Narrative:

I was conducting a routine pollution, marine mammal sighting, and patrol for a government agency. I am a volunteer for the government agency and fly my airplane for free (fuel furnished by the government) almost every week in the same area. We were using a charlie sierra search pattern and were 20 mi out to sea at 1000 ft on a heading of 030 degrees due west of mt soledad on the san diego mainland. I called the tower at lindberg airport about 6-7 mi out approaching the coastline and informed them of my intentions to approach the coastline at 500 ft or lower and to proceed south along the beach to a point abreast of the entrance to mission bay and then turn out to sea again. There must have been a new controller in the tower and he told me to squawk XXXX and to remain out of the class B airspace. I made a 180 degree turn and headed out to sea again at 500 ft and called the controller again and asked him how long I would have to wait out here heading out to sea. He told me that he couldn't see me and I told him that I was so low he couldn't see me. I then told him that we do this patrol all the time and the controllers let us pass through his area as a routine matter. He then told me 'do what you normally do or do what you usually do, and call him when I got to mt soledad.' we then made a 180 degree turn back to 030 degrees and when I was about 2 mi offshore, I made a turn to 120 degrees on a course that parallels the beach. I called the controller and told him that I was on a course of 120 degrees and received no response from him. I was at 450 ft over the water and about three fourths of the way toward the ocean beach pier and the opening to mission bay. He then called me and asked me if I was the blip squawking XXXX and I said affirmative and he told me that I was not cleared into class B airspace and I told him that I had called him when I made the turn and he said to me that I was supposed to call him when I reached mt soledad. I replied that I had to make the turn or else run into mt soledad and that I was sorry that there was a misunderstanding. He also made a remark after I had made the turn at the beach heading south when I told him that I was along the beach and he told me that the beach extended from canada to the mexican border. At that point I made a turn to 230 degrees and he announced that I was leaving class B airspace and that I was to squawk 1200. I made several other attempts to call him before I entered the class B airspace and I assumed that his remark to do as 'I usually do' allowed me to proceed as we usually do on this patrol. I do not get paid by the government agency and volunteer my time and airplane for this flying. I am very familiar with the area having flown this patrol at least 10 times in the last yr and this yr. This controller was very busy and failed to answer my requests several times and gave me the impression that I was cleared to do the usual thing. I flew about 160 hours for the government agency last yr and I am a senior flight commander and would not voluntarily bust a class B airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN SMA SEL ENTERED CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC DUE TO A MISUNDERSTANDING WITH ATC DURING A SPECIAL MARINE MAMMAL SIGHTING PATROL.

Narrative: I WAS CONDUCTING A ROUTINE POLLUTION, MARINE MAMMAL SIGHTING, AND PATROL FOR A GOV AGENCY. I AM A VOLUNTEER FOR THE GOV AGENCY AND FLY MY AIRPLANE FOR FREE (FUEL FURNISHED BY THE GOV) ALMOST EVERY WK IN THE SAME AREA. WE WERE USING A CHARLIE SIERRA SEARCH PATTERN AND WERE 20 MI OUT TO SEA AT 1000 FT ON A HDG OF 030 DEGS DUE W OF MT SOLEDAD ON THE SAN DIEGO MAINLAND. I CALLED THE TWR AT LINDBERG ARPT ABOUT 6-7 MI OUT APCHING THE COASTLINE AND INFORMED THEM OF MY INTENTIONS TO APCH THE COASTLINE AT 500 FT OR LOWER AND TO PROCEED S ALONG THE BEACH TO A POINT ABREAST OF THE ENTRANCE TO MISSION BAY AND THEN TURN OUT TO SEA AGAIN. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A NEW CTLR IN THE TWR AND HE TOLD ME TO SQUAWK XXXX AND TO REMAIN OUT OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I MADE A 180 DEG TURN AND HEADED OUT TO SEA AGAIN AT 500 FT AND CALLED THE CTLR AGAIN AND ASKED HIM HOW LONG I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT OUT HERE HDG OUT TO SEA. HE TOLD ME THAT HE COULDN'T SEE ME AND I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS SO LOW HE COULDN'T SEE ME. I THEN TOLD HIM THAT WE DO THIS PATROL ALL THE TIME AND THE CTLRS LET US PASS THROUGH HIS AREA AS A ROUTINE MATTER. HE THEN TOLD ME 'DO WHAT YOU NORMALLY DO OR DO WHAT YOU USUALLY DO, AND CALL HIM WHEN I GOT TO MT SOLEDAD.' WE THEN MADE A 180 DEG TURN BACK TO 030 DEGS AND WHEN I WAS ABOUT 2 MI OFFSHORE, I MADE A TURN TO 120 DEGS ON A COURSE THAT PARALLELS THE BEACH. I CALLED THE CTLR AND TOLD HIM THAT I WAS ON A COURSE OF 120 DEGS AND RECEIVED NO RESPONSE FROM HIM. I WAS AT 450 FT OVER THE WATER AND ABOUT THREE FOURTHS OF THE WAY TOWARD THE OCEAN BEACH PIER AND THE OPENING TO MISSION BAY. HE THEN CALLED ME AND ASKED ME IF I WAS THE BLIP SQUAWKING XXXX AND I SAID AFFIRMATIVE AND HE TOLD ME THAT I WAS NOT CLRED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE AND I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD CALLED HIM WHEN I MADE THE TURN AND HE SAID TO ME THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL HIM WHEN I REACHED MT SOLEDAD. I REPLIED THAT I HAD TO MAKE THE TURN OR ELSE RUN INTO MT SOLEDAD AND THAT I WAS SORRY THAT THERE WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING. HE ALSO MADE A REMARK AFTER I HAD MADE THE TURN AT THE BEACH HDG S WHEN I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS ALONG THE BEACH AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE BEACH EXTENDED FROM CANADA TO THE MEXICAN BORDER. AT THAT POINT I MADE A TURN TO 230 DEGS AND HE ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS LEAVING CLASS B AIRSPACE AND THAT I WAS TO SQUAWK 1200. I MADE SEVERAL OTHER ATTEMPTS TO CALL HIM BEFORE I ENTERED THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND I ASSUMED THAT HIS REMARK TO DO AS 'I USUALLY DO' ALLOWED ME TO PROCEED AS WE USUALLY DO ON THIS PATROL. I DO NOT GET PAID BY THE GOV AGENCY AND VOLUNTEER MY TIME AND AIRPLANE FOR THIS FLYING. I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA HAVING FLOWN THIS PATROL AT LEAST 10 TIMES IN THE LAST YR AND THIS YR. THIS CTLR WAS VERY BUSY AND FAILED TO ANSWER MY REQUESTS SEVERAL TIMES AND GAVE ME THE IMPRESSION THAT I WAS CLRED TO DO THE USUAL THING. I FLEW ABOUT 160 HRS FOR THE GOV AGENCY LAST YR AND I AM A SENIOR FLT COMMANDER AND WOULD NOT VOLUNTARILY BUST A CLASS B AIRSPACE.

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.