CRJ700 CREW FORGOT TO GET THEIR IFR CLRNC WHEN DEPARTING DFW. THEY HAD NO XPONDER CODE OR ATC CLRNC.

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A NORMAL PART 121 ACR FLT FROM DFW TO DSM. AN IFR FLT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED AND THE DATE WAS JUN/TUE/03. NORMAL OPS AND WE PUSHED BACK FROM GATE AT XA31 LCL. NORMAL TAXI OUT AND ALL CHKS WERE COMPLETED. WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC FOR TKOF AND WE STARTED THE TKOF ROLL. ON INITIAL CLBOUT; WE WERE GIVEN A CODE TO SQUAWK. I PLACED NEW CODE (I WAS PNF) IN THE XPONDER. THE TWR THEN SWITCHED US OVER TO DEP AND WE WERE VECTORED ONTO OUR NORMALLY FILED SID AND THE REST OF THE ROUTING UP TO DSM. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND WE ENTERED NO IMC CONDITIONS. AS WE CLBED THROUGH 10000 FT; I REALIZED THAT I HAD NEGLECTED TO GET OUR IFR CLRNC WHILE ON THE GND IN DFW; THERE WAS CONFUSION WITH THE XPONDER CODE AFTER TKOF. COMPLACENCY PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS SIT. THE CONDITIONS BEFORE A FLT FOLLOW THE SAME ROUTINE OVER AND OVER. I MEAN THIS IN THAT WE GET TO THE AIRPLANE; SET UP OUR KIT BAGS; I DO THE PREFLT; GRAB ATIS AND CLRNC; WE GO OVER THE RELEASE AND MAINT LOGS AND ANY OTHER PREFLT BREIFINGS. ON THIS PARTICULAR TRIP; I WAS PAIRED UP WITH A CAPT THAT I HAD NEVER FLOWN WITH BEFORE. WE TOOK A FEW MINS TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER BEFORE THE FLT. I HAD DONE THIS ROUTINE SO MANY TIMES; I FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT I HAD DONE EVERYTHING. BUT; I DID FAIL TO GET OUR IFR CLRNC. THE SID WAS A VERY COMMON SID AND WE BOTH HAD OUR MINDS SET ON DOING THIS SAME TRIP AS WE HAVE DONE BEFORE; BUT NOT TOGETHER. A VERY REAL PROB WITH COMPLACENCY IS FEELING SO SURE THAT EVERYTHING HAS BEEN DONE AND ALL IS GOOD; BUT IT'S ACTUALLY NOT. TO HELP FIGHT THIS; I'VE MADE A MENTAL CHKLIST I CALL 'PACB.' STANDS FOR: PREFLT; ATIS; CLRNC; AND BRIEFINGS. ALTHOUGH IT WON'T SOLVE ALL THE POSSIBLE PROBS; IT DOES HELP WHERE I'VE FALLEN SHORT BEFORE. I'VE LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE TO NOT FALL INTO THE COMPLACENCY TRAP. JUST BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME TRIP I'VE DONE MANY TIMES; DOESN'T MEAN I CAN SIT BACK AND RELAX; BUT TO TREAT IT AS A NEW EXPERIENCE EVERY TIME.