Challenger 300
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 26; Flight Crew Total 6000; Flight Crew Type 150
Workload; Confusion; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
Procedure
My Co-pilot and I both agree that the Midway 5 Departure at MDW is confusing at best. The chart says that you have to maintain a heading until turning to a new heading. What isn't clear is that you will get an assigned heading by the tower. But a new heading assigned by the tower should supersede all other clearances; right? So Midway Tower should say comply with the SID and then turn to a heading. My other argument is that most departures are either all long range navigation (NAV) or a heading (HDG). This is an airport where you take off in NAV and have the added switch to HDG almost immediately. This is an added step out of the normal sequence of events for our departures. I am not in favor of that; especially in a crowded airspace when our workload is the highest. The Midway 5 should be an all NAV with clear expectations for the airplanes to comply.
CL30 Captain reported confusion over the wording of a SID.