Narrative:

I performed a VFR flight from suw to fcm in my P28B/I dakota. I have made this flight on several occasions. Knowing the difficulties of the last few weeks, I have carefully reviewed and followed the NOTAMS on the class B airspace and the ecb airspace. While I understood that VFR 1200 squawking flts under the class B rings were authority/authorized, I was under the impression that the controllers were controling all of the ecb space. I had flight following obtained from dlh departure. Upon arriving at cinci, I was passed off to msp approach. The controller told me that I was not cleared to enter into the class B airspace, to descend to 4500 ft, and proceed to crystal airport and then to fcm. I was also instructed to remain VFR, maintain my own navigation and remain clear of the class B airspace. He also told me that I should not expect to be allowed to enter the class B airspace as we have normally done and would have to circumnav to the west. I was familiar with the airspace and proceeded to descend from 6500 ft to 4500 ft and turned west to crystal airport. I then quickly reviewed the sectional and determined that this set of instructions would not be legal as the floor of the class B airspace at the outer ring is 4000 ft. As I descended to 3500 ft, the controller instructed me to not go below 3500 ft, but to remain clear of the class B airspace and remain VFR. I again reviewed the recommended route of flight and decided that to then turn to fcm after passing crystal would require a very rapid descent to less than 3000 ft to meet the requirements of the next ring of the class B airspace. I felt that I would be unable to do this without contacting the crystal tower to obtain clearance to enter the class D airspace. As I was outside of the class B airspace, knowing that I was only on flight following, and concerned about a violation of the crystal class D airspace, I changed frequency to crystal tower, requested overflt and descent. I also changed from my flight following squawk to 1200 to be VFR. However, in retrospect, I failed to communicate with msp approach my intentions/actions. I then proceeded out to the west, descended over a known ground reference (a lake) to 2500 ft, contacted the tower at flying cloud and made an uneventful landing at fcm. Upon reviewing the flight, I am concerned about my confusion with the msp controller. I was responsible for my airspace management. By flying the route 'directed' by the controller, I put myself in a position that I would not have chosen this path due the complexity of this airspace (less than 600 ft clearance) for a low time VFR pilot. In retrospect I should have canceled flight following and diverted from this route of flight to a simpler approach to fcm. This would have been a 'safer' route of flight and slower dscnts under the class B airspace. My preconceived notion that upon contact with msp approach I would be controled and vectored safely through this complex airspace allowed me to take what I now know was only 'a recommended' route of flight as a 'controller prescribed' route of flight that actually was not wise. Contributing to this problem was the confusion over enhanced class B airspace and class B airspace. While I had reviewed the NOTAM and the commercial service faq on the issue of VFR flight and was certain that VFR flight, squawking 1200, not in contact with the ZMP ATC controller was legal, I was, and still am, confused over what role ZMP and ZMP ATC controller have within the airspace that is inside the ecb and the regular class B airspace. In retrospect, and in careful discussion with other pilots, I now am certain that I was responsible and should have done better communicating with ZMP ATC controller.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOW TIME, XCOUNTRY PLT IS CHALLENGED WITH MSP AIRSPACE COMPLEXITIES AND COM REQUIREMENTS.

