Narrative:

On apr/tue/03, I checked out my flight for apr/wed/03, on the duats programming. I checked flight plans for a couple of variations, then settled on a flight plan, which I filed through duats for the next morning apr/wed/03, departing ptw. This was a solo flight for business to an airport at which I had not previously landed. I checked the NOTAMS and such on duats, as well as the aviation WX forecasts. I printed out my flight plans. On apr/wed/03, I checked out the PA28-140 that I had reserved, after doing my preflight and run-up, took off somewhere around XA00 (not precise). I contacted williamsport FSS as soon as I had sufficient altitude to reach them, and opened my flight plan. My flight plan called for me to cross philadelphia class B airspace, using woodstown VOR as a mid-point, and then turning towards ATR, and then into georgetown. I contacted philadelphia on frequency 118.5 (should have been 126.85) as I was fast approaching the class B airspace at 3500 ft. I gave them my aircraft numbers, altitude, approximately position, departure, and destination, and the controller answered and advised me to contact approach on 126.85, which I did. I repeated the information to this controller. He asked, and I gave him my approximately location. This controller then advised me to contact approach at 123.8 for flight following. I changed frequencys, talked to that controller, but did not ask for flight following, as I was comfortable without it. All of this is taking place back-to-back in a very short span of time. I failed to realize that I had not asked on the first contact, for permission to enter the airspace. I did not realize this error until I spoke to the philadelphia office on the phone after my landing. I continued on, and my course at 3500 ft took me close to, but south of phl, while crossing the delaware river towards woodstown VOR. I have made this crossing before, sometimes at an altitude and direction that is below and south of phl airspace. I have also crossed this class B airspace before having received permission to cross through on my way to the southern new jersey airports. So, it was not unusual for me to cross near the airport. I was in contact with philadelphia ATC. After crossing the woodstown VOR, I turned towards my new heading of 195 towards the delaware bay. As I approached the nj coastline, I had not heard any radio traffic from the last contact frequency with philadelphia. I contacted dover approach, and advised them of my aircraft, departure, and destination, altitude, and at this time, requested flight following, if possible. Dover acknowledged, gave me a transponder code, and advised me of traffic as it appeared. Dover also advised me that philadelphia control requires me to call them upon landing. I understood that there was a problem, but didn't know what. The flight was routine, I asked dover to release me as I approached rehoboth, then overflew rehoboth to turn back around for the georgetown airport. Upon landing, I called FSS and closed my flight plan. I then called the philadelphia number I had been given. When I idented myself, the person I was talking to asked me if I knew I had 'broken' phl class B airspace. I said I knew I was crossing phl class B airspace. I told him my story, including that I was on the filed flight plan route. He was stern at best, advised me that communications alone does not equate to permission to enter the airspace. He asked if anyone had given me a transponder code. I told him no, but I was hopping around frequencys as I spoke to the different controllers and didn't realize that I: 1) hadn't requested permission to enter the airspace, and 2) failed to realize that without a transponder code, I was not authority/authorized. He chewed me out for busting into the airspace, for which I don't blame him. He also asked for my name. In reviewing the situation for making this report, I see that one controller tried to give me a hand by advising me to ask the next controller for flight following, which would have ended up with a transponder code, even though I was already in their space. I didn't pick up on that at the time. My return flight was uneventful. I called dover for flight following, and they gave me a discrete transponder code. I was handed off to atlantic city approach, and flew a course over millville, nj.I was handed off to philadelphia approach, flew across philadelphia airspace, then got released as I approached pottstown. I had good instructors, I know that you have to have permission to enter class B airspace. I know that communications alone is not sufficient. I don't know why this didn't click that morning. I was not in a particular hurry, I wasn't meeting anyone at georgetown, I just had an hour or 2 of work to do down there. I am a careful and serious pilot. It was not my intention, nor plan, to 'bust' the class B airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28, LOW TIME PVT PLT, HAD DIFFICULTY ESTABLISHING CONTACT WITH THE CORRECT PHL APCH CTLR IN ORDER TO GET CLRNC TO ENTER PHL CLASS B.

