I was examining FAA's departure procedures and I noticed PIKES ONE SID (chart and continuation) which serves Denver Airport.
In the description, it states:
TAKEOFF ALL RUNWAYS: Fly assigned heading for RADAR vectors to assigned route. Climb and maintain 10000 or ATC assigned lower altitude. Expect filed altitude 10 minutes after departure.
LOST COMMUNICATION: If no transmissions are received within one minute after departure, maintain assigned heading until 7000 feet, then climb to filed altitude via direct DEN VOR/DME, thence via assigned transition. If filed altitude is above 10000 feet, cross DEN VOR/DME at or above 11000 feet.
What troubles me is that DEN navaid is (obviously) very close to the airport, so I am not sure how an aircraft would depart from the airport via a runway very close to DEN, for example 07/25, and have enough space in order to reach DEN. In addition, based on Lost Communication, an aircraft would climb until 7,000 feet and then go direct to DEN, even if it has already surpassed DEN (by departing, for example, via runway 17R/35L) and theoretically it can just follow the assigned route by skipping this navaid.
In other words, is the aircraft obliged to fly to DEN before following the assigned route under any circumstances and, if yes, what would be a possible flight path in case of a runway that is really close to it?
