i think I flew into class c airspace accidentally withoutestablishing communication

tonight I went for a night flight with a buddy. We had a great trip
there, but on the way back he started fooling around with the GPS and
somehow I missed what he did. He changed our course to go straight
east instead of southeast. By the time I realized this, we were way
off course. I fixed our course back to my home airport, but I think
he also changed the GPS to where the map doesn't show the airspace
borders because soon after getting back on course I looked to my right
and saw a class C airport slightly in the distance. I couldn't really
judge how close we were, but we were close enough to where I was
probably in thier airspace. I kind of froze up and wasn't sure what
to do, so I just continued on to my home airport.

Am I going to get in trouble for this? It was completely accidental,
and I don't even know if I was in the class c for sure. Anybody have
any input? I'm sorry if this sounds stupid. I just got my private
pilot cert about 2 weeks ago.

Thanks

NASA forum oops baad beef in the E* tradition of the spelling.... always
carry a current chart and know where you are at all times take it as a
lesson learned.... Don't Depend on GPS depend on your eyes and a chart....

SLR



wrote in message
...
tonight I went for a night flight with a buddy. We had a great trip
there, but on the way back he started fooling around with the GPS and
somehow I missed what he did. He changed our course to go straight
east instead of southeast. By the time I realized this, we were way
off course. I fixed our course back to my home airport, but I think
he also changed the GPS to where the map doesn't show the airspace
borders because soon after getting back on course I looked to my right
and saw a class C airport slightly in the distance. I couldn't really
judge how close we were, but we were close enough to where I was
probably in thier airspace. I kind of froze up and wasn't sure what
to do, so I just continued on to my home airport.

Am I going to get in trouble for this? It was completely accidental,
and I don't even know if I was in the class c for sure. Anybody have
any input? I'm sorry if this sounds stupid. I just got my private
pilot cert about 2 weeks ago.

Thanks

"John Smith" wrote

go to this link and follow the instructions

http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/report/electronic.html

And don't talk about it here, or anywhere else, until that has been
completed.
--
Jim in NC

On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:48:07 -0800 (PST), wrote
in
:

It was completely accidental,
and I don't even know if I was in the class c for sure. Anybody have
any input?

Dear RODNEY JAMES FAULKINER,

It sounds like caress operation to me.
http://tinyurl.com/2ywg3t

The clock is ticking.
Consider: http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/report/electronic.html

http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/overview/briefing/br_6.html
The Immunity Concept

(FAA Advisory Circular AC No. 00-46D)

c. The filing of a report with NASA concerning an incident or
occurrence involving a violation of 49 U.S.C. Subtitle IV, or the
FAR, is considered by FAA to be indicative of a constructive
attitude. Such an attitude will tend to prevent future violations.
Accordingly, although a finding of a violation may be made,
neither a civil penalty nor certificate suspension will be imposed
if:

The violation was inadvertent and not deliberate;

The violation did not involve a criminal offense, or accident, or
action under 49U.S.C. Section 44709 which discloses a lack of
qualification or competency, which are wholly excluded from this
policy:

The person has not been found in any prior FAA enforcement action
to have committed a violation of 49 U.S. C. Subtitle VIII, or any
regulation promulgated there for a period of 5 years prior to the
date of the occurrence; and

The person proves that, within 10 days after the violation, he or
she completed and delivered or mailed a written report of the
incident or occurrence to NASA under ASRS. See paragraphs 5c and
7b. NOTE: Paragraph 9 does not apply to air traffic controllers.

Am I going to get in trouble for this? It was completely accidental,
and I don't even know if I was in the class c for sure. Anybody have
any input? I'm sorry if this sounds stupid. I just got my private
pilot cert about 2 weeks ago.

Fill out the NASA form. Hopefully, no harm, no foul.

However, you've got some more learnin' to do about flying. Rule #1 is that
no one touches the plane in any way, shape or form, while in flight without
express permission to do so. This includes all flight controls, engine
controls, and navigational equipment. If your friend did this without
permission, you should have shut him down. And if you gave him permission
to goof around with your primary navigational tool, you've now learned how
crazy that can be.

