ACR FLT DEPARTS ARPT WITHOUT PRE DEP CLRNC.

Narrative

FLT WAS A ROUTINE DAY. FLT FROM RDU TO CVG. SINCE RDU USES PRE-DEP CLRNC (PDC) PROCS; I DECIDED TO WAIT UNTIL THE GATE AGENT BROUGHT THE PDC WITH THE FINAL PAPERWORK RATHER THAN WALK IN AND GET IT MYSELF. DURING THE 'BEFORE START' CHKLIST; WE BOTH MADE A MENTAL NOTE WHEN READING 'ADF/RADAR/TRANSPONDER...CHKED/SET' THAT WE STILL NEEDED A PDC. THE AGENT CAME SEVERAL MINS LATE WITH THE FINAL PAPERWORK (BUT NO PDC) AND IN OUR HASTE TO PUSH BACK; WE FORGOT TO NOTICE THE LACK OF A PDC. START; TAXI; TKOF WERE ALL NORMAL. AFTER TKOF; WHEN TOLD TO CONTACT DEP CTL; I REALIZED WE HAD JUST TAKEN OFF WITHOUT HAVING OUR PRE-DEP CLRNC. WE CONTACTED DEP CTL AND FLEW OUR RTE AS FILED. SINCE WE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY FROM ATC; I ASSUME OUR MISTAKE WENT UNNOTICED. WE PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY TO CVG. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL NOT BE AS EASY AND I'LL GET THE PDC FROM THE AGENT PRIOR TO READING THE 'BEFORE START' CHKLIST. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 201250. THE FLT WAS OPERATING BEHIND SCHEDULE. IN OUR HASTE WE NEGLECTED TO ASK THE AGENT FOR THE PDC WHEN HE DELIVERED THE FINAL PAPERWORK; ALTHOUGH WE WERE AWARE DURING THE BEFORE START CHKLIST THAT THE TRANSPONDER CODE WAS NOT YET SET ON OUR NEW SQUAWK. WE REALIZED OUR MISTAKE WHEN TOLD TO SWITCH TO DEP CTL FREQ. BECAUSE OF OUR FAMILIARITY WITH THE NORMAL CLRNC RECEIVED ON THAT RTE SEGMENT AND ASSUMING THAT THE CTLR WOULD EXPECT US TO CONTINUE AS FILED; WE 'VERIFIED' OUR TRANSPONDER CODE AND PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY TO CVG. PDC'S WERE ONE OF THE FEW CHANGES WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED OVER THE YRS THAT WERE WELCOME. IT IS A GOOD SYS BUT IT HAS TAKEN THE FO 'OUT OF THE LOOP' IN THE SENSE THAT A RADIO CALL IS NO LONGER REQUIRED. ON AN OP LIKE THE TYPE ACFT WE FLY WHEN WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO 'BEING THE LOOP' AND DOING EVERYTHING OURSELVES; EVEN THIS LEVEL OF AUTOMATION IS GOING TO REQUIRE AN ADJUSTMENT ON MY PART TO MY NORMAL WAY OF DOING THINGS.