CPR LEAR JET 25D WAS CLRED 090 DEG HDG TO INTERCEPT THE ZAPPA TRANSITION. FO; PF; SET 057 DEG HDG OFF FLL VERSUS DHP FOR ZAPPA. HAD REQUESTED DEV FOR WX AND WAS ADVISED BY CTLR OF NAV ERROR. WAS CLRED DIRECT TO A POINT 500 MI DOWN RANGE.

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SECOND FLT TO/FROM THIS ARPT IN 3 DAYS. BOTH CREW MEMBERS ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS ARPT; CAPT; FILED FLT PLAN; FO RECEIVED CLRNC AND SET-UP COCKPIT FOR DEP JUST PRIOR TO TAXI OUT; WHILE CAPT GREETED AND BOARDED PAX; (PER COMPANY SOP). FO WAS FLYING. (FO IN OUR COMPANY IS ACTUALLY A CO-CAPT; FLIES 'AS CAPT;' EVERY OTHER LEG; FROM L SEAT.) I VERIFIED THAT ALL RADIOS WERE PROPERLY TUNED (NAV/COM XPONDER) AND THAT THE PROPER NAV RADIAL WAS SET. SOMETHING DID NOT LOOK RIGHT SO I PICKED UP THE SID AND READ IT; VERIFYING THAT EVERYTHING WAS SET CORRECTLY. OFF WE GO... AFTER TKOF WE CONTACTED DEP AND WERE TOLD TO FLY 090 DEGS; INTERCEPT THE ZAPPA TRANSITION; AS FILED. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE EXPECTED; HAD FILED; WERE CLRED; WHAT THE FO 'SET UP' AND WHAT I 'VERIFIED.' IT STILL DID NOT LOOK RIGHT! THE TRANSITION RADIAL IS 057 DEGS; THAT IS WHAT WAS SET; AND WHAT WE INTERCEPTED IT SEEMED TO HAPPEN QUICKER THAN NORMAL. (TKOF TO INTERCEPTING THE RADIAL.) WE FLEW OUTBOUND ON THIS RADIAL. AT 40 DME I ASKED DEP CTL FOR A L TURN FOR WX. ZAPPA INTXN WAS STILL AHEAD OF US. THE CTLR RESPONDED 'YOU ARE NOWHERE NEAR THE ZAPPA TRANSITION.' IMMEDIATELY I KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG AND WHAT DID NOT LOOK RIGHT. THE ZAPPA TRANSITION IS 057 DEGS OFF OF 'DHP' VOR; NOT 'FLL' WHICH WE HAD TUNED AND WERE FLYING. MEASURING THE VORS; RADIALS; COURSE FLOWN; ETC; SHOWED THAT BY FLYING THE CORRECT RADIAL OFF OF THE WRONG VOR RESULTED IN 1) INTERCEPT POINT WAS 12 MI 'EARLY;' 2) WE WERE 7 MI OFF COURSE AND PARALLELED THE COURSE FOR ABOUT 30 MI. IN A NON RADAR ENVIRONMENT THE POTENTIAL FOR A MID-AIR WITH THIS TYPE OF ERROR IS OBVIOUS. LIKEWISE 'GND CONTACT' IS OBVIOUS HAZARD IN MOUNTAINOUS AREA. CTLR SHOULD HAVE SEEN AND CALLED THE ERROR BEFORE I ASKED FOR A 'DEV' -- I'M SURE HE WOULD HAVE IF TFC WAS INVOLVED. I DO NOT BELIEVE OUR FAMILIARITY WITH THE PROC (COMPLACENCY) WAS A FACTOR; WE JUST MISREAD THE SID. THE 057 DEG RADIAL OFF OF 'DHP' PASSES VERY CLOSE TO 'FLL' VOR ON THE SID DRAWING MAKING IT EASY TO SELECT THE WRONG FREQ; BUT THAT IS NO EXCUSE. AFTER THE MISTAKE WAS SORTED OUT THE CTLR CLRED US DIRECT TO A POINT +/-500 MI AWAY WHICH WAS ON OUR FLT PLAN. HE SAID THE MISTAKE DID NOT CAUSE A PROB; BUT I'M SURE HE WANTED TO GET RID OF US!