Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 1 Eng; Retractable Gear
Flight Crew Private; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 18; Flight Crew Total 4014; Flight Crew Type 3909
Confusion; Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Human Factors; Procedure
An IFR flight from Monterey Regional Airport (KMRY) to Redlands Airport (REI) was filed as follows: KMRY SNS V137 GMN LHS V459 DARTS V186 PDZ WEEDD KREI. Clearance Delivery at KMRY amended this as follows: TORO 6 Departure SERFR AVE V137 GMN then as filed. Later in the flight; Bakersfield Approach had an amendment to the clearance as follows: Present position GMN LHS V459 V186 PDZ KREI. Note the specific deletion of DARTS which is the intersection or fix which connects the two airways. Upon reaching DARTS I continued on V459 waiting for the controller to state 'join V186'. (The reason for this presumption is based on the flight several days earlier from KREI to KMRY the flight plan had been amended; again; by SOCAL APP to delete DARTS intersection. Prior to arriving at DARTS on that earlier flight; the approach controller said 'join V459' after passing PURMS intersection on V186.) After passing DARTS; the controller inquired as to when I was going to continue on my flight plan. I replied that since DARTS had been specifically deleted; I was waiting on him. This was stated in a calm and respectful manner. He said to continue on the flight plan and was easily accomplished without penetrating the LAX Class B airspace and did not cause any conflicts.I am filing this because of the ambiguity of the amended clearance to delete the intersection which would have avoided the misunderstanding in the first place. Controllers are always free to spontaneously say 'join Vxxx' at any time during a flight. Prior to moving to California; I cannot remember receiving a clearance that avoided listing the requested intersection that joined two airways. However; in the future I will simply ask ATC if I can join the other airway when I am in reasonable distance to it.
The pilot was confused by the ambiguity of an amended clearance which deleted the intersection at the junction of two airways.