Unfortunately for us small-fry, IFR routes in busy airspace are often
driven by ATC needs and the traffic flow in and out of the major hubs more
than anything else. If you want to fly with the big boys, that's just
something you need to accept.

I realize that, but the question was how far out of the way do you have
to be.. I guess it's entirely clear of the ORD bravo, in that case.

If you get a clearance that doesn't make sense, ask for clarification. Did
the controller mis-speak, or did you mis-hear? No way to know at this
point. But, either way, the way it should have played out was:

I had no idea the controller misspoke as I took her at her word.

"Confirm the first fix is BAE R270 D32?"

"Negative, it's the R207 D32. R207, not R270".

"OK, that makes more sense, thanks".

Did you read back your clearance with R270, and get "readback correct", or
did you never get that far?

Nope - hearing 32 out on the R270 was all I needed to say "to heck with
this". It would have been foolish for me to accept the clearance given
the situation. As I said earlier, with the winds I was pushing my
fuel-reserve with my route, with my extra margin for the bit of
vectoring I knew I might get, and the new clearance would have
definitely mandated a fuel stop. I didn't want that.

This is with me sitting in the runup area - amended clearance. My first
one was vectors then as filed, I believe. Sitting there in the runup
area, realizing my GPS DB was not current (nowhere close)


I'm confused. Surely your database didn't go out of currency sometime
between when you did your pre-flight planning and the time you got to the
runnup area?

Around in circles we go. :-) Though I'd filed "VFR GPS" in my remarks,
I'd done that only to use it to my benefit to be able to go direct an
airport when _I_ wanted to, and, thus, I wasn't worried about the
database. I did NOT realize or expect this to be basically treated as a
/G by ATC. I know better now. Anyway, again.. that was just part of
the reasons I had for just not bothering with IFR for that flight...

Other times I've been told to go direct involve uncontrolled fields with
no navaid, after I've already been vectored off-course.


If you can't do it, tell the guy, "Unable direct XYZ, negative RNAV".
He'll come back with something you can do, "OK, fly heading 120 to
intercept V456, then as previously cleared".

As I noted I'm not uncomfortable going direct a field I know is there
with the GPS.. that's the reason I was mentioning it in the remarks.

Whatever. I'm learning how the system actually works (which is
obviously not quite what we are told in training)


Ah, yes, the big enlightenment. The real-world IFR system isn't quite what
most people get trained for. Sometimes the differences are a real
eye-opener.