Narrative:

This situation arose on a return trip from sun 'north fun. After getting WX briefing at FSS sun north fun and checking conditions between lakeland and albert whitted (spg) sunday morning before takeoff; then calling macdill tower 10-11 mi east of macdill over I-75 and asking WX conditions at spg which were reported by macdill as VFR with light rain at spg. Also told me the ATC was closed. Then I flew southwest to a point south of power plant and turned west. Hazy or light rain conditions over tampa bay made visual contact with st petersburg impossible. I may have overcompensated for wind. Also hazy conditions may have made macdill look further away than it was. While listening to macdill on 126.2 and hearing the air boss tell the tower there was an small aircraft to the southeast and knowing I was southeast, I asked for the location of the small aircraft. I do not remember getting an answer. I then heard the air boss call the tower and tell of an intruder traveling west. Although I had not been asked to make any maneuvers for identify, I turned left to the south over tampa bay. After a min or so I heard the air boss report to the tower that the intruder had departed their airspace. I then received a call from macdill tower for frequency change. I then turned right and had spg in sight at about 5 mi and called for a landing from ese of the field. Precautions to keep from macdill's airspace by me will be to start across the bay from a point further to the south and have a more southerly course. If sectional and terminal charts had the ship markers of tampa bay for reference points, it could make for position locating easier for the pilot.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PVT SMA PLT WAS FLYING IN MARGINAL VMC. HE ENTERED A MIL ATA AND CZN WITH AN ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE (HE COULD HEAR THEM, THEIR RESPONSE OFFERED NO REAL HELP). ACFT DEPARTED THE CZN WITH NO CONFLICT.

Narrative: THIS SITUATION AROSE ON A RETURN TRIP FROM SUN 'N FUN. AFTER GETTING WX BRIEFING AT FSS SUN N FUN AND CHKING CONDITIONS BTWN LAKELAND AND ALBERT WHITTED (SPG) SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE TKOF; THEN CALLING MACDILL TWR 10-11 MI E OF MACDILL OVER I-75 AND ASKING WX CONDITIONS AT SPG WHICH WERE RPTED BY MACDILL AS VFR WITH LIGHT RAIN AT SPG. ALSO TOLD ME THE ATC WAS CLOSED. THEN I FLEW SW TO A POINT S OF PWR PLANT AND TURNED W. HAZY OR LIGHT RAIN CONDITIONS OVER TAMPA BAY MADE VISUAL CONTACT WITH ST PETERSBURG IMPOSSIBLE. I MAY HAVE OVERCOMPENSATED FOR WIND. ALSO HAZY CONDITIONS MAY HAVE MADE MACDILL LOOK FURTHER AWAY THAN IT WAS. WHILE LISTENING TO MACDILL ON 126.2 AND HEARING THE AIR BOSS TELL THE TWR THERE WAS AN SMA TO THE SE AND KNOWING I WAS SE, I ASKED FOR THE LOCATION OF THE SMA. I DO NOT REMEMBER GETTING AN ANSWER. I THEN HEARD THE AIR BOSS CALL THE TWR AND TELL OF AN INTRUDER TRAVELING W. ALTHOUGH I HAD NOT BEEN ASKED TO MAKE ANY MANEUVERS FOR IDENT, I TURNED L TO THE S OVER TAMPA BAY. AFTER A MIN OR SO I HEARD THE AIR BOSS RPT TO THE TWR THAT THE INTRUDER HAD DEPARTED THEIR AIRSPACE. I THEN RECEIVED A CALL FROM MACDILL TWR FOR FREQ CHANGE. I THEN TURNED R AND HAD SPG IN SIGHT AT ABOUT 5 MI AND CALLED FOR A LNDG FROM ESE OF THE FIELD. PRECAUTIONS TO KEEP FROM MACDILL'S AIRSPACE BY ME WILL BE TO START ACROSS THE BAY FROM A POINT FURTHER TO THE S AND HAVE A MORE SOUTHERLY COURSE. IF SECTIONAL AND TERMINAL CHARTS HAD THE SHIP MARKERS OF TAMPA BAY FOR REF POINTS, IT COULD MAKE FOR POS LOCATING EASIER FOR THE PLT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.