Narrative:

After arriving at ism under an IFR flight plan, I picked up a private pilot as a passenger. The flight planned to sfb required transversal of enhanced class B airspace. Rather than obtaining clearance for an instrument flight plan that had been filed, I elected to consider the flight to be a training flight under the FAA's temporary flight restrs. My passenger, with an equal amount of time in the tandem, amphibious float equipped airplane, would act as safety pilot for logging instrument proficiency training time in VFR conditions. This offered several advantages: 1) substantial time savings, 2) an opportunity for proficiency training, and 3) avoidance of actual instrument conditions in an overcast layer at IFR altitudes. Based on an earlier review of the temporary flight restrs in effect, I believed the flight to be legal in enhanced class B airspace. Leaving kissimmee class D airspace, I proceeded in a northwest direction to avoid class B airspace. After reaching level cruise flight at 1400 ft MSL, I concentrated my attention inside the cockpit to simulate instrument conditions while my passenger acted as safety pilot. Shortly thereafter he remarked that we were approaching disney world. Immediately looking outside, I determined that we were over epcot center. I became concerned that flight in the vicinity of the tourist attractions might be restr. Accordingly, I turned the airplane northbound to avoid further overflt of the parks. My FSS briefing for the flight was based on an IFR flight plan. The briefer did not identify disney world or epcot as restr areas. The area was not idented on either of my GPS moving maps as a park. The temporary NOTAM is unclr as to whether it applies to theme parks since the parks are not 'open air assemblies; in the sense of 'major' sporting events. In fact, on the inbound flight, I was clear by ATC over the disney parks. My perception was (and is) that the 'enhanced class B' airspace restrs are unnecessary and ineffective in their purpose. My judgement that the safety pilot was fully briefed as to all fdc NOTAMS due to his recent flight in the area was unjustified. Further, the safety pilot does not agree that the cited fdc NOTAM applied to flight over the tourist parks. It was my intent, however, to avoid violation of any potentially sensitive airspace. The decision to change from an IFR flight plan to a VFR training flight was hastily made without considering the presence of the theme parks in a potential flight path. Failure to properly brief the safety pilot on an accepted route of flight and NOTAMS was a factor in the incident. Failure to follow the flight path on a sectional and reliance on GPS depiction of airspace was also a factor. I would like to say I would not have intentionally violated any airspace restr or flown over 'sensitive' areas. My attitude was, however, a factor in my determination to make the flight as a VFR training flight rather than flying with an IFR clearance.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A 'HUSK' PLT FLEW OVER DISNEY WORLD AT 1400 FT IN VIOLATION OF THE RESTR COVERING FLT OVER ANY MAJOR OPEN AIR ASSEMBLY OF PEOPLE.

Narrative: AFTER ARRIVING AT ISM UNDER AN IFR FLT PLAN, I PICKED UP A PVT PLT AS A PAX. THE FLT PLANNED TO SFB REQUIRED TRANSVERSAL OF ENHANCED CLASS B AIRSPACE. RATHER THAN OBTAINING CLRNC FOR AN INST FLT PLAN THAT HAD BEEN FILED, I ELECTED TO CONSIDER THE FLT TO BE A TRAINING FLT UNDER THE FAA'S TEMPORARY FLT RESTRS. MY PAX, WITH AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF TIME IN THE TANDEM, AMPHIBIOUS FLOAT EQUIPPED AIRPLANE, WOULD ACT AS SAFETY PLT FOR LOGGING INST PROFICIENCY TRAINING TIME IN VFR CONDITIONS. THIS OFFERED SEVERAL ADVANTAGES: 1) SUBSTANTIAL TIME SAVINGS, 2) AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PROFICIENCY TRAINING, AND 3) AVOIDANCE OF ACTUAL INST CONDITIONS IN AN OVCST LAYER AT IFR ALTS. BASED ON AN EARLIER REVIEW OF THE TEMPORARY FLT RESTRS IN EFFECT, I BELIEVED THE FLT TO BE LEGAL IN ENHANCED CLASS B AIRSPACE. LEAVING KISSIMMEE CLASS D AIRSPACE, I PROCEEDED IN A NW DIRECTION TO AVOID CLASS B AIRSPACE. AFTER REACHING LEVEL CRUISE FLT AT 1400 FT MSL, I CONCENTRATED MY ATTN INSIDE THE COCKPIT TO SIMULATE INST CONDITIONS WHILE MY PAX ACTED AS SAFETY PLT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER HE REMARKED THAT WE WERE APCHING DISNEY WORLD. IMMEDIATELY LOOKING OUTSIDE, I DETERMINED THAT WE WERE OVER EPCOT CENTER. I BECAME CONCERNED THAT FLT IN THE VICINITY OF THE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS MIGHT BE RESTR. ACCORDINGLY, I TURNED THE AIRPLANE NBOUND TO AVOID FURTHER OVERFLT OF THE PARKS. MY FSS BRIEFING FOR THE FLT WAS BASED ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. THE BRIEFER DID NOT IDENT DISNEY WORLD OR EPCOT AS RESTR AREAS. THE AREA WAS NOT IDENTED ON EITHER OF MY GPS MOVING MAPS AS A PARK. THE TEMPORARY NOTAM IS UNCLR AS TO WHETHER IT APPLIES TO THEME PARKS SINCE THE PARKS ARE NOT 'OPEN AIR ASSEMBLIES; IN THE SENSE OF 'MAJOR' SPORTING EVENTS. IN FACT, ON THE INBOUND FLT, I WAS CLR BY ATC OVER THE DISNEY PARKS. MY PERCEPTION WAS (AND IS) THAT THE 'ENHANCED CLASS B' AIRSPACE RESTRS ARE UNNECESSARY AND INEFFECTIVE IN THEIR PURPOSE. MY JUDGEMENT THAT THE SAFETY PLT WAS FULLY BRIEFED AS TO ALL FDC NOTAMS DUE TO HIS RECENT FLT IN THE AREA WAS UNJUSTIFIED. FURTHER, THE SAFETY PLT DOES NOT AGREE THAT THE CITED FDC NOTAM APPLIED TO FLT OVER THE TOURIST PARKS. IT WAS MY INTENT, HOWEVER, TO AVOID VIOLATION OF ANY POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AIRSPACE. THE DECISION TO CHANGE FROM AN IFR FLT PLAN TO A VFR TRAINING FLT WAS HASTILY MADE WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE PRESENCE OF THE THEME PARKS IN A POTENTIAL FLT PATH. FAILURE TO PROPERLY BRIEF THE SAFETY PLT ON AN ACCEPTED RTE OF FLT AND NOTAMS WAS A FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE FLT PATH ON A SECTIONAL AND RELIANCE ON GPS DEPICTION OF AIRSPACE WAS ALSO A FACTOR. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I WOULD NOT HAVE INTENTIONALLY VIOLATED ANY AIRSPACE RESTR OR FLOWN OVER 'SENSITIVE' AREAS. MY ATTITUDE WAS, HOWEVER, A FACTOR IN MY DETERMINATION TO MAKE THE FLT AS A VFR TRAINING FLT RATHER THAN FLYING WITH AN IFR CLRNC.

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.