Narrative:

Departed renton with clearance as follows and cleared arlington (awo) as filed: runway heading, maintain 3000 ft expect 4000 ft 5 mins after departure. I had filed renton direct seattle VOR direct paine VOR direct arlington. The instrument departure procedure from renton requires climbing runway heading to 700 ft and then going direct to the seattle VOR. Since the clearance received provided no information as to what was expected such as: expect radar vectors, expect left/right turn to/at, or something other than 'as filed' in the 'detailed' departure instructions, I expected to turn direct seattle VOR in accordance with the clearance 'as filed' and the published instrument departure procedure. I proceeded to allow the student to turn toward the seattle VOR as we contacted departure control. Departure questioned our turn toward the VOR and told us to continue an expedited right turn to a heading of 20 degrees due to potential traffic conflict with arriving seattle traffic (we had departed renton runway 15). It was now obvious we were expected to maintain runway heading until given vectors by seattle departure. Since I was not familiar with the unpublished local procedures I did what I thought was expected, by the clearance we had received and the preconditioning engendered by the published instrument departure. In retrospect I could have asked for clearance clarification of renton ground control or departure control if I had any suspicion that we were to 'maintain' runway heading until given further clearance. Even so, some additional clearance detail was in order for the possibility of lost communications. I believe my actions in this situation were not inappropriate given the flight plan filed and the clearance received, but I will certainly question any clearance that I suspect contains the kind of ambiguity displayed by this one in the future. Subsequently we were handed off to ZLC and given a vector. When asked where the vector was to, the controller acted surprised. We responded to his question as to our clearance that we were cleared direct paine VOR direct arlington. He was surprised we hadn't been told we were being vectored to arlington.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR WITH INST STUDENT TURNS TOWARD VOR INSTEAD OF MAINTAINING RWY HDG ON DEP IN IMC.

Narrative: DEPARTED RENTON WITH CLRNC AS FOLLOWS AND CLRED ARLINGTON (AWO) AS FILED: RWY HDG, MAINTAIN 3000 FT EXPECT 4000 FT 5 MINS AFTER DEP. I HAD FILED RENTON DIRECT SEATTLE VOR DIRECT PAINE VOR DIRECT ARLINGTON. THE INST DEP PROC FROM RENTON REQUIRES CLBING RWY HDG TO 700 FT AND THEN GOING DIRECT TO THE SEATTLE VOR. SINCE THE CLRNC RECEIVED PROVIDED NO INFO AS TO WHAT WAS EXPECTED SUCH AS: EXPECT RADAR VECTORS, EXPECT L/R TURN TO/AT, OR SOMETHING OTHER THAN 'AS FILED' IN THE 'DETAILED' DEP INSTRUCTIONS, I EXPECTED TO TURN DIRECT SEATTLE VOR IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CLRNC 'AS FILED' AND THE PUBLISHED INST DEP PROC. I PROCEEDED TO ALLOW THE STUDENT TO TURN TOWARD THE SEATTLE VOR AS WE CONTACTED DEP CTL. DEP QUESTIONED OUR TURN TOWARD THE VOR AND TOLD US TO CONTINUE AN EXPEDITED R TURN TO A HDG OF 20 DEGS DUE TO POTENTIAL TFC CONFLICT WITH ARRIVING SEATTLE TFC (WE HAD DEPARTED RENTON RWY 15). IT WAS NOW OBVIOUS WE WERE EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN RWY HDG UNTIL GIVEN VECTORS BY SEATTLE DEP. SINCE I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE UNPUBLISHED LCL PROCS I DID WHAT I THOUGHT WAS EXPECTED, BY THE CLRNC WE HAD RECEIVED AND THE PRECONDITIONING ENGENDERED BY THE PUBLISHED INST DEP. IN RETROSPECT I COULD HAVE ASKED FOR CLRNC CLARIFICATION OF RENTON GND CTL OR DEP CTL IF I HAD ANY SUSPICION THAT WE WERE TO 'MAINTAIN' RWY HDG UNTIL GIVEN FURTHER CLRNC. EVEN SO, SOME ADDITIONAL CLRNC DETAIL WAS IN ORDER FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF LOST COMS. I BELIEVE MY ACTIONS IN THIS SIT WERE NOT INAPPROPRIATE GIVEN THE FLT PLAN FILED AND THE CLRNC RECEIVED, BUT I WILL CERTAINLY QUESTION ANY CLRNC THAT I SUSPECT CONTAINS THE KIND OF AMBIGUITY DISPLAYED BY THIS ONE IN THE FUTURE. SUBSEQUENTLY WE WERE HANDED OFF TO ZLC AND GIVEN A VECTOR. WHEN ASKED WHERE THE VECTOR WAS TO, THE CTLR ACTED SURPRISED. WE RESPONDED TO HIS QUESTION AS TO OUR CLRNC THAT WE WERE CLRED DIRECT PAINE VOR DIRECT ARLINGTON. HE WAS SURPRISED WE HADN'T BEEN TOLD WE WERE BEING VECTORED TO ARLINGTON.

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.