Narrative:

I was nwbound out of bfi at 2900 ft, under the shelf of sea's class B (3000 ft floor), en route to skagit regional (bvs), a route I fly very frequently, almost always with flight following (or IFR, depending on WX). I was 3-4 NM out of bfi (about 8 DME from sea) when I contacted sea approach and requested and was accepted for VFR radar advisories. After confirming radar contact, approach advised me to remain clear of class B airspace, and I remained level at 2900 ft. I was handed off to ZSE soon after the shelf where the class B floor rises from 3000 ft to 5000 ft (sea 12 DME). When center responded to my check-in, the controller asked my intended cruise altitude (4500 ft). She cleared me to climb through class B airspace but also said to remain at 3000 ft. I do not recall the exact wording of her 3000 ft request -- whether 'maintain 3000 ft' or 'advise of change' or other terminology. First problem: since I was already past the 3000 ft class B floor, the request to maintain 3000 ft rendered moot both my climb to 4500 ft and the clearance to enter class B airspace. But holding at 3000 ft wasn't a problem (yet), so that's what I did. But then the second problem arose. My planned route was over the top of pae, whose class D airspace has a ceiling of 3100 ft. After a few mins at 3000 ft with no further contact from center, I was getting pretty close to the pae class D airspace, with no change in my 3000 ft restr/request and no verbalized clearance to enter the airspace. The center controller was very busy and I had difficulty squeezing in a call, and when I did, there was no response. By then I was 0.5 NM from class D airspace. So I initiated my climb to 4500 ft. I reasoned that the responsibility was mine to avoid class D airspace, having not been cleared to enter it, and that because I was VFR and in class east airspace, the 3000 ft restr was a suggestion and not a requirement. Further, I am familiar with pae's airspace, instrument approachs, and holding patterns, and I believed I could climb safely with good visual lookout (I asked my passenger to also keep a sharp eye for other aircraft). But of course the controller could not know or count on my familiarity. As I was passing 4000 ft, the controller came back (the first contact in several mins) and asked what altitude I was climbing to. I told her and she had no comment, question, or apparent concern. I think 'roger' and nothing else. When she passed me off to the next sector (whidbey approach) a few mins later, that controller asked me to confirm my altitude (level at 4500 ft) and inquired whether I was IFR or VFR. At that point, it dawned on me that the ZSE controller might have believed I was IFR and handed me off to whidbey as an IFR flight. As I now understand the FARS, the instructions to maintain 3000 ft constituted clearance through pae's class D airspace. But I didn't recall or understand that at the time, and I erred in initiating my climb. However, the entire situation was atypical. I fly the same route very frequently, and climbing northward out of bfi with flight following, the usual accompaniment to the first 'radar contact' acknowledgement is clearance to climb through class B airspace, suggesting that ATC usually prefers to get traffic as high as possible over pae. (Pae is a busy GA airport and handles lots of practice approachs, and as the site of one of boeing's major plants, has a fair amount of jetliner traffic.) in any case, my expectations based on experience probably contributed to my flawed decision. But I think ATC contributed to the problem. First, the ZSE controller seemed very busy, perhaps too busy to have accepted a VFR advisories request. She was handling lots of traffic and several overlapping xmissions delayed my ability to contact her or clarification, and I received no response once I was able to make a call. Second, the original discrepancy of instructions (ok to climb in class B airspace but stay at 3000 ft) may have subconsciously influenced me to discount the altitude restr. Third, the ZSE controller may have understood (or been misinformed by the approach controller) that I was IFR, not VFR. (My original request for VFR advisories was clear, and the ctrctlr asked my intended cruise altitude rather than assigning one, and didn't comment when I stated 4500 ft -- so that may or may not have been an issue. But the whidbey approach controller was uncertain whether I was IFR or VFR, which suggests such a miscom somewhere along the line.) all of this suggests to me that better workload management at ATC might have prevented the outcome. But nevertheless, I understand that this doesn't relieve me of my responsibility to understand and comply with ATC instructions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DEPARTING C182 FROM BFI REQUESTS AND OBTAINS VFR FLT FOLLOWING THAT SOMEHOW BECOMES CONFUSED.

