PLT FLYING A FRIEND'S GRUMMAN TIGER TO NEARBY ARPT FOR AN ANNUAL ALLOWS THE OWNER TO OPERATE THE RADIOS. THEY SUBSEQUENTLY TKOF WITHOUT CLRNC AS OWNER TUNES DEP INSTEAD OF TWR FREQ.

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I DROVE TO CAK WITH THE OWNER OF GRUMMAN TIGER. I WAS GOING TO FLY HIS ACFT TO WADSWORTH MUNICIPAL ARPT (APPROX 12 MI TO THE NW) FOR ITS ANNUAL INSPECTION. THE OWNER IS A 200 HR PVT PLT. HIS MEDICAL HAD EXPIRED AND HE WAS NOT SCHEDULED FOR IT UNTIL THREE WKS LATER. WE ARRIVED AT THE COMMERCIAL HANGAR WHERE HE STORED THE AIRPLANE AROUND XA00 BUT WERE TOLD THAT IT WOULD BE ANOTHER 45 MINS BEFORE THEY COULD REMOVE IT FROM THE HANGAR. WE WENT AND HAD LUNCH; RETURNED; AND FOUND THAT BOTH MAIN MOUNT TIRES WERE FLAT. IT TOOK APPROX 1 HR TO GET THEM INFLATED; ONLY TO NEXT LEARN THAT THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. THIS TOOK ANOTHER HR. THE REST OF THE PREFLT WENT FINE. I HAD NEVER FLOWN THIS PARTICULAR AIRPLANE. THE DASH PADDING STICKS OUT SO THAT I WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE COMS PANEL WITHOUT BENDING. THE OWNER SAID THAT HE WOULD SWITCH RADIOS WHEN APPROPRIATE. I CONTACTED GND CTL FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS 'VFR TO WADSWORTH' AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO RWY 19 FOR AN INTXN TKOF; GIVEN A SQUAWK; AND TOLD TO CONTACT DEP CTL ON 118.6. I TAXIED TO RWY 19 HOLD SHORT LINE AND WAS WAITING FOR A C172 TO FINISH HIS ROLLOUT. I TOLD THE OWNER TO SWITCH TO TWR (118.3) WHERE I SAID THAT I WAS READY FOR TKOF. BOTH THE OWNER AND I THOUGHT THAT WE WERE GIVEN TKOF CLRNC AND A DEP HDG (230 DEGS). I DOUBLE CHKED FOR LNDG TFC; MOVED OUT ONTO RWY 19; HAD AN UNEVENTFUL TKOF; TURNED TO THE ASSIGNED HEADING; AND ASKED THE OWNER TO GIVE ME DEP FREQ. HE TOLD ME THAT WE WERE ON DEP FREQ AND HAD BEEN ON DEP FREQ DURING TKOF. I TOLD HIM TO IMMEDIATELY SWITCH BACK TO TWR; WHO TOLD ME THAT I HAD NOT GOTTEN CLRNC FOR ENTRY ONTO THE ACTIVE RWY OR FOR TKOF. I WAS TOLD TO SWITCH TO DEP CTL AND THE REMAINING 10 MINS OF THE FLT WERE UNEVENTFUL; EXCEPT FOR THE COMMAND TO CONTACT THE ARPT BY PHONE UPON LNDG. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: AFTER LNDG AND TALKING WITH CAK; I HAD A POSTFLT DISCUSSION WITH THE OWNER. HE STATED 'OF COURSE WE WERE ON DEP FREQ WHEN WE WENT ONTO THE RWY. THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO AT CAK.' HE FLIES INTERMITTENTLY AND NORMALLY DOES IT VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING BEFORE SUNRISE. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S SOME CUSTOMARY DEV FROM SOP AT CAK FOR SUPER-EARLY MORNING FLTS OR NOT. HIS LAST FLT WAS OVER 5 MONTHS AGO. APART FROM THE OWNER'S MISINFO (WHICH WAS CORRECTED) I WAS STILL THE PIC. MOST OF MY FLYING IS SINGLE ENG IFR. I HAVE A ROUTINE THAT I USE FOR COMS AND IN SETTING MY RADIOS FROM WHICH I DO NOT DEVIATE. I ALWAYS SELECT THE PROPER RADIO AFTER CHKING THAT THE CORRECT FREQ IS SET. IN THIS INSTANCE; I COULD VIEW THE FREQS THAT WERE SET IN THE 2 RADIOS BUT I COULD NOT VIEW THE COMS PANEL TO SEE WHICH RADIO I WAS USING. I WAS NOT FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THE OP OF THESE RADIOS TO KNOW IF THERE IS A LIGHT TO INDICATE THAT I WAS XMITTING. AFTER OUR POSTFLT DISCUSSION; I'M NOT SURE WHAT WAS SAID OR WHO SAID IT. THE OWNER DISTINCTLY REMEMBERED THAT WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF BUT THAT I WAS TALKING WITH DEP CTL. WHETHER IT WAS A CASE OF 'GET HOMEITIS' OR GENERAL FRUSTRATION WITH THE WAY THAT THINGS WERE GOING THAT DAY; AND SUBSEQUENT INATTENTION TO THE DETAILS OF THIS FLT; I DON'T KNOW. THIS AIRPLANE WAS NEW TO ME AND I WAS COMPARATIVELY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE INST LAYOUT. AFTER DWELLING ON THIS FOR SEVERAL MORE HRS; I'M CONVINCED THAT THERE WAS ALSO AN ELEMENT OF 'DON'T GET TOO PUSHY...YOU'RE FLYING THIS MAN'S AIRPLANE' AND A SUBSEQUENT RELUCTANCE TO TAKE CHARGE WITH THE OWNER IN THE R SEAT. I DON'T THINK THAT I HAVE EVER HAD A SIT THAT MADE ME EXAMINE THE DEFINITION OF PIC; OR STRUCK MY PRIDE AS A PLT; AS THIS DID.