Rule #2 is always maintain situational awareness. This often means that you
must curtail the social aspects of being with your buddies in order to
concentrate on what you're doing. Not only did you endanger yourself and
your friend by goofing around, you have no idea what kind of headaches you
may have caused air traffic control and any airline passengers who may have
been diverted.

Hopefully you learned some valuable lessons. Better yet, hopefully some
other newbies here learn the lesson from you without having to repeat it
themselves. Thanks for sharing the story.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Jan 27, 12:10 am, Larry Dighera wrote:


Dear [name omitted[


Did you really have to put his full name here, in cleartext?

Now anyone using google can search his name and find this thread. It
was a serious stuffup, but that was uncalled for.

Al.

"Al Borowski" wrote
Did you really have to put his full name here, in cleartext?

Now anyone using google can search his name and find this thread. It
was a serious stuffup, but that was uncalled for.

That would be standard operating procedure for Larry, if that is what he
did. I avoid the problem with larry by not reading him.
--
Jim in NC

wrote in message ...
tonight I went for a night flight with a buddy. We had a great trip
there, but on the way back he started fooling around with the GPS and
somehow I missed what he did. He changed our course to go straight
east instead of southeast. By the time I realized this, we were way
off course. I fixed our course back to my home airport, but I think
he also changed the GPS to where the map doesn't show the airspace
borders because soon after getting back on course I looked to my right
and saw a class C airport slightly in the distance. I couldn't really
judge how close we were, but we were close enough to where I was
probably in thier airspace. I kind of froze up and wasn't sure what
to do, so I just continued on to my home airport.

Am I going to get in trouble for this? It was completely accidental,
and I don't even know if I was in the class c for sure. Anybody have
any input? I'm sorry if this sounds stupid. I just got my private
pilot cert about 2 weeks ago.

Thanks

So where were you, for sure? Does your GPS leave tracks, or breadcrumbs, or whatever they call it? Where were your
landmarks? I hope you weren't using GPS all by itself! What was your altitude? Depending on altitude you could have the
C airport in sight but you could have been well clear...

I second Jay's remarks. When I read your post, Rodney, I was disturbed
by your failure to take seriously your pilot-in-command
responsibilities, with regard to crew/passenger management and with
regard to ongoing navigation (which you appear to have simply ignored,
except for looking at the GPS screen without even periodically
reviewing its settings). Your attitude was appropriate for an
impromptu drive in a car, not for piloting an airplane.

Furthermore, your main concern afterward seems to be whether you'll
get caught, rather than whether your negligence risked causing a
crash, and might do so in the future.

I'd be afraid to fly with you or near you until and unless you
reassess your priorities. I urge you to discuss these matters with an
instructor (perhaps one you haven't flown with before) and seek
further training. There's no shame in that--on the contrary, it would
be to your credit to show that you recognize that there's a problem
and that you will do what's needed to resolve it.

Good luck to you.





On Jan 26, 9:50*am, "Jay Honeck" wrote:
Am I going to get in trouble for this? *It was completely accidental,
and I don't even know if I was in the class c for sure. *Anybody have
any input? *I'm sorry if this sounds stupid. *I just got my private
pilot cert about 2 weeks ago.

Fill out the NASA form. *Hopefully, no harm, no foul.

However, you've got some more learnin' to do about flying. * Rule #1 is that
no one touches the plane in any way, shape or form, while in flight without
express permission to do so. *This includes all flight controls, engine
controls, and navigational equipment. *If your friend did this without
permission, you should have shut him down. *And if you gave him permission
to goof around with your primary navigational tool, you've now learned how
crazy that can be.

Rule #2 is always maintain situational awareness. *This often means that you
must curtail the social aspects of being with your buddies in order to
concentrate on what you're doing. *Not only did you endanger yourself and
your friend by goofing around, you have no idea what kind of headaches you
may have caused air traffic control and any airline passengers who may have
been diverted.

Hopefully you learned some valuable lessons. *Better yet, hopefully some
other newbies here learn the lesson from you without having to repeat it
themselves. *Thanks for sharing the story.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:10:52 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote:

On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:48:07 -0800 (PST), wrote
in
:

It was completely accidental,
and I don't even know if I was in the class c for sure. Anybody have
any input?

Dear XXXXXXXXXXXX

You have got to be kidding me... Are you for real?