B17 FLC WAS UNAWARE THEY WERE TO TAKE OFF AND MAINTAIN VFR UNTIL RECEIVING IFR CLRNC FROM APCH CTLR. HE INSISTED AND AFTER A SHORT WAIT; ATC GAVE HIM HIS CLRNC PRIOR TO TKOF. THE SAME FLC HAD ANOTHER SIMILAR PROB 3 HRS EARLIER WHICH MAKES IT APPEAR THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PROC.

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ON MAR/XX/97 AT APPROX XA30 LCL TIME; I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN WITH GNV FSS BY PHONE. MY FLT PLAN WAS CRESTVIEW; FL; TO PENSICOLA; FL; DIRECT 3000 FT. AT THIS TIME; I WAS FERRYING A WWII B17 BOMBER. I TAXIED OUT; THE GENTLEMAN FROM GNV FSS SAID I WAS CLRED AS FILED WITH A VOID TIME OF XB40 LCL TIME. I MENTIONED TO THE COPLT TO TELL HIM THAT WE HAVE NO CLRNC. HE THEN SAID PNS APCH HAD SAID THAT WE HAD A CLRNC. HE WAS THEN TOLD THAT WE DID NOT HAVE A CLRNC; ALL WE DID WAS FILE A FLT PLAN; WE HAVE NO XPONDER CODE; AND NO ALT. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINS HE CAME BACK AND GAVE US A CLRNC; CLRED DIRECT PNS; MAINTAIN 3000 FT. I RECEIVED A XPONDER CODE WITH A VOID TIME OF XB45. WE WERE OFF THE GND AT XB42 WHEN WE CONTACTED GNV FSS; AND HE SAID OUR VOID TIME WAS XB40; WE SAID NO; IT HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO XB45 WITH OUR NEW CLRNC. HE THEN SAID 'OK;' AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO PNS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS VAGUE REGARDING WHO HE TALKED TO; TO FILE HIS FLT PLAN AND WHO GAVE HIM HIS CLRNC. THE NORMAL PROC AT CEW IS FOR THE ACFT TO TAKE OFF VFR; MAINTAIN VFR AND CONTACT EGLIN APCH CTL FOR CLRNC WHEN AIRBORNE. APPARENTLY; RPTR WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS PROC.