C650 FO; OUT OF PREFLT CLRNC LOOP; QUESTIONS CAPT ABOUT ASSIGNED ALT ON CLBOUT ABOUT THE SAME TIME TUS DEP CHALLENGES OBSERVED ALT.

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I AM A CAPT AND CHIEF PLT FOR A COMPANY THAT OPERATES A WESTWIND II. I WAS ASKED BY A FRIEND IF I WOULD FILL IN AS A FO ON HIS CITATION VII. AFTER ALL THE PREREQUISITE CHKOUTS; WE WENT OFF ON A MULTI-LEG TRIP THAT EVENTUALLY TOOK US TO KTUS. AS THE FO ON THIS FLT; I WAS ASKED TO GET OUR CLRNC FROM KTUS TO KPHX. AFTER RECEIVING OUR CLRNC; I WAS TOLD TO FILL OUT THE LOG WITH OUR TAXI TIME; ETC; WHILE THE CAPT SET UP OUR DEP. WE COMPLETED THE TAXI; AND BEFORE TKOF CHKLISTS. WE THEN HELD AT RWY 11L; AWAITING OUR FLOW CTL TIME TO KPHX. ONCE CLRED FOR TKOF; WE PROCEEDED WITH OUR TKOF. AS WE WERE CLBING OUT FROM THE RWY; I SAW 5000 FT IN THE ALT ALERTER; AND ASKED THE CAPT IF THAT WAS OUR ASSIGNED ALT. HE SAID THAT HE THOUGHT WE SHOULD BE CLBING TO 17000 FT; PULLED THE SID CHART FROM HIS YOKE AND SAID 'WHATEVER THIS THING SAYS.' I CONFIRMED THAT THE CHART SAID 17000 FT; BUT THAT DIDN'T SOUND RIGHT. AS I REACHED FOR THE CLIPBOARD WITH OUR COPIED CLRNC; WE WERE HANDED OFF TO DEP CTL. WE THEN CHKED IN WITH THEM 'CLBING TO 17000 FT;' AND RECEIVED A 'ROGER.' THEN; AFTER TURNING TO THE NW; WE WERE HANDED OFF TO ANOTHER CTLR. WE AGAIN CHKED ON 'CLBING TO 17000 FT' AND RECEIVED ANOTHER 'ROGER.' AS WE WERE APCHING 12000 FT; THE CAPT ASKED THE CTLR FOR SOMETHING LOWER THAN 17000 FT SINCE WE WERE ONLY GOING TO KPHX. THAT'S WHEN THE CTLR ANSWERED THAT WE SHOULD BE AT 10000 FT. THE CAPT ANSWERED THAT WE WERE GIVEN THE SID WITH 17000 FT. THE CTLR ANSWERED THAT; 'I GAVE YOU 10000 FT.' AT THIS TIME; FEARING THE WORST; I CHKED THE CLIPBOARD AND DISCOVERED THAT WE HAD INDEED BEEN GIVEN 10000 FT AS OUR CLRNC ALT. WE WERE ADVISED TO MAINTAIN THE 12000 FT THAT WE HAD ATTAINED. I THINK THAT SEVERAL THINGS LED TO THIS SIT. AS A CAPT MYSELF; I DON'T LIKE ANY DUTIES THAT TAKE EITHER PLT OUT OF THE LOOP IN THE AIRPLANE. PAPERWORK COULD BE DONE BEFORE MOVING AND BOTH PLTS REVIEW AND SET UP THE DEP CLRNC. THIS CAPT LIKES TO DO IT ALL HIMSELF. I NEVER GOT A LOOK AT THE SID UNTIL HE HANDED IT TO ME AS WE WERE CLBING OUT. HAD WE BOTH BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE SETUP; THE ALT SELECTOR WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED. EVEN DOING IT HIS WAY; WE STILL COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS PROB WITH JUST A TKOF BRIEFING; WHICH WE CERTAINLY HAD TIME TO DO. THE TKOF BRIEFING CONSISTED OF 'STANDARD BRIEF.' I SHOULD HAVE; AND CERTAINLY WILL IN THE FUTURE; REVIEW THE DEP PROC AND CLRNC MYSELF IF THERE IS NO BRIEFING FROM THE CAPT. AS A NEW PLT IN THIS ACFT; AND ONE THAT DOES NOT FLY AN EFIS AIRPLANE REGULARLY; I WAS A LITTLE BEHIND THINGS. THIS WOULD SEEM ALL THE MORE REASON FOR THE CAPT TO TAKE THE TIME TO PUT A NEW COPLT IN THE LOOP ON THINGS; AND I SHOULD HAVE SAID SO. I ALSO THINK THAT COMPLACENCY HAD A PART IN THIS. THIS WAS A RTE THAT THE CAPT FLEW REGULARLY AND THERE IS A TENDENCY TO TELL YOURSELF THAT HE; WITH HIS FAMILIARITY; KNOWS WHAT IS GOING ON AND IS CAUGHT UP WITH THINGS; EVEN IF YOU ARE LAGGING BEHIND. NOT SO. I THINK THAT THE STEPS TO TAKE TO AVOID A RECURRENCE ARE THESE: BOTH PLTS SHOULD BE PRESENT WHEN A CLRNC IS RECEIVED (HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU SEE 1 PLT GO OUT TO THE AIRPLANE TO GET THE CLRNC?) THEY SHOULD BOTH BE THERE TO REVIEW THE PROC AND/OR CLRNC AND TO SET UP THE AIRPLANE WITHOUT OTHER DISTRS. AND; I THINK THAT A GOOD PREDEP BRIEFING IS A MUST. EVERYBODY HAS TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE. EVEN THOUGH WE HAD TCASII; THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY BAD.