Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 45; Flight Crew Total 1512; Flight Crew Type 1380
Situational Awareness; Workload; Distraction; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors; Airspace Structure
I was on the ARSNL4.MRB departure off Rwy 34R at HEF. I was hand flying the aircraft. I was just starting to merge onto the CSN 056 radial and still climbing to 2000 ft (about 2 minutes off the runway. The controller told me to turn to heading 320 and climb maintain 3000 ft; then to expect the RNAV (GPS) Rwy 5 at FDK. He then told me to go to heading 020 and climb and maintain 4000 ft. He asked me to tell him when I had the weather at FDK (I was too low/far away to receive it at the moment.) He then asked me what fix I wanted to start the approach from; I ask him to standby. All of this happened within about 60 seconds. I was bringing the approach up on the Garmin 430W GPS and at the Transition window I had a choice of Vectors or JOVUR. I requested JOVUR as the IAF. The controller came back with PHILB which even though it is the next fix on the approach does not appear on the Garmin menu because it is an IF; not and IAF. I told him it was not on my list of fixes so he spelled it and I entered it as a direct to into the GPS. Sometime in the process of dialing in the five character fix I passed through my assigned altitude of 4000 ft to approximately 4600 ft before I noticed.The normal ARSNL4.MRB SID would take close to 30 minutes to arrive at MRB and would have given me plenty of time to get the weather at FDK including the runway/approach in use and bring it up on the GPS. Even just the portion to CSN would have been enough time to accomplish the above tasks. From my weather briefing before flight I knew that the winds at FDK were favoring Rwy 5; but they were light at 3-4 knots; and winds had been shifting with the weather system passage. I had printed out the most likely approaches including RNAV (GPS) Rwy 5 at FDK and they were in the seat next to mine; but I did not have time to look at them until after I had entered PHILB into the GPS (and missed my altitude). I had entered the FDK ATIS frequency in radio 2 before takeoff.The controller was doing me a favor - he cut a 53 minute flight plan ETE to 23 minutes. However; the multiple headings; altitudes; questions; and in particular selecting a fix which was not an IAF on the approach all during my initial climb created a heavy workload for someone who was hand flying the aircraft. I think it would help if controllers were more aware of the workload their instructions can cause; especially for single pilot IFR in IMC. If he had left me on the 020 heading for a minute without querying about approach fixes I would have had time to get the approach up and respond smartly to his instructions/questions. I had reviewed the approaches at FDK; but did not remember PHILB. I should have guessed the Rwy 5 approach and loaded it in the GPS before takeoff. I wrongly assumed that I would have time to do this during the normal departure procedure.
The pilot of a Cirrus reported an increase in single pilot IFR workload when ATC attempted to shorten the planned route of flight.