Narrative:

On my first cross country helicopter solo, I got lost and violated class C airspace. My helicopter experience is limited to 40 hours, and I had only once previously left the traffic pattern which was during my dual cross country helicopter flight. I took off and flew without incident at 800 ft AGL. I flew up the coastline to ZZZ1, getting the ATIS and talking to their tower before conducting an approach to a taxiway. My ship was a rented robinson R22 with no built-in navigation equipment of any kind, ie, no GPS and no VOR receiver. From ZZZ1 I departed on a previously calculated heading including a 10 degree wind correction angle. Light turbulence forced me to slow the helicopter to 60 KTS and therefore when the clock came around to the ETA on my flight plan, I still did not have any airport in sight. On the horizon I saw a sprawl of urban development, factories, and hwys. An airport began to take shape about 7 mi away. It was hard to tell because I was only 800 ft above the ground and nothing looked familiar, but I got the ATIS for ZZZ2 and called the tower. I was told to report a 2 mi right base for runway 32. As I got a bit closer to the airport I discovered gates, 3 runways, big airplanes. I was within the area of their class C airspace that goes all the way to the surface. I made a left turn to the south, away from the airport, and decided to risk removing my hands from the flight controls in order to look up the approach control frequency. Without advising ZZZ2 that I had been mistaken about my position I changed to approach for this sector and told them that I thought I was in their airspace at 1000 ft MSL, apologizing for the incursion and adding 'student pilot.' meanwhile back at ZZZ2 the tower controller was perplexed about the helicopter that had promised to report a 2-MI right base. He called me 3 times and got no answer. At this point the owner of the flight school called him on the telephone to offer apologies, but apparently, the controller was still quite upset until the flight school owner promised that I would be given additional cross country orientation training before being sent out solo again. What could be done to prevent a recurrence? I might have: 1) studied the chart more carefully before going out rather than relying on the fact that I would have time on the ground in ZZZ1, 2 ) folded the chart in advance so that it was open to just the portion required for this trip, 3) clipped the chart to my leg or some part of the helicopter so that it could be referred to in a hands-free manner, 4) written down approach frequencys and planned to ask for VFR advisories fom ATC.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: R22 PLT ON INITIAL SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT MAKES A VISUAL NAV ERROR AND INADVERTENTLY ENTERS THE CLASS C AIRSPACE OF A LARGE COMMERCIAL ARPT CLOSE TO HIS DEST.

Narrative: ON MY FIRST XCOUNTRY HELI SOLO, I GOT LOST AND VIOLATED CLASS C AIRSPACE. MY HELI EXPERIENCE IS LIMITED TO 40 HRS, AND I HAD ONLY ONCE PREVIOUSLY LEFT THE TFC PATTERN WHICH WAS DURING MY DUAL XCOUNTRY HELI FLT. I TOOK OFF AND FLEW WITHOUT INCIDENT AT 800 FT AGL. I FLEW UP THE COASTLINE TO ZZZ1, GETTING THE ATIS AND TALKING TO THEIR TWR BEFORE CONDUCTING AN APCH TO A TXWY. MY SHIP WAS A RENTED ROBINSON R22 WITH NO BUILT-IN NAV EQUIP OF ANY KIND, IE, NO GPS AND NO VOR RECEIVER. FROM ZZZ1 I DEPARTED ON A PREVIOUSLY CALCULATED HDG INCLUDING A 10 DEG WIND CORRECTION ANGLE. LIGHT TURB FORCED ME TO SLOW THE HELI TO 60 KTS AND THEREFORE WHEN THE CLOCK CAME AROUND TO THE ETA ON MY FLT PLAN, I STILL DID NOT HAVE ANY ARPT IN SIGHT. ON THE HORIZON I SAW A SPRAWL OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT, FACTORIES, AND HWYS. AN ARPT BEGAN TO TAKE SHAPE ABOUT 7 MI AWAY. IT WAS HARD TO TELL BECAUSE I WAS ONLY 800 FT ABOVE THE GND AND NOTHING LOOKED FAMILIAR, BUT I GOT THE ATIS FOR ZZZ2 AND CALLED THE TWR. I WAS TOLD TO RPT A 2 MI R BASE FOR RWY 32. AS I GOT A BIT CLOSER TO THE ARPT I DISCOVERED GATES, 3 RWYS, BIG AIRPLANES. I WAS WITHIN THE AREA OF THEIR CLASS C AIRSPACE THAT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE SURFACE. I MADE A L TURN TO THE S, AWAY FROM THE ARPT, AND DECIDED TO RISK REMOVING MY HANDS FROM THE FLT CTLS IN ORDER TO LOOK UP THE APCH CTL FREQ. WITHOUT ADVISING ZZZ2 THAT I HAD BEEN MISTAKEN ABOUT MY POS I CHANGED TO APCH FOR THIS SECTOR AND TOLD THEM THAT I THOUGHT I WAS IN THEIR AIRSPACE AT 1000 FT MSL, APOLOGIZING FOR THE INCURSION AND ADDING 'STUDENT PLT.' MEANWHILE BACK AT ZZZ2 THE TWR CTLR WAS PERPLEXED ABOUT THE HELI THAT HAD PROMISED TO RPT A 2-MI R BASE. HE CALLED ME 3 TIMES AND GOT NO ANSWER. AT THIS POINT THE OWNER OF THE FLT SCHOOL CALLED HIM ON THE TELEPHONE TO OFFER APOLOGIES, BUT APPARENTLY, THE CTLR WAS STILL QUITE UPSET UNTIL THE FLT SCHOOL OWNER PROMISED THAT I WOULD BE GIVEN ADDITIONAL XCOUNTRY ORIENTATION TRAINING BEFORE BEING SENT OUT SOLO AGAIN. WHAT COULD BE DONE TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE? I MIGHT HAVE: 1) STUDIED THE CHART MORE CAREFULLY BEFORE GOING OUT RATHER THAN RELYING ON THE FACT THAT I WOULD HAVE TIME ON THE GND IN ZZZ1, 2 ) FOLDED THE CHART IN ADVANCE SO THAT IT WAS OPEN TO JUST THE PORTION REQUIRED FOR THIS TRIP, 3) CLIPPED THE CHART TO MY LEG OR SOME PART OF THE HELI SO THAT IT COULD BE REFERRED TO IN A HANDS-FREE MANNER, 4) WRITTEN DOWN APCH FREQS AND PLANNED TO ASK FOR VFR ADVISORIES FOM ATC.

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.