Narrative:

Charter had just lost their commercial certificate and my employer had contracted to cover their flight from bur to concord. On the ground in bur, in order to expedite my departure, charter pilot obtained their canned flight plan, changing the type and call sign to match my aircraft. The clearance, as given to me by the pilot was 'vny 5, gmn transition, as filed 10000',' etc. I did not have the full routing for this abbreviated clearance, but it did not matter because tops in the bur area were approximately 2500' and my intention was to cancel IFR at or before gmn. WX beyond gmn was VFR with scattered trw's, so this presented no problem. Departure was uneventful. I reached VFR conditions but elected to keep my IFR status until clear of the busy la area. Upon being handed off to the la 127.1 sector I was cleared to 'deviate north as necessary to avoid WX,' (which I did) and then challenged with words to this effect: 'confirm you are a slant uniform, not a slant alpha.' I confirmed this. Then, 'confirm that you filed a route that you are unable to comply with.' now I couldn't confirm this because I wasn't the one who filed the clearance, but I did recognize the tone and vocabulary that controllers assume when they are trying to get you to admit something that they can turn over to the FAA for violation purposes. I was shaken and immediately requested a route that I knew for certain I could comply with. The controller approved my request and so ended our conversation. I cancelled IFR with my handoff to bakersfield approach. As it turns out the original routing after gmn was direct panoche, which while it would not have been my personal choice, I could have complied with it. The only difference between a /west and a /a is DME. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out why this controller was so excited. In any case, I must admit that it was probably a poor idea to accept an abbreviated clearance west/O knowing the full routing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT FILED CANNED FLT PLAN USED BY PREVIOUS ATX OPERATOR WHO HAD LOST CERTIFICATION. ACFT NOT EQUIPPED TO COMPLY WITH CLRNC.

Narrative: CHARTER HAD JUST LOST THEIR COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATE AND MY EMPLOYER HAD CONTRACTED TO COVER THEIR FLT FROM BUR TO CONCORD. ON THE GND IN BUR, IN ORDER TO EXPEDITE MY DEP, CHARTER PLT OBTAINED THEIR CANNED FLT PLAN, CHANGING THE TYPE AND CALL SIGN TO MATCH MY ACFT. THE CLRNC, AS GIVEN TO ME BY THE PLT WAS 'VNY 5, GMN TRANSITION, AS FILED 10000',' ETC. I DID NOT HAVE THE FULL ROUTING FOR THIS ABBREVIATED CLRNC, BUT IT DID NOT MATTER BECAUSE TOPS IN THE BUR AREA WERE APPROX 2500' AND MY INTENTION WAS TO CANCEL IFR AT OR BEFORE GMN. WX BEYOND GMN WAS VFR WITH SCATTERED TRW'S, SO THIS PRESENTED NO PROB. DEP WAS UNEVENTFUL. I REACHED VFR CONDITIONS BUT ELECTED TO KEEP MY IFR STATUS UNTIL CLR OF THE BUSY LA AREA. UPON BEING HANDED OFF TO THE LA 127.1 SECTOR I WAS CLRED TO 'DEVIATE N AS NECESSARY TO AVOID WX,' (WHICH I DID) AND THEN CHALLENGED WITH WORDS TO THIS EFFECT: 'CONFIRM YOU ARE A SLANT UNIFORM, NOT A SLANT ALPHA.' I CONFIRMED THIS. THEN, 'CONFIRM THAT YOU FILED A ROUTE THAT YOU ARE UNABLE TO COMPLY WITH.' NOW I COULDN'T CONFIRM THIS BECAUSE I WASN'T THE ONE WHO FILED THE CLRNC, BUT I DID RECOGNIZE THE TONE AND VOCABULARY THAT CTLRS ASSUME WHEN THEY ARE TRYING TO GET YOU TO ADMIT SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN TURN OVER TO THE FAA FOR VIOLATION PURPOSES. I WAS SHAKEN AND IMMEDIATELY REQUESTED A ROUTE THAT I KNEW FOR CERTAIN I COULD COMPLY WITH. THE CTLR APPROVED MY REQUEST AND SO ENDED OUR CONVERSATION. I CANCELLED IFR WITH MY HDOF TO BAKERSFIELD APCH. AS IT TURNS OUT THE ORIGINAL ROUTING AFTER GMN WAS DIRECT PANOCHE, WHICH WHILE IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN MY PERSONAL CHOICE, I COULD HAVE COMPLIED WITH IT. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BTWN A /W AND A /A IS DME. I HAVE BEEN RACKING MY BRAIN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THIS CTLR WAS SO EXCITED. IN ANY CASE, I MUST ADMIT THAT IT WAS PROBABLY A POOR IDEA TO ACCEPT AN ABBREVIATED CLRNC W/O KNOWING THE FULL ROUTING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.