Narrative:

The original flight plan called for the elmaa 6 departure (SID) to the south. This takes you to hqm VOR. The airport was taking off and landing to the north. Just prior to pushback, we received via text ACARS a new clearance. The main body of the clearance was; ksea-hnl and read: J70, elmaa hqm sedar (no SID). When contacting clearance, we were given a squawk and altitude, 9000 ft only. No SID. It was my leg, so the captain read the revised clearance to me, and said J70, which is a radial off sea. I asked what the SID was and the captain said there was no SID, just J70, so after takeoff, we need to do a turn to the left to intercept the J70. I told him that this sounded odd, and if they didn't give us a SID, they should have given us a heading, etc. I told him maybe tower will give us an initial heading, and he said maybe, but probably not because they simply expect us to turn left after departure to intercept the airway. I felt novice at this point. He quickly showed me the revised segment and I saw that it started with J70, and I looked at the sectional to find that J70 did go from sea out to elmaa. He said that was ATC's way to get us to elmaa if we're departing northbound, and there's not a northbound SID assigned to get us to elmaa. I agreed with this logic but said they should still give us a heading after departure. In the brief during taxi, the captain asked if there were any questions. I said 'let's go over the departure.' he said 'don't you understand it? It's simple. We take off, I'll set your initial heading bug right now, and all you have to do is follow the heading I give you to intercept J70, why don't you understand this?' I told him I understood and 'it's no problem, but maybe tower will give us an initial heading when they give us our takeoff clearance.' he said 'well, if they do, we'll follow that.' tower cleared us for takeoff (no heading or SID), and we climbed out through approximately 1500 ft, and cleaned up the plane, and the captain said 'ok, here's your turn,' and set the heading bug to the left or west for a cut to intercept J70. I started a slow, slow turn and he said 'come on, pick it up, we need to turn.' I increased the bank but it still didn't feel right. ATC shortly after asked us why we did an early turnout, and the captain explained we were turning to intercept J70, as stated on our revised clearance. They asked us if we received a SID. We (captain) said 'no, only J70 elmaa.' he asked us if clearance gave us a SID. We said 'no, just an altitude.' ATC then asked us if tower said anything regarding a heading after takeoff. We said no. He told us that ATC usually tells the departing planes when to make the left turn, and wondered why we weren't told anything. We said 'we're sorry, but this is the given clearance, and we were just following this.' ATC said 'no problem, but next time you should have a SID or vector.' as we were leaving the area, I told the captain that I felt uncomfortable with that situation, and it sure seemed wrong. He said 'we did everything by the book, just like it was supposed to be done.' he pulled out the paperwork from the flight engineer's desk, and reviewed all the information. Upon reviewing the paperwork again, he noticed something new, at the bottom, in the remarks section. There it said seattle 2 departure. We should have seen it there. I thought the departure should be in the main body of the clearance. ATC was right, we were given a SID, although it was in the remarks section. We could have done a better job of reading the ACARS message -- we just didn't. I will usually ask ATC if something isn't 100% clear -- but I didn't. Time might have been a factor, things were all coming together before the pushback. I also feel that the SID should be in the main body of the clearance or revised clearance.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DC10 FLC TURN EARLY OFF SID ASSIGNED RTE, MISSING RTE AMENDMENT AT BOTTOM OF ACARS MESSAGE.

