Narrative:

I was flying right seat in the wwii bomber that I help crew (operating limitations require 2 pilots) on a passenger sightseeing flight while supporting a local wwii memorial museum. Several of the passenger were volunteers from the military vehicle museum located nearby. We departed hef to the southwest and on the return to hef the PIC wanted to circle the farm where the military vehicle restorations are conducted. As copilot, my job among others was navigation and communication. I was using a current sectional chart teamed with my recent experience from a previous flight in the area to help with the dr, this was verified by my handheld moving map GPS. As luck would have it the restoration facility that the pilot wanted to circle was immediately adjacent to a restr area to the south and the hef class D airspace to the north. The controllers at hef were busy and when I called them we were told to remain clear of the class D airspace. The airspace between these 2 boundaries is approximately 1.5 mi and in the ensuing circles we did penetrate the hef class D airspace by .5 mi (verified by the onboard VFR GPS). The single biggest contributing factor was the pilot's indifference to a 'slight' airspace intrusion by the PIC. The aircraft is adequately equipped with navigation equipment. In this case the aircraft installed GPS showed hef at 4.5 mi. This was pointed out to the PIC. My verbal warnings to 'tighten up the turns' prompted by what I saw on my handheld moving map GPS were unheeded. When traffic at hef did permit us to enter class D airspace for landing at hef, the controller made no mention of the transgression. Supplemental information from acn 481721: I had some distant past familiarity with the area, but the aircraft owner (copilot) assured me that he was familiar with the area from the previous day's flts and that after takeoff on runway 34R, a turn to downwind, and that after passing abeam of the end of the runway a heading of 210 degrees would take us out of the hef class D airspace and keep us north of restr area R6608A. The copilot was navigating and had a current sectional chart in front of him. Lack of distinguishing landmarks, less than adequate dr navigation skills, and a directional gyro that was probably a few degrees off, were all possible contributing factors leading to our inadvertent entrance into R6608B. I recognized the one and only landmark that I was familiar with, a small water tower near what looks like a rifle range. I knew that that water tower was on the edge or just inside of the restr area and made an immediate right turn to the northwest to clear or remain clear of the area, at the same time I grabbed my handheld moving map GPS to help verify my position. It took a few seconds for the GPS to come on line, and when it did, it showed our position as clear of the restr area. I'm not sure if indeed we penetrated the restr airspace or not, but it was definitely close and not a good feeling.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CLASS D AIRSPACE AND OR RESTR AREA ENTRY WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING R SEAT IN THE WWII BOMBER THAT I HELP CREW (OPERATING LIMITATIONS REQUIRE 2 PLTS) ON A PAX SIGHTSEEING FLT WHILE SUPPORTING A LCL WWII MEMORIAL MUSEUM. SEVERAL OF THE PAX WERE VOLUNTEERS FROM THE MIL VEHICLE MUSEUM LOCATED NEARBY. WE DEPARTED HEF TO THE SW AND ON THE RETURN TO HEF THE PIC WANTED TO CIRCLE THE FARM WHERE THE MIL VEHICLE RESTORATIONS ARE CONDUCTED. AS COPLT, MY JOB AMONG OTHERS WAS NAV AND COM. I WAS USING A CURRENT SECTIONAL CHART TEAMED WITH MY RECENT EXPERIENCE FROM A PREVIOUS FLT IN THE AREA TO HELP WITH THE DR, THIS WAS VERIFIED BY MY HANDHELD MOVING MAP GPS. AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT THE RESTORATION FACILITY THAT THE PLT WANTED TO CIRCLE WAS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO A RESTR AREA TO THE S AND THE HEF CLASS D AIRSPACE TO THE N. THE CTLRS AT HEF WERE BUSY AND WHEN I CALLED THEM WE WERE TOLD TO REMAIN CLR OF THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. THE AIRSPACE BTWN THESE 2 BOUNDARIES IS APPROX 1.5 MI AND IN THE ENSUING CIRCLES WE DID PENETRATE THE HEF CLASS D AIRSPACE BY .5 MI (VERIFIED BY THE ONBOARD VFR GPS). THE SINGLE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE PLT'S INDIFFERENCE TO A 'SLIGHT' AIRSPACE INTRUSION BY THE PIC. THE ACFT IS ADEQUATELY EQUIPPED WITH NAV EQUIP. IN THIS CASE THE ACFT INSTALLED GPS SHOWED HEF AT 4.5 MI. THIS WAS POINTED OUT TO THE PIC. MY VERBAL WARNINGS TO 'TIGHTEN UP THE TURNS' PROMPTED BY WHAT I SAW ON MY HANDHELD MOVING MAP GPS WERE UNHEEDED. WHEN TFC AT HEF DID PERMIT US TO ENTER CLASS D AIRSPACE FOR LNDG AT HEF, THE CTLR MADE NO MENTION OF THE TRANSGRESSION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 481721: I HAD SOME DISTANT PAST FAMILIARITY WITH THE AREA, BUT THE ACFT OWNER (COPLT) ASSURED ME THAT HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA FROM THE PREVIOUS DAY'S FLTS AND THAT AFTER TKOF ON RWY 34R, A TURN TO DOWNWIND, AND THAT AFTER PASSING ABEAM OF THE END OF THE RWY A HDG OF 210 DEGS WOULD TAKE US OUT OF THE HEF CLASS D AIRSPACE AND KEEP US N OF RESTR AREA R6608A. THE COPLT WAS NAVING AND HAD A CURRENT SECTIONAL CHART IN FRONT OF HIM. LACK OF DISTINGUISHING LANDMARKS, LESS THAN ADEQUATE DR NAV SKILLS, AND A DIRECTIONAL GYRO THAT WAS PROBABLY A FEW DEGS OFF, WERE ALL POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS LEADING TO OUR INADVERTENT ENTRANCE INTO R6608B. I RECOGNIZED THE ONE AND ONLY LANDMARK THAT I WAS FAMILIAR WITH, A SMALL WATER TOWER NEAR WHAT LOOKS LIKE A RIFLE RANGE. I KNEW THAT THAT WATER TOWER WAS ON THE EDGE OR JUST INSIDE OF THE RESTR AREA AND MADE AN IMMEDIATE R TURN TO THE NW TO CLR OR REMAIN CLR OF THE AREA, AT THE SAME TIME I GRABBED MY HANDHELD MOVING MAP GPS TO HELP VERIFY MY POS. IT TOOK A FEW SECONDS FOR THE GPS TO COME ON LINE, AND WHEN IT DID, IT SHOWED OUR POS AS CLR OF THE RESTR AREA. I'M NOT SURE IF INDEED WE PENETRATED THE RESTR AIRSPACE OR NOT, BUT IT WAS DEFINITELY CLOSE AND NOT A GOOD FEELING.

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.