PENETRATED TCA WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative

DEPARTING KANSAS CITY DOWNTOWN REGL ARPT. I MISTOOK THE PHRASEOLOGY USED AS BEING CLRED INTO THE TCA. THIS WAS FROM CLRNC DELIVERY. AFTER TKOF TWR GAVE ME CLRNC TO TURN NWBND TO OMAHA; NE; WHICH WAS MY DEST; AND TO MAINTAIN AT OR BELOW 2400' MSL; WHICH I TOOK AS A CONFIRMATION OF CLRED INTO THE TCA. I BELIEVE AT THE TIME OF HDOF FROM TWR TO DEP; CTLRS SHOULD CONFIRM WHETHER CLRNC INTO THE TCA IS NEEDED; AND TO MAKE SURE THE CLRNC DELIVERY PERSONNEL UNDERSTAND THE PLTS ARE OF THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY ARE OR ARE NOT CLRED INTO THE TCA AIRSPACE. I UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO ENTER A TCA. I BELIEVE THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION IN THE COMS. AFTER GETTING IN CONTACT WITH DEP CTL AND ESTABLISHING 2-WAY COM; THEY INFORMED ME TO MAINTAIN AT OR BELOW 2400' MSL AND INFORMED ME OF TFC IN MY AREA WHICH WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN GETTING INTO THE TCA AS I WAS LOOKING AT SPOTTING TFC. THEN DEP INFORMED ME OF ENTERING TCA W/O CLRNC. I BELIEVE THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN THIS SITUATION WERE COMS ON THE GND; FAILURE BY ATC TO MAKE CLR PLT UNDERSTOOD CLRNC AND ATC FAILURE TO WARN OF PLT'S CLOSE PROX TO THE TCA. I BELIEVE IN THE FUTURE THAT I; AS A PLT; NEED TO NOT DEPEND ON THE CTLRS TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT POSSIBLE; BUT TO TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AND TO CONFIRM VERBALLY ON MY OWN WITH THEM THE CLRNCS NEEDED.