Narrative:

On my return flight to jhw from a long cross country flight to south texas in my C120, having landed at I26, I overnighted in henderson. The next morning I planned my flight using the appropriate charts and my hand-held GPS, noting (mentally) that I would be required to deviate a few mi to the east immediately after takeoff in order to avoid evv class C airspace before turning northeast in the direction of my flight. After filing my flight plan, I departed I26, and following my GPS navigation display, proceeded to climb directly into the airspace. I was well inside it at about 3500 ft when I saw the airport and 'woke up.' as I was using a hand- held radio which is pretty much useless outside the pattern, and was not about to try to look up frequencys under the situation, my action was to immediately turn to a heading away from the airport and dive to lose altitude as fast as possible in an attempt to get below the airspace. I saw no other aircraft during this incident. Contributing factors: the most important factor was my poor planning and lack of attention to detail. I was near the end of a 3500 mi, 8 day trip, and was eager to get going and avoid a WX system which threatened to engulf my home area, stranding me. Other factors were the fact that my departure airport is at the north edge of the chart, and evv is on the FLIP side at the bottom. In my climb I did not refer to the chart, as I was using the navigation page on my GPS. An additional distraction was the amazing tailwind I was experiencing on climb, which decreased the time required to enter the airspace. In addition, had I accessed the moving map on my GPS, I would have seen the airspace and would have avoided it. Avoiding a recurrence: in my case, this was a major wake- up call, and I do not intend to repeat it. My future flight plans will include short dog legs to avoid airspaces. In fact I had done this several times on my flight, but thought that this was so obvious, that doing so would be unnecessary. A far-fetched solution would be an alarm of some sort built into GPS units which would announce entry into some classes of controled airspace. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states his unit is an older one and rather slow in some respects. He also needs to update his database but uses the GPS sporadically. He has noticed a great number of changes in identify of some small airports which makes his database somewhat obsolete. The unit could be more user friendly if there was an easier way to remove the installed antenna when plugging in the auxiliary antenna. Otherwise he finds GPS use a very great aid to navigation, but always backs it up with pilotage (at least most always).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C120 PLT DEPARTS FROM ARPT CLOSE TO CLASS B AIRSPACE BUT FAILS TO REMAIN CLR. ON REALIZING THE ERROR HE IMMEDIATELY TURNS AND DSNDS TO EXIT THE AIRSPACE.

Narrative: ON MY RETURN FLT TO JHW FROM A LONG XCOUNTRY FLT TO SOUTH TEXAS IN MY C120, HAVING LANDED AT I26, I OVERNIGHTED IN HENDERSON. THE NEXT MORNING I PLANNED MY FLT USING THE APPROPRIATE CHARTS AND MY HAND-HELD GPS, NOTING (MENTALLY) THAT I WOULD BE REQUIRED TO DEVIATE A FEW MI TO THE E IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF IN ORDER TO AVOID EVV CLASS C AIRSPACE BEFORE TURNING NE IN THE DIRECTION OF MY FLT. AFTER FILING MY FLT PLAN, I DEPARTED I26, AND FOLLOWING MY GPS NAV DISPLAY, PROCEEDED TO CLB DIRECTLY INTO THE AIRSPACE. I WAS WELL INSIDE IT AT ABOUT 3500 FT WHEN I SAW THE ARPT AND 'WOKE UP.' AS I WAS USING A HAND- HELD RADIO WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH USELESS OUTSIDE THE PATTERN, AND WAS NOT ABOUT TO TRY TO LOOK UP FREQS UNDER THE SIT, MY ACTION WAS TO IMMEDIATELY TURN TO A HDG AWAY FROM THE ARPT AND DIVE TO LOSE ALT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET BELOW THE AIRSPACE. I SAW NO OTHER ACFT DURING THIS INCIDENT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR WAS MY POOR PLANNING AND LACK OF ATTN TO DETAIL. I WAS NEAR THE END OF A 3500 MI, 8 DAY TRIP, AND WAS EAGER TO GET GOING AND AVOID A WX SYS WHICH THREATENED TO ENGULF MY HOME AREA, STRANDING ME. OTHER FACTORS WERE THE FACT THAT MY DEP ARPT IS AT THE N EDGE OF THE CHART, AND EVV IS ON THE FLIP SIDE AT THE BOTTOM. IN MY CLB I DID NOT REFER TO THE CHART, AS I WAS USING THE NAV PAGE ON MY GPS. AN ADDITIONAL DISTR WAS THE AMAZING TAILWIND I WAS EXPERIENCING ON CLB, WHICH DECREASED THE TIME REQUIRED TO ENTER THE AIRSPACE. IN ADDITION, HAD I ACCESSED THE MOVING MAP ON MY GPS, I WOULD HAVE SEEN THE AIRSPACE AND WOULD HAVE AVOIDED IT. AVOIDING A RECURRENCE: IN MY CASE, THIS WAS A MAJOR WAKE- UP CALL, AND I DO NOT INTEND TO REPEAT IT. MY FUTURE FLT PLANS WILL INCLUDE SHORT DOG LEGS TO AVOID AIRSPACES. IN FACT I HAD DONE THIS SEVERAL TIMES ON MY FLT, BUT THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS SO OBVIOUS, THAT DOING SO WOULD BE UNNECESSARY. A FAR-FETCHED SOLUTION WOULD BE AN ALARM OF SOME SORT BUILT INTO GPS UNITS WHICH WOULD ANNOUNCE ENTRY INTO SOME CLASSES OF CTLED AIRSPACE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HIS UNIT IS AN OLDER ONE AND RATHER SLOW IN SOME RESPECTS. HE ALSO NEEDS TO UPDATE HIS DATABASE BUT USES THE GPS SPORADICALLY. HE HAS NOTICED A GREAT NUMBER OF CHANGES IN IDENT OF SOME SMALL ARPTS WHICH MAKES HIS DATABASE SOMEWHAT OBSOLETE. THE UNIT COULD BE MORE USER FRIENDLY IF THERE WAS AN EASIER WAY TO REMOVE THE INSTALLED ANTENNA WHEN PLUGGING IN THE AUX ANTENNA. OTHERWISE HE FINDS GPS USE A VERY GREAT AID TO NAV, BUT ALWAYS BACKS IT UP WITH PILOTAGE (AT LEAST MOST ALWAYS).

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.