Narrative: ON APR/TUE/03, I CHKED OUT MY FLT FOR APR/WED/03, ON THE DUATS PROGRAMMING. I CHKED FLT PLANS FOR A COUPLE OF VARIATIONS, THEN SETTLED ON A FLT PLAN, WHICH I FILED THROUGH DUATS FOR THE NEXT MORNING APR/WED/03, DEPARTING PTW. THIS WAS A SOLO FLT FOR BUSINESS TO AN ARPT AT WHICH I HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY LANDED. I CHKED THE NOTAMS AND SUCH ON DUATS, AS WELL AS THE AVIATION WX FORECASTS. I PRINTED OUT MY FLT PLANS. ON APR/WED/03, I CHKED OUT THE PA28-140 THAT I HAD RESERVED, AFTER DOING MY PREFLT AND RUN-UP, TOOK OFF SOMEWHERE AROUND XA00 (NOT PRECISE). I CONTACTED WILLIAMSPORT FSS AS SOON AS I HAD SUFFICIENT ALT TO REACH THEM, AND OPENED MY FLT PLAN. MY FLT PLAN CALLED FOR ME TO CROSS PHILADELPHIA CLASS B AIRSPACE, USING WOODSTOWN VOR AS A MID-POINT, AND THEN TURNING TOWARDS ATR, AND THEN INTO GEORGETOWN. I CONTACTED PHILADELPHIA ON FREQ 118.5 (SHOULD HAVE BEEN 126.85) AS I WAS FAST APCHING THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AT 3500 FT. I GAVE THEM MY ACFT NUMBERS, ALT, APPROX POS, DEP, AND DEST, AND THE CTLR ANSWERED AND ADVISED ME TO CONTACT APCH ON 126.85, WHICH I DID. I REPEATED THE INFO TO THIS CTLR. HE ASKED, AND I GAVE HIM MY APPROX LOCATION. THIS CTLR THEN ADVISED ME TO CONTACT APCH AT 123.8 FOR FLT FOLLOWING. I CHANGED FREQS, TALKED TO THAT CTLR, BUT DID NOT ASK FOR FLT FOLLOWING, AS I WAS COMFORTABLE WITHOUT IT. ALL OF THIS IS TAKING PLACE BACK-TO-BACK IN A VERY SHORT SPAN OF TIME. I FAILED TO REALIZE THAT I HAD NOT ASKED ON THE FIRST CONTACT, FOR PERMISSION TO ENTER THE AIRSPACE. I DID NOT REALIZE THIS ERROR UNTIL I SPOKE TO THE PHILADELPHIA OFFICE ON THE PHONE AFTER MY LNDG. I CONTINUED ON, AND MY COURSE AT 3500 FT TOOK ME CLOSE TO, BUT S OF PHL, WHILE XING THE DELAWARE RIVER TOWARDS WOODSTOWN VOR. I HAVE MADE THIS XING BEFORE, SOMETIMES AT AN ALT AND DIRECTION THAT IS BELOW AND S OF PHL AIRSPACE. I HAVE ALSO CROSSED THIS CLASS B AIRSPACE BEFORE HAVING RECEIVED PERMISSION TO CROSS THROUGH ON MY WAY TO THE SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY ARPTS. SO, IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL FOR ME TO CROSS NEAR THE ARPT. I WAS IN CONTACT WITH PHILADELPHIA ATC. AFTER XING THE WOODSTOWN VOR, I TURNED TOWARDS MY NEW HDG OF 195 TOWARDS THE DELAWARE BAY. AS I APCHED THE NJ COASTLINE, I HAD NOT HEARD ANY RADIO TFC FROM THE LAST CONTACT FREQ WITH PHILADELPHIA. I CONTACTED DOVER APCH, AND ADVISED THEM OF MY ACFT, DEP, AND DEST, ALT, AND AT THIS TIME, REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING, IF POSSIBLE. DOVER ACKNOWLEDGED, GAVE ME A XPONDER CODE, AND ADVISED ME OF TFC AS IT APPEARED. DOVER ALSO ADVISED ME THAT PHILADELPHIA CTL REQUIRES ME TO CALL THEM UPON LNDG. I UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WAS A PROB, BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHAT. THE FLT WAS ROUTINE, I ASKED DOVER TO RELEASE ME AS I APCHED REHOBOTH, THEN OVERFLEW REHOBOTH TO TURN BACK AROUND FOR THE GEORGETOWN ARPT. UPON LNDG, I CALLED FSS AND CLOSED MY FLT PLAN. I THEN CALLED THE PHILADELPHIA NUMBER I HAD BEEN GIVEN. WHEN I IDENTED MYSELF, THE PERSON I WAS TALKING TO ASKED ME IF I KNEW I HAD 'BROKEN' PHL CLASS B AIRSPACE. I SAID I KNEW I WAS XING PHL CLASS B AIRSPACE. I TOLD HIM MY STORY, INCLUDING THAT I WAS ON THE FILED FLT PLAN RTE. HE WAS STERN AT BEST, ADVISED ME THAT COMS ALONE DOES NOT EQUATE TO PERMISSION TO ENTER THE AIRSPACE. HE ASKED IF ANYONE HAD GIVEN ME A XPONDER CODE. I TOLD HIM NO, BUT I WAS HOPPING AROUND FREQS AS I SPOKE TO THE DIFFERENT CTLRS AND DIDN'T REALIZE THAT I: 1) HADN'T REQUESTED PERMISSION TO ENTER THE AIRSPACE, AND 2) FAILED TO REALIZE THAT WITHOUT A XPONDER CODE, I WAS NOT AUTH. HE CHEWED ME OUT FOR BUSTING INTO THE AIRSPACE, FOR WHICH I DON'T BLAME HIM. HE ALSO ASKED FOR MY NAME. IN REVIEWING THE SIT FOR MAKING THIS RPT, I SEE THAT ONE CTLR TRIED TO GIVE ME A HAND BY ADVISING ME TO ASK THE NEXT CTLR FOR FLT FOLLOWING, WHICH WOULD HAVE ENDED UP WITH A XPONDER CODE, EVEN THOUGH I WAS ALREADY IN THEIR SPACE. I DIDN'T PICK UP ON THAT AT THE TIME. MY RETURN FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. I CALLED DOVER FOR FLT FOLLOWING, AND THEY GAVE ME A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE. I WAS HANDED OFF TO ATLANTIC CITY APCH, AND FLEW A COURSE OVER MILLVILLE, NJ.I WAS HANDED OFF TO PHILADELPHIA APCH, FLEW ACROSS PHILADELPHIA AIRSPACE, THEN GOT RELEASED AS I APCHED POTTSTOWN. I HAD GOOD INSTRUCTORS, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE PERMISSION TO ENTER CLASS B AIRSPACE. I KNOW THAT COMS ALONE IS NOT SUFFICIENT. I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS DIDN'T CLICK THAT MORNING. I WAS NOT IN A PARTICULAR HURRY, I WASN'T MEETING ANYONE AT GEORGETOWN, I JUST HAD AN HR OR 2 OF WORK TO DO DOWN THERE. I AM A CAREFUL AND SERIOUS PLT. IT WAS NOT MY INTENTION, NOR PLAN, TO 'BUST' THE CLASS B AIRSPACE.

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.