Narrative:

While climbing out from whp I called bur tower to request transition to smo and was told to remain clear of class C airspace, so I remained over whp until being told to follow the golden state freeway east (which passes southwest of whp) and to remain VFR at or below 2500 ft. I am unaware of being given any additional instructions. I turned south to intercept the golden state freeway while climbing to 2500 ft, while trying to find the freeway among the many city lights below me. I kept my landing lights on to maximize my visibility to other aircraft. Shortly thereafter, the controller told me to turn to heading 090 degrees now, which I did. As I recall at this point I was still northwest of bur, by perhaps 2 mi or so. Subsequently, I saw a jet transport passing in the opposite direction overhead, perhaps 500 ft above me. The controller stated that I had been following the hollywood freeway instead of the golden state freeway and suggested that I ask in the future if unsure. Subsequently, she cleared me on course and off the frequency. Such a close pass is very disconcerting and I have tried to think what might have been done differently. I am intimately familiar with both the airspace around whp and the roads, having flown out of the area and lived in los angeles for a number of yrs. I have always thought that directions to follow a freeway are difficult to follow, no matter how familiar one might be with the area. Trying to pick a specific freeway at night out of the maze of lights on the ground is difficult at best. This jet may have departed on runway 26 from bur, not the usual runway for departures in my experience. Although the controller had mentioned that traffic would be departing from bur I had no idea that any traffic would be climbing out to the west or northwest. I would much rather hold over whp than venture forth under such circumstances. I believe that when cleared to enter the class C airspace with relatively imprecise instructions which have the kind of potential for error that these did that I had reason to believe that no known traffic would be headed in my general direction. I have the following suggestions for traffic control in such congested areas: 1) assign vectors rather than instructions based on ground references which may be difficult to discern (the controller never asked me if I was familiar with the area). 2) keep an aircraft such as mine out of the airspace until the potential for conflict has passed. In the future I will be even more careful about my navigation under such circumstances, and will request a heading assignment.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA HAS NMAC WITH JET ACFT IN CLASS C AIRSPACE.

Narrative: WHILE CLBING OUT FROM WHP I CALLED BUR TWR TO REQUEST TRANSITION TO SMO AND WAS TOLD TO REMAIN CLR OF CLASS C AIRSPACE, SO I REMAINED OVER WHP UNTIL BEING TOLD TO FOLLOW THE GOLDEN STATE FREEWAY E (WHICH PASSES SW OF WHP) AND TO REMAIN VFR AT OR BELOW 2500 FT. I AM UNAWARE OF BEING GIVEN ANY ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS. I TURNED S TO INTERCEPT THE GOLDEN STATE FREEWAY WHILE CLBING TO 2500 FT, WHILE TRYING TO FIND THE FREEWAY AMONG THE MANY CITY LIGHTS BELOW ME. I KEPT MY LNDG LIGHTS ON TO MAXIMIZE MY VISIBILITY TO OTHER ACFT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE CTLR TOLD ME TO TURN TO HDG 090 DEGS NOW, WHICH I DID. AS I RECALL AT THIS POINT I WAS STILL NW OF BUR, BY PERHAPS 2 MI OR SO. SUBSEQUENTLY, I SAW A JET TRANSPORT PASSING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OVERHEAD, PERHAPS 500 FT ABOVE ME. THE CTLR STATED THAT I HAD BEEN FOLLOWING THE HOLLYWOOD FREEWAY INSTEAD OF THE GOLDEN STATE FREEWAY AND SUGGESTED THAT I ASK IN THE FUTURE IF UNSURE. SUBSEQUENTLY, SHE CLRED ME ON COURSE AND OFF THE FREQ. SUCH A CLOSE PASS IS VERY DISCONCERTING AND I HAVE TRIED TO THINK WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DONE DIFFERENTLY. I AM INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH BOTH THE AIRSPACE AROUND WHP AND THE ROADS, HAVING FLOWN OUT OF THE AREA AND LIVED IN LOS ANGELES FOR A NUMBER OF YRS. I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT DIRECTIONS TO FOLLOW A FREEWAY ARE DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW, NO MATTER HOW FAMILIAR ONE MIGHT BE WITH THE AREA. TRYING TO PICK A SPECIFIC FREEWAY AT NIGHT OUT OF THE MAZE OF LIGHTS ON THE GND IS DIFFICULT AT BEST. THIS JET MAY HAVE DEPARTED ON RWY 26 FROM BUR, NOT THE USUAL RWY FOR DEPS IN MY EXPERIENCE. ALTHOUGH THE CTLR HAD MENTIONED THAT TFC WOULD BE DEPARTING FROM BUR I HAD NO IDEA THAT ANY TFC WOULD BE CLBING OUT TO THE W OR NW. I WOULD MUCH RATHER HOLD OVER WHP THAN VENTURE FORTH UNDER SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES. I BELIEVE THAT WHEN CLRED TO ENTER THE CLASS C AIRSPACE WITH RELATIVELY IMPRECISE INSTRUCTIONS WHICH HAVE THE KIND OF POTENTIAL FOR ERROR THAT THESE DID THAT I HAD REASON TO BELIEVE THAT NO KNOWN TFC WOULD BE HEADED IN MY GENERAL DIRECTION. I HAVE THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS FOR TFC CTL IN SUCH CONGESTED AREAS: 1) ASSIGN VECTORS RATHER THAN INSTRUCTIONS BASED ON GND REFS WHICH MAY BE DIFFICULT TO DISCERN (THE CTLR NEVER ASKED ME IF I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA). 2) KEEP AN ACFT SUCH AS MINE OUT OF THE AIRSPACE UNTIL THE POTENTIAL FOR CONFLICT HAS PASSED. IN THE FUTURE I WILL BE EVEN MORE CAREFUL ABOUT MY NAV UNDER SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WILL REQUEST A HDG ASSIGNMENT.

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.