Confusing Clearance

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AndrewM
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Confusing Clearance

Post by AndrewM »

So yesterday I got this clearance:

KOQN MXE PTW FJC V149 LAAYK T216 IGN PWL GDM V106 MHT KLWM

If you look at it in ForeFlight, you will see V39 shows an error between PWL and GDM. The G1000 also would not take it. Now there is a route from PWL on V39-93 to CTR V39 to GDM, but again the G1000 just refused to show that.

What I ended up doing was convincing clearance to give me PWL V405 BAF V106 to GDM.

Should I have just accepted the original clearance and just manually reprogrammed and entered PWL V39 CTR V39 GDM instead of getting the different clearance? Part of me says I should have just done that but at the time I just wanted to make sure everything loaded perfectly in the G1000 as it was a hard IFR day and wanted to minimize any potential issues or misunderstandings.
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Chris
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Re: Confusing Clearance

Post by Chris »

AndrewM wrote: Sat Aug 01, 2020 2:44 pm So yesterday I got this clearance:

KOQN MXE PTW FJC V149 LAAYK T216 IGN PWL GDM V106 MHT KLWM

If you look at it in ForeFlight, you will see V39 shows an error between PWL and GDM. The G1000 also would not take it. Now there is a route from PWL on V39-93 to CTR V39 to GDM, but again the G1000 just refused to show that.
Was the original clearance actually for V39? What you've shown above makes it look like you were cleared direct between PWL and GDM.

V39 doesn't extend all the way to PWL. It looks like it makes a turn south at STUBY, so you would've had to use V93 to get from PWL to STUBY before picking up V39.
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Steve
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Re: Confusing Clearance

Post by Steve »

Always better to resolve 'issues' on the ground instead of up against time pressure in the air in hard IFR. You were smart.
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AndrewM
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Re: Confusing Clearance

Post by AndrewM »

Hi Chris, yes the original clearance specifically said V39. So when I spoke with clearance I pointed that out.

I wonder if I had asked for PWL direct GDM if that would have resolved it for them. The clearance guy who was extremely competent, nice and helpful had to keep putting me on hold to speak with someone else, so I think one of the compounding issues was that section was out of his airspace so he was consulting with someone else.

One day I will do a tour of a tower or meet someone from ATC and ask them a little more about their system, as they seemed very helpful, not no so flexible
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Re: Confusing Clearance

Post by Sandy »

Leaving Appleton last summer after AirVenture, headed for KPDK (Atlanta) with an intermediate fuel/lunch stop at Bloomington, IN (KBMG), I filed my IFR flight plan, as set out in the NOTAM (which called for initially heading west toward DLL). My clearance, though, was Radar Vectors - DELLS - as filed. I questioned that clearance, but the controller confirmed it, as did the departure controller. When I was handed off to Chicago (while still on an assigned westerly heading), I, again, questioned the clearance, and it was, again, confirmed. Only when I pointed out that the assigned clearance would take me directly over O’Hare (KORD) did the controller realize that DELLS is an intersection close to KBMG. Not being from that area, I was unaware that the DLL VOR was named Dells VOR. Always question what seem to be strange clearances.

Sandy
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