Narrative: I PERFORMED A VFR FLT FROM SUW TO FCM IN MY P28B/I DAKOTA. I HAVE MADE THIS FLT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. KNOWING THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE LAST FEW WKS, I HAVE CAREFULLY REVIEWED AND FOLLOWED THE NOTAMS ON THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND THE ECB AIRSPACE. WHILE I UNDERSTOOD THAT VFR 1200 SQUAWKING FLTS UNDER THE CLASS B RINGS WERE AUTH, I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE CTLRS WERE CTLING ALL OF THE ECB SPACE. I HAD FLT FOLLOWING OBTAINED FROM DLH DEP. UPON ARRIVING AT CINCI, I WAS PASSED OFF TO MSP APCH. THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT I WAS NOT CLRED TO ENTER INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE, TO DSND TO 4500 FT, AND PROCEED TO CRYSTAL ARPT AND THEN TO FCM. I WAS ALSO INSTRUCTED TO REMAIN VFR, MAINTAIN MY OWN NAV AND REMAIN CLR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD NOT EXPECT TO BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AS WE HAVE NORMALLY DONE AND WOULD HAVE TO CIRCUMNAV TO THE W. I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AIRSPACE AND PROCEEDED TO DSND FROM 6500 FT TO 4500 FT AND TURNED W TO CRYSTAL ARPT. I THEN QUICKLY REVIEWED THE SECTIONAL AND DETERMINED THAT THIS SET OF INSTRUCTIONS WOULD NOT BE LEGAL AS THE FLOOR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AT THE OUTER RING IS 4000 FT. AS I DSNDED TO 3500 FT, THE CTLR INSTRUCTED ME TO NOT GO BELOW 3500 FT, BUT TO REMAIN CLR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND REMAIN VFR. I AGAIN REVIEWED THE RECOMMENDED RTE OF FLT AND DECIDED THAT TO THEN TURN TO FCM AFTER PASSING CRYSTAL WOULD REQUIRE A VERY RAPID DSCNT TO LESS THAN 3000 FT TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE NEXT RING OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I FELT THAT I WOULD BE UNABLE TO DO THIS WITHOUT CONTACTING THE CRYSTAL TWR TO OBTAIN CLRNC TO ENTER THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. AS I WAS OUTSIDE OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE, KNOWING THAT I WAS ONLY ON FLT FOLLOWING, AND CONCERNED ABOUT A VIOLATION OF THE CRYSTAL CLASS D AIRSPACE, I CHANGED FREQ TO CRYSTAL TWR, REQUESTED OVERFLT AND DSCNT. I ALSO CHANGED FROM MY FLT FOLLOWING SQUAWK TO 1200 TO BE VFR. HOWEVER, IN RETROSPECT, I FAILED TO COMMUNICATE WITH MSP APCH MY INTENTIONS/ACTIONS. I THEN PROCEEDED OUT TO THE W, DSNDED OVER A KNOWN GND REF (A LAKE) TO 2500 FT, CONTACTED THE TWR AT FLYING CLOUD AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AT FCM. UPON REVIEWING THE FLT, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MY CONFUSION WITH THE MSP CTLR. I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY AIRSPACE MGMNT. BY FLYING THE RTE 'DIRECTED' BY THE CTLR, I PUT MYSELF IN A POS THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE CHOSEN THIS PATH DUE THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS AIRSPACE (LESS THAN 600 FT CLRNC) FOR A LOW TIME VFR PLT. IN RETROSPECT I SHOULD HAVE CANCELED FLT FOLLOWING AND DIVERTED FROM THIS RTE OF FLT TO A SIMPLER APCH TO FCM. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A 'SAFER' RTE OF FLT AND SLOWER DSCNTS UNDER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. MY PRECONCEIVED NOTION THAT UPON CONTACT WITH MSP APCH I WOULD BE CTLED AND VECTORED SAFELY THROUGH THIS COMPLEX AIRSPACE ALLOWED ME TO TAKE WHAT I NOW KNOW WAS ONLY 'A RECOMMENDED' RTE OF FLT AS A 'CTLR PRESCRIBED' RTE OF FLT THAT ACTUALLY WAS NOT WISE. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS PROB WAS THE CONFUSION OVER ENHANCED CLASS B AIRSPACE AND CLASS B AIRSPACE. WHILE I HAD REVIEWED THE NOTAM AND THE COMMERCIAL SVC FAQ ON THE ISSUE OF VFR FLT AND WAS CERTAIN THAT VFR FLT, SQUAWKING 1200, NOT IN CONTACT WITH THE ZMP ATC CTLR WAS LEGAL, I WAS, AND STILL AM, CONFUSED OVER WHAT ROLE ZMP AND ZMP ATC CTLR HAVE WITHIN THE AIRSPACE THAT IS INSIDE THE ECB AND THE REGULAR CLASS B AIRSPACE. IN RETROSPECT, AND IN CAREFUL DISCUSSION WITH OTHER PLTS, I NOW AM CERTAIN THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE AND SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER COMMUNICATING WITH ZMP ATC CTLR.

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.