Date: 201210
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: EWR.Airport, NY
Light: Night
Aircraft: MD-11
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Cargo / Freight / Delivery
Flight phase: Climb
Airspace: Class B EWR
ATC / advisory: TRACON N90
Aircraft component: FMS/FMC
Component problem: Improperly Operated
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Pilot Not Flying; Captain
Human factors: Confusion; Human-Machine Interface
Second reporter function: First Officer; Pilot Flying
Anomaly: Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Contributing factors: Procedure; Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: Our route clearance was changed by Clearance Delivery and we were given Newark One departure; radar vectors to PARKE. After Departure gave us a heading to 270; they then cleared us to SBJ; climb to 11;000 FT. It was not on the flight plan and I thought there might be some confusion from the original clearance and the modified one we received. I told the Controller it was not on our flight plan and he said he was tired of hearing that; it was in fact on our flight plan. He then cleared us direct to PARKE. He said it was in black and white and we needed to read the clearance better. Upon further review of the Newark One; there is a reference to PARKE: SBJ R302 PARKE. I did not think there was a PARKE transition; just radar vectors to fix/route as per the wording on the departure. Since the Controller was frustrated because this happens often; I feel the wording of the departure and/or the clearance needs to be modified to reflect the fix transition; not just radar vectors to fix/route. While I was entering the new fix into the FMS; the PF stopped the climb momentarily at 5;000 FT. As soon as I saw this I instructed the PF to continue climb to 11;000; at this time the Controller also noticed our level off and told us to continue climb. This was the second leg of IOE for the First Officer. Change the wording of the Newark One departure and the wording of the clearance to reflect a transition to the initial fix.


Second narrative: No PDC received. Called Clearance Delivery; given Newark 1 RV direct PARKE; and read back. Off Runway 22R EWR; switched to NY Departure. They gave direct SBJ after previous vector; read back that SBJ was not in our clearance; ATC said it was and that 'everyone' misses it with some frustration. Then he gave direct PARKE. Rest of flight remained uneventful and no further instructions from NY Departure.Clearance Delivery should have given instructions more clearly if they wanted flight to fly the PARKE transition. We read back RV PARKE. Also Newark 1 departure does not clearly define the different departure points as transitions like it seems to be interpreted by departure.


Synopsis: MD11 flight crew departing on the EWR1 departure and expecting Radar vectors to PARKE is instead cleared direct SBJ by NY Departure.