Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 62; Flight Crew Total 4669; Flight Crew Type 242
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types
Human Factors
We were cleared to our destination via the LOUPE THREE Departure; BMRNG transition. After departure we were handed off to NorCal Departure and checked on. NorCal advised us to expect a left turn (the SID makes a right turn). We acknowledged; but continued to fly our assigned SID. At 1.8 DME northwest of the SJC VOR; we started the right turn heading 120 as published. Within a few seconds of being fully established in the right turn; NorCal issued an instruction to turn left heading 120. I immediately started the turn in the opposite direction. At this point NORCAL thought we had made a mistake; because we had already started the right turn; but we were never instructed to do anything other than the assigned SID. Obviously; you cannot immediately turn left while already fully established in a right turn (which was our clearance).The controller seemed frustrated. We were doing nothing wrong; but were treated as if we had just committed a pilot deviation. We politely advised NorCal that we were never given an actual clearance to turn left until we were already in the right turn.The previous departure before us was not on the correct frequency and caused a lot of extra work for the controller. I feel this was the contributing factor.At no point during the event did I feel safety was compromised. We could see the traffic conflict the controller was trying to have us avoid. At no time did we have a TCAS TA or RA.
Corporate jet Captain reported that on the LOUPE3 Departure from SJC Controller advised expect a left turn (SID shows a right turn) but did not issue the clearance until after the crew had established the right turn.