PLT RPTR HAS TOUGH TIME INTERPRETING NEW DEPS AND ARRS AT ARPT.

Narrative

ON THE SUNDAY MORNING IN QUESTION; WE WERE ISSUED A CLRNC BY DEN RADIO ON THE RCO AS FOLLOWS; 'CLRED FROM THE MONTROSE (MTJ) ARPT TO THE MTJ VOR; VIA THE IFR DEP PROCS.' THAT IS THE ONLY PART OF THE CLRNC IN QUESTION. FOR 5 MONTHS WHILE THE FAA WAS BUILDING A NEW RWY IN MONTROSE WITH AN ILS FOR RWY 17/35; THEY HAD THE VOR OTS. PLTS HAD BEEN GETTING IN SUCCESSFULLY VFR FOR ALL THAT TIME. NOV/XX/93 THE DAY THE NEW NOS PLATES CAME OUT; THE WX HIT IN MONTROSE; AND WE HAD A GOOD SNOW STORM. GOOD PLANING DON'T YOU THINK? THE PROB IS THAT THE DEP PROCS ARE NOT VERY SPECIFIC. THEY DELETED SOME OF THE OLD; WHILE ADDING PROCS FOR RWY 17/35. (BE AWARE THAT DURING THE VOR OTS TIME THE ACTIVE RWY FOR THE ARPT 12/30; HAD BEEN SWITCHED TO 13/31.) ALL THE FDC NOTAMS PERTAINING TO THE ARPT WERE FOR THE OLD RWY 12/30 AND ON THE FDC'S READ 'IFR APCH RWY 12 NOT AUTH;' AND 'IFR DEP NOT AUTH.' WE BELIEVED THAT THEY MEANT THE OLD PLATES; SINCE THOSE RWYS NO LONGER EXIST. THE REAL PROB WAS WHEN THE CREW ACCEPTED THE CLRNC TO THE VOR. A CLRNC WE HAD BEEN ISSUED; AND CTR CTLRS HAD BEEN ISSUING FOR THE 3 YRS I HAD BEEN FLYING OUT OF MONTROSE. ON CLB; THE CTLR ASKED US; 'HOW DO YOU INTERPRET THE IFR DEP PROCS?' WE REPLIED; 'CLB IN THE PUBLISHED HOLD TO ASSIGNED ALT AND HOLD AT THE MTJ VOR AS CLRED; THAT'S OUR CLRNC LIMIT.' THE CTLR; WITH NOTHING BETTER TO DO ON A SLOW SUNDAY MORNING; PROCEEDED WITH HIS QUESTIONS. 'WELL; WE DON'T SHOW A TRANSITION BACK TO THE VOR ANYMORE; WE JUST WANTED TO KNOW HOW YOU GUYS INTERPRETED THE PROC.' THE CTLR ADDED; 'ALL WE SHOW IS V26 TOWARDS JNC; JUST WANTED TO KNOW HOW YOU GOT BACK TO THE VOR.' BY NOW; THE 3 ASE PLANES IN HIS SECTOR; LISTENING TO THIS ON HIS FREQ; WERE TRYING TO ANSWER FOR ME ON OUR COMPANY FREQ. THE CTLR STARTED CONFUSING US; NOT TO MENTION WE ARE TRYING TO FLY THE PLANE IN A ROCKY MOUNTAIN SNOW STORM. THE CTLR KEPT ASKING QUESTIONS BUT NEVER ASKED US TO CALL HIM. BUT ANOTHER CTLR CAME ON FREQ AND SAID; 'WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE CLRED TO DENVER?' I REPLIED; 'CLB IN THE HOLD THE MEA; AND DEPART ON COURSE; WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO?' I WAS GETTING TIRED OF THIS INTERROGATION. MY PLTING DUTIES WERE MORE IMPORTANT AT THIS POINT. THE ONLY REPLY WAS 'WE WERE JUST WONDERING HOW YOU PLTS INTERPRET THE PROC; IT DOESN'T SEEM REAL CLR.' CHANGE TO ANOTHER FREQ AND THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. WHEN WE LANDED; ALL THE OTHER COMPANY PLTS THAT HEARD THIS WERE WONDERING WHAT WAS GOING ON. WE HAD A SMALL BREAK; AND AFTER SOME RESISTANCE; I WAS CONVINCED TO CALL ZDV TO FIND OUT WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ONE. THERE WAS NOTHING RESOLVED ON THE RADIO; SO WE THOUGHT A PHONE CALL IN GOOD FAITH MIGHT SHED SOME LIGHT. AFTER ALL; MY FO AND I DID NOT THINK WE HAD DONE ANYTHING WRONG; QUITE THE CONTRARY; WE GENERALLY HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH ATC; AND WANTED TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. WE DO WORK TOGETHER EVERY DAY. THE PHONE CALL PROVED NOTHING NEW; EXCEPT THAT THE CTLR DID SEEM GENUINELY UNCLR ABOUT THE DEP PROC. WE ARE AN UNCTLED ARPT WITH NO RADAR BELOW ABOUT 13000 FT MSL. I SAID; WE PRETTY MUCH TO DO THE SAFE THING IF YOU WANT TO STAY ALIVE; AND THE CTLRS KNOW THAT. I EXPLAINED TO THE SUPVR (I THINK) THAT A COURSE REVERSAL IN THE PUBLISHED HOLD (VIA A TEARDROP ENTRY DURING TKOF) IS THE SAFEST WAY TO GET TO MY FIRST FIX; THE ONLY TRANSITION THAT MADE ANY SENSE GIVEN THE TERRAIN. IF IT DOESN'T SPECIFY A PROC IN THE NOS; WE DO WHATEVER WE HAVE TO TO GET TO THE VOR. HE READ TO ME THE PROC; AND SAID THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE A MEETING TO DISCUSS THE NEW PROC. THAT'S MY STORY; I REMEMBER HANGING UP THE PHONE SAYING; 'WHAT A NICE FED.' THE; THE PARANOIA STARTED TO SET IN. THOUGH I STILL DON'T BELIEVE ANY REG WAS BROKEN; I DON'T WANT TO BE THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB. PRETTY STUPID SYS WE HAVE BTWN PLTS AND CTLRS; BUT EVERY DAY THAT I FLY; I TRY MY BEST TO HELP THE SYS WORK. IF THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED A 'PROFESSIONAL COMMUTER PLT; I AM.