A DC8-71 FREIGHTER PIC IS CALLED TO TASK BY ATC FOR PROCEEDING DIRECT TO BKW VERSUS FLYING J526 TO BKW VOR; ZID; IN.

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FLT WAS SCHEDULED FROM SDF-EWR. CLRNC CAME VIA ACARS. FO RETRIEVED CLRNC AFTER LOADING THE INS ROUTING FROM THE FLT PLAN. I CHKED THE ROUTING ON THE INS WITH THE FLT PLAN. TKOF; CLB AND INITIAL CRUISE UNEVENTFUL. APPROX 20 MINS AFTER TKOF ZID ASKED IF WE WERE ON 'J-526 OR WERE WE CUTTING THE CORNER.' OUR INS LOADED FLT PLAN HAD IIU DIRECT BKW. J-526 HAD A BEND IN IT AT FIX IIU 100 DEGS/137 KTS (ZIEBR) WHICH OCCURS ON THE NEXT FOLD OF THE MAP. IT CHANGES TO A 270 DEG RADIAL INBOUND TO BKW; A 10 DEG COURSE CHANGE. I REPLIED THAT WE WERE PROCEEDING DIRECT TO BKW AND ASKED IF WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON J526? THE CTLR INDICATED THAT THAT WAS OUR CLRNC BUT TO JUST GO DIRECT TO BKW NOW. I CHKED THE ACARS PDC AND IN FACT WE WERE CLRED 'AS FILED EXCEPT J526 BKW.' I AND THE FO HAD MISSED THE BEND IN THE ROUTING AND HAD ASSUMED IT WAS A DIRECT ROUTING. IT WAS OUR MISTAKE. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL PAY MORE ATTN TO THE PDC 'CLRED AS FILED EXCEPT;' WORDING AND VERIFY THE ROUTING MORE CLOSELY WITH THE CHARTS. THE FO APOLOGIZED FOR THE MISTAKE AND I REPLIED THAT IT IS A CREW AIRPLANE AND THAT WE BOTH MISSED IT. ATC WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL AND SEEMED NOT TO BE UPSET ABOUT THE MISTAKE. I CERTAINLY FELT VERY EMBARRASSED AND UNPROFESSIONAL ABOUT NOT CATCHING IT. LESSON LEARNED; NO HARM DONE; THIS TIME.