PLT OF C340 MAKES REPEATED REQUESTS FOR IFR CLRNC TO CNO FROM SCT. NEVER ACTUALLY RECEIVES ONE BUT IS HANDED OFF TO CNO TWR AFTER RECEIVING VECTORS AND ALT ASSIGNMENTS. AFTER LNDG ADVISED HE HAD NO IFR CLRNC.

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WE WERE ENRTE FROM GCN TO CNO AT 16500 FT. DUE TO HVY SMOKE FROM SOCAL WILDFIRES THE CNO AREA WAS IFR. AT ABOUT 25 MI NE OF TNP VOR I REQUESTED IFR INTO CNO; GIVING ATC PLENTY OF TIME TO FIT US IN. IT WAS CAVU WHERE WE REQUESTED IFR. THE INITIAL CTR CTLR 'SEEMED' TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY REQUEST BUT DIDN'T ISSUE AN IFR CLRNC. AFTER BEING HANDED OFF TO A SUBSEQUENT CTLR; I INDICATED AGAIN I NEEDED IFR. THAT CTLR APOLOGIZED AND SAID THAT INFO DID NOT GET PASSED TO HIM BY THE PREVIOUS CTLR AND THAT HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. AT THAT POINT IN THE FLT I GOT BUSY WITH FLYING THE PLANE AS I WAS GIVEN VECTORS AND ALTS. THEN TO MY SURPRISE WAS HANDED OFF TO CNO TWR WITHOUT BEING VECTORED INTO THE NORMAL APCH. CNO TWR ADVISED ME TO STAY CLR OF CLASS D. I WENT BACK TO SCT AND ADVISED OF MY PREDICAMENT. I WAS QUESTIONED BY ATC ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. I ASKED TO GET THE FLT HANDLED AND ASK QUESTIONS LATER. THEY DID AND I LANDED USING THE ILS WITHOUT FURTHER ISSUE. I WAS ASKED TO CALL THE SUPVR. WE TALKED AND HE WAS TO CHK INTO THE DISCONNECT. LESSON: 'HEAR THE MAGIC WORDS: CLRED TO...' CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH THE RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR ILLUMINATED THE MYSTERY. DURING HIS CONTACTS WITH 3 DIFFERENT CTLRS SUBSEQUENT TO HIS REQUEST FOR AN IFR CLRNC; ONE AT ZLA AND TWO DIFFERENT SCT CTLRS; HE WAS TOLD BY ONE THAT HE; THE CTLR; WOULD 'TAKE CARE OF IT;' MEANING THE REQUESTED IFR CLRNC. THIS XMISSION WAS FOLLOWED BY AN ALT CHANGE; ALBEIT TO A VFR ALT OF 5500 FT; IN ADDITION TO A VECTOR FOR 'TFC.' THE JUXTAPOSITION OF THESE STATEMENTS AND 'CLRNC LIKE' XMISSIONS LED THE RPTR TO BELIEVE HE WAS BEING CTLED BY THE 'SYS.' IT WAS ONLY WHEN HE CONTACTED CNO TWR AND THEY HAD NO IDEA WHERE; OR WHO; HE WAS THAT HE REALIZED THAT HE HAD NEVER BEEN GIVEN AN ACTUAL IFR CLRNC. THE RPTR STRESSED THAT WHEN RETURNING TO SCT AFTER THE DISCOVERY OF HIS STATUS; HE WAS PERPLEXED THAT THE CTLR PERSISTED IN INQUIRING ABOUT HOW AND WHAT WAS HAPPENING RATHER THAN TAKING IMMEDIATE STEPS TO IDENT AND SAFELY DIRECT THE FLT TO A SAFE ARR. THE SUPVR WITH WHOM HE DISCUSSED THE INCIDENT AFTER LNDG CONCURRED AND COMMENTED THAT HE HAD WITNESSED THE EVENT AND HAD MADE THE SAME SUGGESTION TO THE ACTIVE CTLR.