CORP SMT FAILED TO FOLLOW SID PROC.

Narrative

ON 10 THU 1988 OUR ACFT WAS ASSIGNED THE CATHEDRAL FOUR DEP OUT OF PALM SPRINGS ARPT. THE DEP CTL RADAR WAS OUT OF SVC. OUR ACFT IS A TWIN ENG TURBOJET CAPABLE OF HIGH RATES OF CLB AND SPD. UPON DEP FROM RWY 12 AT PSP THE CREW MISINTERPRETED THE SID. AND INSTEAD OF TURNING RIGHT ON PSP RADIAL 102 TO EMRUD INTXN; WE TURNED LEFT AND PROCEEDED INBND TO PSP VORTAC ON RADIAL 102. THE WAY THAT THE VERBAGE OF THE SID. AND PICTORIAL DISPLAY ARE PORTRAYED IS CONDUCIVE TO MAKING THIS KIND OF MISTAKE. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THE VERBAGE INCLUDED SUCH TERMS AS 'OUTBND VIA PSP RADIAL 102 TO EMRUD INTXN;' AND ALSO HAVE THE ARROW THAT DEPICTS THE INTERCEPT TO RADIAL 102 DEPICT A RIGHT TURN ONTO THE RADIAL. ADDITIONALLY; THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT SID FOR JET ACFT TO PERFORM WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE TERPS DUE TO THE SHORT DISTANCES INVOLVED FROM THE DEP RWYS TO THE INTXNS WITH COMPLETE COURSE REVERSAL BACK TO THE VOR. IT WOULD BE A BETTER AND SAFER SID IF JET ACFT WERE ALLOWED TO PROCEED FURTHER SE OR E TO INTERCEPT THE 085 DEG RADIAL OR ANOTHER RADIAL IN THAT QUADRANT AND THEN PROCEED DIRECTLY INBND TO THE VOR THAN BY TRANSITION OR ASSIGNED ROUTE.