Narrative:

At certain airports around the country, the ATC clearance may be obtained over the ACARS unit. There are obvious advantages to this procedure, but, there are some not so obvious disadvantages. One of the advantages is that the clearance is in a 'hard copy' form and is in a standard format. Or so I thought. I have come to expect to see a SID written out below the cleared route. However, I have discovered that, at certain stations, such as bwi, they do not reiterate the SID. So, during certain times of the day and under certain lighting conditions, one might not catch that the clearance was for the swann 1 departure. The first officer and I discussed whether or not we had been cleared for the SID, we both looked on page 2 and in the free talk area of page 1, where we normally find the sids. And, not seeing it, we assumed we had not been given one. We set for the SID anyway, as we expected to get it later. After departure, the controller asked if we were going to fly the SID. I still did not believe that we had been cleared for it and said so. After checking with our man in charge of the pre departure clearance program I found that there is no standardization between the different ctrs as to the format of the pre departure clearance messages. When you get used to seeing something the same way most of the time, you expect to find certain information in the same spot, or at least in the same format. Therefore, when the information is not in that spot, you assume that it was not given. I believe that if the pre departure clearance program is going to succeed, there should be a standard format. A SID such as the swann 1, could be read as swanni intersection. I think that a SID should always be spelled out as in the swann 1 departure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR CREW DEPLORES THE NON-STANDARDIZATION OF THE PRE- DEP CLRNCS AT THE VARIOUS ARPTS THAT USE THE SYS.

Narrative: AT CERTAIN ARPTS AROUND THE COUNTRY, THE ATC CLRNC MAY BE OBTAINED OVER THE ACARS UNIT. THERE ARE OBVIOUS ADVANTAGES TO THIS PROC, BUT, THERE ARE SOME NOT SO OBVIOUS DISADVANTAGES. ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES IS THAT THE CLRNC IS IN A 'HARD COPY' FORM AND IS IN A STANDARD FORMAT. OR SO I THOUGHT. I HAVE COME TO EXPECT TO SEE A SID WRITTEN OUT BELOW THE CLRED RTE. HOWEVER, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT, AT CERTAIN STATIONS, SUCH AS BWI, THEY DO NOT REITERATE THE SID. SO, DURING CERTAIN TIMES OF THE DAY AND UNDER CERTAIN LIGHTING CONDITIONS, ONE MIGHT NOT CATCH THAT THE CLRNC WAS FOR THE SWANN 1 DEP. THE FO AND I DISCUSSED WHETHER OR NOT WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE SID, WE BOTH LOOKED ON PAGE 2 AND IN THE FREE TALK AREA OF PAGE 1, WHERE WE NORMALLY FIND THE SIDS. AND, NOT SEEING IT, WE ASSUMED WE HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN ONE. WE SET FOR THE SID ANYWAY, AS WE EXPECTED TO GET IT LATER. AFTER DEP, THE CTLR ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO FLY THE SID. I STILL DID NOT BELIEVE THAT WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR IT AND SAID SO. AFTER CHKING WITH OUR MAN IN CHARGE OF THE PDC PROGRAM I FOUND THAT THERE IS NO STANDARDIZATION BTWN THE DIFFERENT CTRS AS TO THE FORMAT OF THE PDC MESSAGES. WHEN YOU GET USED TO SEEING SOMETHING THE SAME WAY MOST OF THE TIME, YOU EXPECT TO FIND CERTAIN INFO IN THE SAME SPOT, OR AT LEAST IN THE SAME FORMAT. THEREFORE, WHEN THE INFO IS NOT IN THAT SPOT, YOU ASSUME THAT IT WAS NOT GIVEN. I BELIEVE THAT IF THE PDC PROGRAM IS GOING TO SUCCEED, THERE SHOULD BE A STANDARD FORMAT. A SID SUCH AS THE SWANN 1, COULD BE READ AS SWANNI INTXN. I THINK THAT A SID SHOULD ALWAYS BE SPELLED OUT AS IN THE SWANN 1 DEP.

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.