Bonanza 33
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25; Flight Crew Total 950; Flight Crew Type 500
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Procedure
I received an IFR clearance from PHL data. The routing portion of that clearance was given as; 'PTW; MXE; then as filed.' For the routing portion; I read back; 'PTW; MXE; then as filed....'Once airborne and out of PHL airspace; I was told by Harrisburg Approach to go direct to ESL. I questioned the routing as ESL was not on the routing I filed. Discussing with that with the controller; I realized the routing that was in the system was nowhere near what I had filed. Somewhere the system had changed my routing and no FRC [Full Route Clearance] was ever issued.Additionally; various electronic feedback loops had told me my expected routing was what I filed. I received various e-mails and text messages to the affect of my initial routing.There is a danger when this happens and I think my IFR SOP now has to include a read back of my expected routing to the controller when they say; 'As filed.' It's not ideal and it's a waste of time; but if we can't depend on the system to give timely results with respect to routing there is a danger of a traffic conflict. In this case; weather was largely VMC and the controllers were advising of traffic conflicts as they should; but it's certainly not a desired outcome of filing IFR.
A BE33 pilot departing IFR; cleared as filed but; when ATC cleared him direct to a fix that was not on his filed route he discovered the route he had filed was not the route by which he was cleared.