PA34 instructor pilot reports being issued a revised clearance via airways after initially being cle...

Attributes
ACN	926206
Time
Date	201101
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZDC.ARTCC
State Reference	VA
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	PA-34-200 Seneca I
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Cruise
Route In Use	Vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Instructor Pilot Not Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Glider
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 35 Flight Crew Total 5100 Flight Crew Type 26
Events
Anomaly	ATC Issue All Types Deviation - Procedural Clearance Deviation - Track / Heading All Types

Narrative:

I was initially given a 'cleared direct' clearance. I received an amended clearance about mid-way through the flight. The initial part of the clearance was to join a victor airway. I asked for a vector to the airway a few times but the frequency was busy and I received no response. I was later switched to another controller and asked where I was headed and gave him my routing. He then gave me the radar vectors to join the airway at a VOR. I think that due to the frequency congestion; my request for a vector to intersect the airway; went unanswered and that my decision to join the airway later in the route may have not been what the controller was expecting. I suggest that they need more controllers to handle the volume of traffic.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA34 instructor pilot reports being issued a revised clearance via airways after initially being cleared direct. No instructions are issued on how to join the airway and repeated requests for vectors go unanswered until a frequency change occurs.

Narrative: I was initially given a 'cleared direct' clearance. I received an amended clearance about mid-way through the flight. The initial part of the clearance was to join a Victor airway. I asked for a vector to the airway a few times but the frequency was busy and I received no response. I was later switched to another controller and asked where I was headed and gave him my routing. He then gave me the radar vectors to join the airway at a VOR. I think that due to the frequency congestion; my request for a vector to intersect the airway; went unanswered and that my decision to join the airway later in the route may have not been what the controller was expecting. I suggest that they need more controllers to handle the volume of traffic.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.