ASSUMED WAS CLEARED INTO TCA WHEN SQUAWK CODE AND COM WITH APCH CTLR ESTABLISHED.

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RTE OF FLT WAS MMU DIRECT EWR DIRECT JFK. LEAVING MMU ATA; OUR POS WAS ABOUT 2 MI WNW OF RIDGE LINE (WHICH IS ABOUT 7 MI W OF EWR). I CALLED EWR TCA; WAS ACKNOWLEDGED. I STATED OUR POS AND INTENTIONS AND LEVEL AT 1500'. CTLR RESPONDED WITH A SQUAWK # AND IDENT; WHICH WAS COMPLIED WITH. CTLR WAS BUSY HANDLING SEVERAL OTHER ACFT. APPROX 1 MIN LATER; CTLR CAME BACK WITH; 'I GUESS TCA CLRNC MEANS NOTHING; BUT YOU ARE CLRED INTO TCA; OVER RWY 4 #S; ON COURSE TO JFK.' I FELT THAT ONCE CONTACT WAS MADE AND CTLR KNEW OUR INTENTIONS AND THAT A SQUAWK AND IDENT WAS GIVEN; THAT A CLRNC WAS IMMINENT. ABOUT 1 MIN LATER (AFTER THE IDENT) WAS WHEN THE TCA REMARK WAS MADE; AND THAT WE WERE 3 MI INSIDE THE TCA (I DON'T BELIEVE IT WAS THAT FAR). IF THE CTLR COULD NOT HANDLE US AT THAT MOMENT; I FEEL HE SHOULD HAVE SAID TO REMAIN CLR. I HAVE BEEN FLYING NY TCA FOR APPROX 17 YRS; AND IT WAS BEEN AN OPERATING PRACTICE THAT ONCE CONTACT WAS MADE AND INTENTIONS KNOWN AND SQUAWK AND IDENT MADE; THAT A CLRNC IS IMMINENT. FLYING NY TCA THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD RAPPORT BTWN PLTS AND CTLRS--ONE OF COOPERATION AND COURTESY (THAT I HOPE WILL GO ON); AND I THINK SAFETY-WISE; A COOPERATIVE AND COURTEOUS ATMOSPHERE IS A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN ONE WHERE EVERYONE IS PARANOID. IF A CTLR CANNOT HANDLE AN ACFT AT THE MOMENT OF CALL-UP; THEN HE SHOULD STATE TO REMAIN CLR AND NOT ISSUE A SQUAWK AND IDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR DOES NOT QUESTION THE FACT THAT HE WAS IN THE TCA W/O CLRNC. FAA HAS TAKEN NO ACTION ON THE INCIDENT. IN THE PAST; WHEN ISSUED A SQUAWK CODE; THAT WAS GENERALLY ACCEPTED A CLRNC INTO THE TCA. WILL BE MORE SPECIFIC IN THE FUTURE.