C172 PLT TAXIED WITHOUT RECEIVING TAXI CLRNC.

Narrative

ON NOV/XA/98 AT DAB; I WAS SCHEDULED TO FLY IN A COMPETITION EVENT. MY PARTNER AND I WERE SCHEDULED TO FLY IN HEAT Y AS THE LAST ACFT (POS #5). AT THE LAST SECOND; WE WERE MOVED UP TO HEAT X; MEANING THAT WE WOULD NOW BE POS #1 (THE LEAD ACFT) ACCORDING TO THE ROTATION OF SCHOOLS. THE LEAD ACFT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RADIO COMS FOR THE WHOLE HEAT; RIGHT UP UNTIL TKOF. AFTER THAT; EVERYONE IS ON THEIR OWN. AS PIC; I WENT THROUGH MY CHKLISTS AND PROCS; STARTED THE ENG; COPIED THE ATIS; AND THEN PROCEEDED TO SWITCH FREQS SO I COULD CALL DAB GND. I CALLED DAB GND 2 OR 3 TIMES; GETTING NO RESPONSE EACH TIME. I LOOKED OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT AND EVERYONE WAS LOOKING AT ME AND SEEMED TO BE WAITING FOR ME. I LOOKED STRAIGHT AHEAD AND THE HEAD JUDGE WAS STANDING THERE WAVING ME TOWARDS THE TXWY AND RUN-UP AREA. TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE FACT THAT WE ONLY HAD A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME IN WHICH TO FINISH THE COMPETITION AND THE FACT THAT EVERYONE WAS WATCHING ME AND THE HEAD JUDGE WAS WAVING ME ONTO TXWY S; I BEGAN TO TAXI FROM THE RAMP TOWARDS TXWY S. AS I DID; I NOTICED AN ACFT APCHING TXWY S FROM ANOTHER RAMP TO MY L. THE ACFT WAS MOVING; SO I CAME TO A STOP SHORT OF TXWY S. AS I STOPPED; SO DID THE OTHER ACFT. I FIGURED THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS GIVING WAY TO ME AND I HAD PRIORITY; SO I PROCEEDED TO TAXI TO THE RUN-UP AREA. WHEN I TURNED ONTO TXWY S; DAB GND ASKED ME IF I HAD RECEIVED CLRNC TO TAXI. I REPLIED 'NO.' THEY (GND) THEN INSTRUCTED ME TO 'PROCEED OUTBOUND.' BECOMING CONFUSED AS TO WHAT GND WANTED ME TO DO; I BEGAN TO TURN AROUND TO GO BACK TO THE RAMP. AS I DID; GND TOLD ME AGAIN TO PROCEED OUTBOUND. I TURNED THE ACFT BACK AROUND; EXECUTED MY RUN-UP; AND THEN SWITCHED OVER TO THE DAB TWR FREQ. FOLLOWING THIS; ALL PROCS WENT ACCORDINGLY AS THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE HEAD JUDGE AND RECEIVING CORRECTIVE WORDS FROM BOTH HIM (HEAD JUDGE) AND MY CAPT (TEAM CAPT); I REALIZE THAT I WAS PIC FOR THE FLT AND I WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO TAXI WITHOUT CLRNC. IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO FOLLOW THE REGS REGARDLESS OF WHAT IS HAPPENING OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT ENVIRONMENT.