Narrative:

We were on the ground at the gate in guam getting ready for a departure to tokyo. The captain was the last to arrive in the cockpit due to his concern that they had not given us enough fuel and requested an additional 20000 pounds. Once the captain arrived it was an expedited process to ready the cockpit for departure since our scheduled departure time had already passed. As soon as we were ready to depart I called ramp control for pushback and we were cleared to push and to contact the tower when ready to taxi. I had not yet picked up our IFR clearance at this point because there was no clearance delivery and procedure was to pick up the clearance from ground control on taxi out. After pushback and engine start I contacted the tower for taxi instructions and they cleared us to taxi to runway 6L and to taxi into position and hold. Before we reached the end of the runway we were cleared for takeoff and proceeded to do so. After takeoff the captain called for the gear and asked me to confirm what altitude we were cleared to since the altitude warning indicator still read field elevation. It was at this point that we realized we had not yet received our IFR clearance. The airport was VFR on departure and I immediately confirmed that we were cleared to FL350, our flight planned cruise altitude, after I switched over to departure control as instructed by the tower. Departure control confirmed that we were cleared to FL350 and gave us direct to a fix quite a way downline. Since we had confirmed our altitude, received a direct route clearance to one of our waypoints downline and were talking to departure control with the appropriate standard squawk of 2100 still set in from our arrival into guam from saipan, no one seemed to realize (meaning ATC) that we had not gotten our IFR clearance. So we proceeded as if nothing happened checking our routing downline as we continued. My belief is that guam tower themselves had even thought that we had received our IFR clearance and treated us as such. I believe the problem was caused by several factors including: the time of day. It was early a.M. After flying all night departing tokyo the previous night at late P.M. Our hurried effort in readying the cockpit for departure after spending so much time on our fuel concerns. Ramp control at guam turning us directly over to the tower west/O ever contacting ground control for taxi or clearance and then guam tower's expedited handling of our departure. Supplemental information from acn 142623. In reviewing the preflight routing, WX, fuel, etc, I noticed destination WX at nrt (tokyo) was forecast to temporarily drop to 500' ceiling and low visibility with rain showers and gusty winds at our arrival time. Also noted was no provision for holding fuel and an unusually long distance to our alternate at fukuoka (rjff). The next 40 mins was spent in obtaining company approval which came only after I refused to depart west/O the additional fuel. In the meantime I sent the first officer out to the aircraft to prepare for departure. 'Time' was slipping away, we had missed scheduled departure with a nearly full load of passengers and I was upset about flight dispatch's reluctance to add fuel.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR CREW DELAYED DUE TO ADDING FUEL TAKES OFF WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: WE WERE ON THE GND AT THE GATE IN GUAM GETTING READY FOR A DEP TO TOKYO. THE CAPT WAS THE LAST TO ARRIVE IN THE COCKPIT DUE TO HIS CONCERN THAT THEY HAD NOT GIVEN US ENOUGH FUEL AND REQUESTED AN ADDITIONAL 20000 LBS. ONCE THE CAPT ARRIVED IT WAS AN EXPEDITED PROCESS TO READY THE COCKPIT FOR DEP SINCE OUR SCHEDULED DEP TIME HAD ALREADY PASSED. AS SOON AS WE WERE READY TO DEPART I CALLED RAMP CONTROL FOR PUSHBACK AND WE WERE CLRED TO PUSH AND TO CONTACT THE TWR WHEN READY TO TAXI. I HAD NOT YET PICKED UP OUR IFR CLRNC AT THIS POINT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO CLRNC DELIVERY AND PROC WAS TO PICK UP THE CLRNC FROM GND CTL ON TAXI OUT. AFTER PUSHBACK AND ENG START I CONTACTED THE TWR FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND THEY CLRED US TO TAXI TO RWY 6L AND TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD. BEFORE WE REACHED THE END OF THE RWY WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF AND PROCEEDED TO DO SO. AFTER TKOF THE CAPT CALLED FOR THE GEAR AND ASKED ME TO CONFIRM WHAT ALT WE WERE CLRED TO SINCE THE ALT WARNING INDICATOR STILL READ FIELD ELEVATION. IT WAS AT THIS POINT THAT WE REALIZED WE HAD NOT YET RECEIVED OUR IFR CLRNC. THE ARPT WAS VFR ON DEP AND I IMMEDIATELY CONFIRMED THAT WE WERE CLRED TO FL350, OUR FLT PLANNED CRUISE ALT, AFTER I SWITCHED OVER TO DEP CTL AS INSTRUCTED BY THE TWR. DEP CTL CONFIRMED THAT WE WERE CLRED TO FL350 AND GAVE US DIRECT TO A FIX QUITE A WAY DOWNLINE. SINCE WE HAD CONFIRMED OUR ALT, RECEIVED A DIRECT RTE CLRNC TO ONE OF OUR WAYPOINTS DOWNLINE AND WERE TALKING TO DEP CTL WITH THE APPROPRIATE STANDARD SQUAWK OF 2100 STILL SET IN FROM OUR ARR INTO GUAM FROM SAIPAN, NO ONE SEEMED TO REALIZE (MEANING ATC) THAT WE HAD NOT GOTTEN OUR IFR CLRNC. SO WE PROCEEDED AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED CHKING OUR ROUTING DOWNLINE AS WE CONTINUED. MY BELIEF IS THAT GUAM TWR THEMSELVES HAD EVEN THOUGHT THAT WE HAD RECEIVED OUR IFR CLRNC AND TREATED US AS SUCH. I BELIEVE THE PROB WAS CAUSED BY SEVERAL FACTORS INCLUDING: THE TIME OF DAY. IT WAS EARLY A.M. AFTER FLYING ALL NIGHT DEPARTING TOKYO THE PREVIOUS NIGHT AT LATE P.M. OUR HURRIED EFFORT IN READYING THE COCKPIT FOR DEP AFTER SPENDING SO MUCH TIME ON OUR FUEL CONCERNS. RAMP CTL AT GUAM TURNING US DIRECTLY OVER TO THE TWR W/O EVER CONTACTING GND CTL FOR TAXI OR CLRNC AND THEN GUAM TWR'S EXPEDITED HANDLING OF OUR DEP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 142623. IN REVIEWING THE PREFLT ROUTING, WX, FUEL, ETC, I NOTICED DEST WX AT NRT (TOKYO) WAS FORECAST TO TEMPORARILY DROP TO 500' CEILING AND LOW VISIBILITY WITH RAIN SHOWERS AND GUSTY WINDS AT OUR ARR TIME. ALSO NOTED WAS NO PROVISION FOR HOLDING FUEL AND AN UNUSUALLY LONG DISTANCE TO OUR ALTERNATE AT FUKUOKA (RJFF). THE NEXT 40 MINS WAS SPENT IN OBTAINING COMPANY APPROVAL WHICH CAME ONLY AFTER I REFUSED TO DEPART W/O THE ADDITIONAL FUEL. IN THE MEANTIME I SENT THE F/O OUT TO THE ACFT TO PREPARE FOR DEP. 'TIME' WAS SLIPPING AWAY, WE HAD MISSED SCHEDULED DEP WITH A NEARLY FULL LOAD OF PAXS AND I WAS UPSET ABOUT FLT DISPATCH'S RELUCTANCE TO ADD FUEL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.