FLC OF B727 ON INITIAL CLB HAS HYD 'A' SYS FAILURE. GIVEN A CLRNC TO CLB THEN TURN TO A 180 DEG HDG; THEY BEGIN THE TURN BEFORE REACHING THE ASSIGNED ALT.

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ON DEP FROM CID; WE EXPERIENCED AN 'A' SYS HYD FAILURE. CLBING THROUGH APPROX 1500 FT; WE NOTICED THAT THE FORWARD LEADING EDGE DEVICE LIGHT WAS AMBER VERSUS GREEN. OUR INITIAL CLRNC OUT OF CID WAS 'CLB TO 5000 FT HDG 090 DEGS.' WE ALL SEEMED TO NOTICE THE AMBER LIGHT AT THE SAME TIME; AND THEN THE SO NOTICED THAT HYD SYS 'A' HAD 0 PRESSURE AND QUANTITY. ATC THEN GAVE US A CLRNC TO 'CLB TO 3000 FT; THEN A R TURN TO 180 DEGS; CLB TO 10000 FT.' I ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC; DIALED 10000 FT INTO THE ALT ALERTER; AND VERIFIED THAT THE CAPT HAD HEARD THE CLRNC. THE PROB WAS; HE HAD NOT HEARD THE PART ABOUT CLBING TO 3000 FT BEFORE TURNING TO 180 DEGS. I WENT BACK TO HELPING TROUBLESHOOT THE HYD PROB. PASSING APPROX 2500 FT; ATC ASKED US WHAT HDG AND ALT WE WERE ON. WHEN I LOOKED BACK TO THE INST PANEL; I OBSERVED THAT THE CAPT HAD STARTED HIS TURN TOO EARLY. WE DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED TO ST LOUIS DUE TO LONGER RWYS AND BETTER EMER RECOVERY SVCS. WE HAD TO HAND-CRANK THE GEAR DOWN AND USE AN ALTERNATE SYS TO LOWER THE FLAPS. BEFORE WE SWITCHED FROM CID DEP CTL TO CTR; I ASKED IF WE SHOULD EXPECT TO HEAR ANY MORE ABOUT OUR DEV FROM HIS INSTRUCTIONS. THE CTLR SAID 'NO;' BUT WE THOUGHT WE SHOULD SUBMIT THIS TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 402976: THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I HAD EXPERIENCED A MALFUNCTION IN THIS PHASE OF FLT AND I LEARNED THAT I MUST LISTEN MORE CLOSELY TO ATC NO MATTER WHAT DISTRS ARE HAPPENING AROUND THE COCKPIT.