Small Aircraft
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15; Flight Crew Total 950; Flight Crew Type 625
Communication Breakdown; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Airspace Structure; Human Factors
I had never flown into WHP before; so took extra time to prepare: I printed all the airport info; including approaches; Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODP); etc. To print the ODP; I pasted into a Word document; along with the other airports visited on my trip.My clearance was: ZZZ via WHP IFR procedure; VNY RV LHS; 4000 feet; 17000 feet in 10.The IFR DEPARTURE PROCEDURE: Rwy 12; climbing right turn direct VNY VOR/DME. Rwy 30; climbing left turn heading 260deg. All aircraft climb to 4500 via VNY R-325; then climbing left turn direct VNY VOR/DME.Departing WHP to the west; I headed 260 deg and was climbing to 4000. On handoff from WHP tower; I checked in with Departure; and he replied with 'radar contact.' Since we were radar contact and our clearance was for 4000; not 4500 per the ODP; I was expecting to be given either clearance to continue with the climb heading towards VNY on R-325 OR vectors to LHS. When that didn't happen; I contacted ATC immediately (just over 1 minutes from initial contact) and asked them to verify that they wanted us on a 260 heading. They did not. The controller gave me an immediate left turn to 160 and then proceeded to yell at me; accusing me of not even looking up the procedure; which in my honest opinion was extremely unprofessional. I told him that I had it printed out right in front of me and that I understood it to be heading 260 at that point; and he proceeded to accuse me of lying; saying; 'no you do NOT have it printed out.' Again; very unprofessional and rude. It may have been my mistake; but there's no need to accuse me of being cavalier or lying.After he calmed down; he did point out that 'for future reference' to fly the R-325 radial portion. He did not say whether that he expected me to continue the climb to 4500; as printed; or remain at 4000; per verbal clearance (though I would have assumed the latter; unless NORDO).There are several things that could be improved here. Number 1; I firmly believe that there is zero reason this day and age why printed IFR instructions continue to have disjointed parts; e.g.; the individual runway portions; followed by an all aircraft portion. Others are worse; with '...THENCE' verbiage. That just creates workload and potential for misunderstanding; as it did here. Had this ODP said; 'Rwy 30; climbing left turn heading 260 deg; intercept VNY R-325 and climb to assigned altitude direct VNY VOR/DME' this misunderstanding would not have happened.
General aviation pilot reported confusion with ATC instructions followed by unprofessional comments by Departure controller.