Narrative:

My student and I were doing a training flight from vero beach to leesburg, fl. We picked up flight following from ZMA about 10 mi northwest of vero beach. We requested flight following from our present position direct to leesburg, which would take us directly through class B airspace. The controller gave us a squawk code of XXXX. After entering the code in our transponder, she said we were in radar contact and acknowledged our position and altitude. Shortly after our initial radar contacted, we asked for a climb to 6500 ft to get on top of a broken cloud layer, which she approved and we continued on our northwesterly heading, direct to leesburg. As we approached orlando, we expected to receive a handoff to orlando approach but never received any contact from the controller. We queried her but she replied only by saying 'standby.' we patiently waited but then when we started looking more closely between the clouds and saw the kissimmee airport, we became very concerned about our proximity to orlando's class B airspace. The frequency was very congested but I broke in and said urgently that 'we needed a handoff to orlando approach.' she responded, 'aircraft X, radar service terminated, squawk VFR, orlando XXXX.' with more urgency in my voice, I said, 'no, aircraft X needs a handoff to orlando approach now.' again, she responded, radar service terminated, squawk VFR, orlando XXXX.' frustrated, we squawked 1200 then contacted approach. The controller there gave us a new code and said we were already inside class B airspace. We apologized and tried to explain that we had been with miami for flight following but she neglected to hand us off to approach. The controller scolded us for the infraction then gave us a 270 degree heading and a new sector frequency to contact. There was no traffic conflict with any other aircraft. We then proceeded to leesburg and back to vero beach again without incident. In the past when I have done these type of flts (transitioning through class B), I have never been forgotten during flight following, and/or dumped into class B airspace without a clearance. While it is ultimately my responsibility to secure the clearance, I feel let down by the ZMA controller who could have contacted orlando and explained her error as well in forgetting to hand us off at the appropriate time. Instead, she dumped us into a dangerous situation amongst heavy aircraft approaching and departing orlando international by forcing us to squawk VFR before contacting approach. So what I expected to be a service, really turned out to be a huge liability. We would have been much better off to proceed with no flight following from vero beach then contact orlando approach myself before entering class B airspace. Due to the heavy training in florida, the controllers tend to be very overloaded. If this controller was too busy to do the job properly, then she should have refused the service or cut back on services given to other pilots. In addition, once seeing that she had taken us into class B airspace, she should have provided us more assistance, not less, to coordinate with approach and prevent a potential conflict with other aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 INSTRUCTOR AND TRAINEE WERE DUMPED BY ZJX, INTO ORL CLASS B WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: MY STUDENT AND I WERE DOING A TRAINING FLT FROM VERO BEACH TO LEESBURG, FL. WE PICKED UP FLT FOLLOWING FROM ZMA ABOUT 10 MI NW OF VERO BEACH. WE REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING FROM OUR PRESENT POS DIRECT TO LEESBURG, WHICH WOULD TAKE US DIRECTLY THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE. THE CTLR GAVE US A SQUAWK CODE OF XXXX. AFTER ENTERING THE CODE IN OUR XPONDER, SHE SAID WE WERE IN RADAR CONTACT AND ACKNOWLEDGED OUR POS AND ALT. SHORTLY AFTER OUR INITIAL RADAR CONTACTED, WE ASKED FOR A CLB TO 6500 FT TO GET ON TOP OF A BROKEN CLOUD LAYER, WHICH SHE APPROVED AND WE CONTINUED ON OUR NORTHWESTERLY HEADING, DIRECT TO LEESBURG. AS WE APCHED ORLANDO, WE EXPECTED TO RECEIVE A HDOF TO ORLANDO APCH BUT NEVER RECEIVED ANY CONTACT FROM THE CTLR. WE QUERIED HER BUT SHE REPLIED ONLY BY SAYING 'STANDBY.' WE PATIENTLY WAITED BUT THEN WHEN WE STARTED LOOKING MORE CLOSELY BTWN THE CLOUDS AND SAW THE KISSIMMEE ARPT, WE BECAME VERY CONCERNED ABOUT OUR PROX TO ORLANDO'S CLASS B AIRSPACE. THE FREQ WAS VERY CONGESTED BUT I BROKE IN AND SAID URGENTLY THAT 'WE NEEDED A HDOF TO ORLANDO APCH.' SHE RESPONDED, 'ACFT X, RADAR SVC TERMINATED, SQUAWK VFR, ORLANDO XXXX.' WITH MORE URGENCY IN MY VOICE, I SAID, 'NO, ACFT X NEEDS A HDOF TO ORLANDO APCH NOW.' AGAIN, SHE RESPONDED, RADAR SVC TERMINATED, SQUAWK VFR, ORLANDO XXXX.' FRUSTRATED, WE SQUAWKED 1200 THEN CONTACTED APCH. THE CTLR THERE GAVE US A NEW CODE AND SAID WE WERE ALREADY INSIDE CLASS B AIRSPACE. WE APOLOGIZED AND TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT WE HAD BEEN WITH MIAMI FOR FLT FOLLOWING BUT SHE NEGLECTED TO HAND US OFF TO APCH. THE CTLR SCOLDED US FOR THE INFRACTION THEN GAVE US A 270 DEG HDG AND A NEW SECTOR FREQ TO CONTACT. THERE WAS NO TFC CONFLICT WITH ANY OTHER ACFT. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO LEESBURG AND BACK TO VERO BEACH AGAIN WITHOUT INCIDENT. IN THE PAST WHEN I HAVE DONE THESE TYPE OF FLTS (TRANSITIONING THROUGH CLASS B), I HAVE NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN DURING FLT FOLLOWING, AND/OR DUMPED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT A CLRNC. WHILE IT IS ULTIMATELY MY RESPONSIBILITY TO SECURE THE CLRNC, I FEEL LET DOWN BY THE ZMA CTLR WHO COULD HAVE CONTACTED ORLANDO AND EXPLAINED HER ERROR AS WELL IN FORGETTING TO HAND US OFF AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME. INSTEAD, SHE DUMPED US INTO A DANGEROUS SIT AMONGST HVY ACFT APCHING AND DEPARTING ORLANDO INTL BY FORCING US TO SQUAWK VFR BEFORE CONTACTING APCH. SO WHAT I EXPECTED TO BE A SVC, REALLY TURNED OUT TO BE A HUGE LIABILITY. WE WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER OFF TO PROCEED WITH NO FLT FOLLOWING FROM VERO BEACH THEN CONTACT ORLANDO APCH MYSELF BEFORE ENTERING CLASS B AIRSPACE. DUE TO THE HVY TRAINING IN FLORIDA, THE CTLRS TEND TO BE VERY OVERLOADED. IF THIS CTLR WAS TOO BUSY TO DO THE JOB PROPERLY, THEN SHE SHOULD HAVE REFUSED THE SVC OR CUT BACK ON SVCS GIVEN TO OTHER PLTS. IN ADDITION, ONCE SEEING THAT SHE HAD TAKEN US INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE, SHE SHOULD HAVE PROVIDED US MORE ASSISTANCE, NOT LESS, TO COORDINATE WITH APCH AND PREVENT A POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH OTHER ACFT.

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.