monitoring the divergence. If the divergence occurs after that window, the separation rules would be different and typically require more time or distance.