Narrative: THE ORIGINAL FLT PLAN CALLED FOR THE ELMAA 6 DEP (SID) TO THE S. THIS TAKES YOU TO HQM VOR. THE ARPT WAS TAKING OFF AND LNDG TO THE N. JUST PRIOR TO PUSHBACK, WE RECEIVED VIA TEXT ACARS A NEW CLRNC. THE MAIN BODY OF THE CLRNC WAS; KSEA-HNL AND READ: J70, ELMAA HQM SEDAR (NO SID). WHEN CONTACTING CLRNC, WE WERE GIVEN A SQUAWK AND ALT, 9000 FT ONLY. NO SID. IT WAS MY LEG, SO THE CAPT READ THE REVISED CLRNC TO ME, AND SAID J70, WHICH IS A RADIAL OFF SEA. I ASKED WHAT THE SID WAS AND THE CAPT SAID THERE WAS NO SID, JUST J70, SO AFTER TKOF, WE NEED TO DO A TURN TO THE L TO INTERCEPT THE J70. I TOLD HIM THAT THIS SOUNDED ODD, AND IF THEY DIDN'T GIVE US A SID, THEY SHOULD HAVE GIVEN US A HDG, ETC. I TOLD HIM MAYBE TWR WILL GIVE US AN INITIAL HDG, AND HE SAID MAYBE, BUT PROBABLY NOT BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY EXPECT US TO TURN L AFTER DEP TO INTERCEPT THE AIRWAY. I FELT NOVICE AT THIS POINT. HE QUICKLY SHOWED ME THE REVISED SEGMENT AND I SAW THAT IT STARTED WITH J70, AND I LOOKED AT THE SECTIONAL TO FIND THAT J70 DID GO FROM SEA OUT TO ELMAA. HE SAID THAT WAS ATC'S WAY TO GET US TO ELMAA IF WE'RE DEPARTING NBOUND, AND THERE'S NOT A NBOUND SID ASSIGNED TO GET US TO ELMAA. I AGREED WITH THIS LOGIC BUT SAID THEY SHOULD STILL GIVE US A HDG AFTER DEP. IN THE BRIEF DURING TAXI, THE CAPT ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY QUESTIONS. I SAID 'LET'S GO OVER THE DEP.' HE SAID 'DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND IT? IT'S SIMPLE. WE TAKE OFF, I'LL SET YOUR INITIAL HDG BUG RIGHT NOW, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS FOLLOW THE HDG I GIVE YOU TO INTERCEPT J70, WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THIS?' I TOLD HIM I UNDERSTOOD AND 'IT'S NO PROB, BUT MAYBE TWR WILL GIVE US AN INITIAL HDG WHEN THEY GIVE US OUR TKOF CLRNC.' HE SAID 'WELL, IF THEY DO, WE'LL FOLLOW THAT.' TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF (NO HDG OR SID), AND WE CLBED OUT THROUGH APPROX 1500 FT, AND CLEANED UP THE PLANE, AND THE CAPT SAID 'OK, HERE'S YOUR TURN,' AND SET THE HDG BUG TO THE L OR W FOR A CUT TO INTERCEPT J70. I STARTED A SLOW, SLOW TURN AND HE SAID 'COME ON, PICK IT UP, WE NEED TO TURN.' I INCREASED THE BANK BUT IT STILL DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT. ATC SHORTLY AFTER ASKED US WHY WE DID AN EARLY TURNOUT, AND THE CAPT EXPLAINED WE WERE TURNING TO INTERCEPT J70, AS STATED ON OUR REVISED CLRNC. THEY ASKED US IF WE RECEIVED A SID. WE (CAPT) SAID 'NO, ONLY J70 ELMAA.' HE ASKED US IF CLRNC GAVE US A SID. WE SAID 'NO, JUST AN ALT.' ATC THEN ASKED US IF TWR SAID ANYTHING REGARDING A HDG AFTER TKOF. WE SAID NO. HE TOLD US THAT ATC USUALLY TELLS THE DEPARTING PLANES WHEN TO MAKE THE L TURN, AND WONDERED WHY WE WEREN'T TOLD ANYTHING. WE SAID 'WE'RE SORRY, BUT THIS IS THE GIVEN CLRNC, AND WE WERE JUST FOLLOWING THIS.' ATC SAID 'NO PROB, BUT NEXT TIME YOU SHOULD HAVE A SID OR VECTOR.' AS WE WERE LEAVING THE AREA, I TOLD THE CAPT THAT I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT SIT, AND IT SURE SEEMED WRONG. HE SAID 'WE DID EVERYTHING BY THE BOOK, JUST LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE.' HE PULLED OUT THE PAPERWORK FROM THE FE'S DESK, AND REVIEWED ALL THE INFO. UPON REVIEWING THE PAPERWORK AGAIN, HE NOTICED SOMETHING NEW, AT THE BOTTOM, IN THE REMARKS SECTION. THERE IT SAID SEATTLE 2 DEP. WE SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT THERE. I THOUGHT THE DEP SHOULD BE IN THE MAIN BODY OF THE CLRNC. ATC WAS RIGHT, WE WERE GIVEN A SID, ALTHOUGH IT WAS IN THE REMARKS SECTION. WE COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB OF READING THE ACARS MESSAGE -- WE JUST DIDN'T. I WILL USUALLY ASK ATC IF SOMETHING ISN'T 100% CLR -- BUT I DIDN'T. TIME MIGHT HAVE BEEN A FACTOR, THINGS WERE ALL COMING TOGETHER BEFORE THE PUSHBACK. I ALSO FEEL THAT THE SID SHOULD BE IN THE MAIN BODY OF THE CLRNC OR REVISED CLRNC.

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.