Narrative: I WAS NWBOUND OUT OF BFI AT 2900 FT, UNDER THE SHELF OF SEA'S CLASS B (3000 FT FLOOR), ENRTE TO SKAGIT REGIONAL (BVS), A RTE I FLY VERY FREQUENTLY, ALMOST ALWAYS WITH FLT FOLLOWING (OR IFR, DEPENDING ON WX). I WAS 3-4 NM OUT OF BFI (ABOUT 8 DME FROM SEA) WHEN I CONTACTED SEA APCH AND REQUESTED AND WAS ACCEPTED FOR VFR RADAR ADVISORIES. AFTER CONFIRMING RADAR CONTACT, APCH ADVISED ME TO REMAIN CLR OF CLASS B AIRSPACE, AND I REMAINED LEVEL AT 2900 FT. I WAS HANDED OFF TO ZSE SOON AFTER THE SHELF WHERE THE CLASS B FLOOR RISES FROM 3000 FT TO 5000 FT (SEA 12 DME). WHEN CTR RESPONDED TO MY CHK-IN, THE CTLR ASKED MY INTENDED CRUISE ALT (4500 FT). SHE CLRED ME TO CLB THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE BUT ALSO SAID TO REMAIN AT 3000 FT. I DO NOT RECALL THE EXACT WORDING OF HER 3000 FT REQUEST -- WHETHER 'MAINTAIN 3000 FT' OR 'ADVISE OF CHANGE' OR OTHER TERMINOLOGY. FIRST PROB: SINCE I WAS ALREADY PAST THE 3000 FT CLASS B FLOOR, THE REQUEST TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT RENDERED MOOT BOTH MY CLB TO 4500 FT AND THE CLRNC TO ENTER CLASS B AIRSPACE. BUT HOLDING AT 3000 FT WASN'T A PROB (YET), SO THAT'S WHAT I DID. BUT THEN THE SECOND PROB AROSE. MY PLANNED RTE WAS OVER THE TOP OF PAE, WHOSE CLASS D AIRSPACE HAS A CEILING OF 3100 FT. AFTER A FEW MINS AT 3000 FT WITH NO FURTHER CONTACT FROM CTR, I WAS GETTING PRETTY CLOSE TO THE PAE CLASS D AIRSPACE, WITH NO CHANGE IN MY 3000 FT RESTR/REQUEST AND NO VERBALIZED CLRNC TO ENTER THE AIRSPACE. THE CTR CTLR WAS VERY BUSY AND I HAD DIFFICULTY SQUEEZING IN A CALL, AND WHEN I DID, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. BY THEN I WAS 0.5 NM FROM CLASS D AIRSPACE. SO I INITIATED MY CLB TO 4500 FT. I REASONED THAT THE RESPONSIBILITY WAS MINE TO AVOID CLASS D AIRSPACE, HAVING NOT BEEN CLRED TO ENTER IT, AND THAT BECAUSE I WAS VFR AND IN CLASS E AIRSPACE, THE 3000 FT RESTR WAS A SUGGESTION AND NOT A REQUIREMENT. FURTHER, I AM FAMILIAR WITH PAE'S AIRSPACE, INST APCHS, AND HOLDING PATTERNS, AND I BELIEVED I COULD CLB SAFELY WITH GOOD VISUAL LOOKOUT (I ASKED MY PAX TO ALSO KEEP A SHARP EYE FOR OTHER ACFT). BUT OF COURSE THE CTLR COULD NOT KNOW OR COUNT ON MY FAMILIARITY. AS I WAS PASSING 4000 FT, THE CTLR CAME BACK (THE FIRST CONTACT IN SEVERAL MINS) AND ASKED WHAT ALT I WAS CLBING TO. I TOLD HER AND SHE HAD NO COMMENT, QUESTION, OR APPARENT CONCERN. I THINK 'ROGER' AND NOTHING ELSE. WHEN SHE PASSED ME OFF TO THE NEXT SECTOR (WHIDBEY APCH) A FEW MINS LATER, THAT CTLR ASKED ME TO CONFIRM MY ALT (LEVEL AT 4500 FT) AND INQUIRED WHETHER I WAS IFR OR VFR. AT THAT POINT, IT DAWNED ON ME THAT THE ZSE CTLR MIGHT HAVE BELIEVED I WAS IFR AND HANDED ME OFF TO WHIDBEY AS AN IFR FLT. AS I NOW UNDERSTAND THE FARS, THE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT CONSTITUTED CLRNC THROUGH PAE'S CLASS D AIRSPACE. BUT I DIDN'T RECALL OR UNDERSTAND THAT AT THE TIME, AND I ERRED IN INITIATING MY CLB. HOWEVER, THE ENTIRE SIT WAS ATYPICAL. I FLY THE SAME RTE VERY FREQUENTLY, AND CLBING NORTHWARD OUT OF BFI WITH FLT FOLLOWING, THE USUAL ACCOMPANIMENT TO THE FIRST 'RADAR CONTACT' ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IS CLRNC TO CLB THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE, SUGGESTING THAT ATC USUALLY PREFERS TO GET TFC AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE OVER PAE. (PAE IS A BUSY GA ARPT AND HANDLES LOTS OF PRACTICE APCHS, AND AS THE SITE OF ONE OF BOEING'S MAJOR PLANTS, HAS A FAIR AMOUNT OF JETLINER TFC.) IN ANY CASE, MY EXPECTATIONS BASED ON EXPERIENCE PROBABLY CONTRIBUTED TO MY FLAWED DECISION. BUT I THINK ATC CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROB. FIRST, THE ZSE CTLR SEEMED VERY BUSY, PERHAPS TOO BUSY TO HAVE ACCEPTED A VFR ADVISORIES REQUEST. SHE WAS HANDLING LOTS OF TFC AND SEVERAL OVERLAPPING XMISSIONS DELAYED MY ABILITY TO CONTACT HER OR CLARIFICATION, AND I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE ONCE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A CALL. SECOND, THE ORIGINAL DISCREPANCY OF INSTRUCTIONS (OK TO CLB IN CLASS B AIRSPACE BUT STAY AT 3000 FT) MAY HAVE SUBCONSCIOUSLY INFLUENCED ME TO DISCOUNT THE ALT RESTR. THIRD, THE ZSE CTLR MAY HAVE UNDERSTOOD (OR BEEN MISINFORMED BY THE APCH CTLR) THAT I WAS IFR, NOT VFR. (MY ORIGINAL REQUEST FOR VFR ADVISORIES WAS CLR, AND THE CTRCTLR ASKED MY INTENDED CRUISE ALT RATHER THAN ASSIGNING ONE, AND DIDN'T COMMENT WHEN I STATED 4500 FT -- SO THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE. BUT THE WHIDBEY APCH CTLR WAS UNCERTAIN WHETHER I WAS IFR OR VFR, WHICH SUGGESTS SUCH A MISCOM SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE.) ALL OF THIS SUGGESTS TO ME THAT BETTER WORKLOAD MGMNT AT ATC MIGHT HAVE PREVENTED THE OUTCOME. BUT NEVERTHELESS, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS DOESN'T RELIEVE ME OF MY RESPONSIBILITY TO UNDERSTAND AND COMPLY WITH ATC INSTRUCTIONS.

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.