Narrative:

The event/situation arose when I departed on 8/thu/89 afternoon from aurora airport (sugar grove, il) en route VFR to my home base, bdl. We took off to the west with scattered clouds and visibility greater than 20 mi. Aurora tower asked us for PIREP on bases of scattered to broken layer. We estimated it at 3500' MSL, and continued our VFR climb, making s-turns to avoid cloud groupings southeast of the airport, and continued climbing on a heading taking us toward the joliet VOR. Our course was well clear of the chicago TCA. We knew for certain because we never lost ground contact and could identify several roads and towns that are idented as clearly outside the TCA on the TCA chart we had with us. During our departure and climb we saw several aircraft east of our position. We also heard aurora tower talk to several in the vicinity on their request. We also reported the tops of the scattered layer to aurora tower as 6500' MSL. After our report they told us ord wanted to speak to us; we complied. When we called ord, they told us to squawk a code 5734; we complied. Several mins later they repeated the instruction to squawk the code (apparently they had not idented us yet, though we saw the light on our transponder blinking). A moment later, they idented us. Though we were above 7000' by the time we first called, they alleged that we were in the TCA. We indicated that our navigation equipment showed otherwise! They also were talking to other traffic in the immediate vicinity, including some to the east of us. We continued down VFR climb to 11500' on course to the jot VOR under their observation and then flew eastbound on V8 toward our home base west/O further incident or allegation. Safety issue/suggestion: if someone thought we or anyone else might be in the TCA, we should have been told to check our position immediately, not told to change frequency and wait to be idented. We were not in the TCA, but if we had been, in the time taken for controller transfer and identify, something unhappy could have occurred. I recommend the procedure for possible TCA incursion be reexamined.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMT MAY NOT HAVE PENETRATED THE ORD TCA, BUT CTLR NORMALLY WOULD NOT IDENTIFY AN ACFT AND ANNOUNCE THE ACFT TO BE IN THE TCA IF IT WAS NOT.

Narrative: THE EVENT/SITUATION AROSE WHEN I DEPARTED ON 8/THU/89 AFTERNOON FROM AURORA ARPT (SUGAR GROVE, IL) ENRTE VFR TO MY HOME BASE, BDL. WE TOOK OFF TO THE W WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS AND VISIBILITY GREATER THAN 20 MI. AURORA TWR ASKED US FOR PIREP ON BASES OF SCATTERED TO BROKEN LAYER. WE ESTIMATED IT AT 3500' MSL, AND CONTINUED OUR VFR CLB, MAKING S-TURNS TO AVOID CLOUD GROUPINGS SE OF THE ARPT, AND CONTINUED CLBING ON A HDG TAKING US TOWARD THE JOLIET VOR. OUR COURSE WAS WELL CLR OF THE CHICAGO TCA. WE KNEW FOR CERTAIN BECAUSE WE NEVER LOST GND CONTACT AND COULD IDENT SEVERAL ROADS AND TOWNS THAT ARE IDENTED AS CLEARLY OUTSIDE THE TCA ON THE TCA CHART WE HAD WITH US. DURING OUR DEP AND CLB WE SAW SEVERAL ACFT E OF OUR POS. WE ALSO HEARD AURORA TWR TALK TO SEVERAL IN THE VICINITY ON THEIR REQUEST. WE ALSO RPTED THE TOPS OF THE SCATTERED LAYER TO AURORA TWR AS 6500' MSL. AFTER OUR RPT THEY TOLD US ORD WANTED TO SPEAK TO US; WE COMPLIED. WHEN WE CALLED ORD, THEY TOLD US TO SQUAWK A CODE 5734; WE COMPLIED. SEVERAL MINS LATER THEY REPEATED THE INSTRUCTION TO SQUAWK THE CODE (APPARENTLY THEY HAD NOT IDENTED US YET, THOUGH WE SAW THE LIGHT ON OUR XPONDER BLINKING). A MOMENT LATER, THEY IDENTED US. THOUGH WE WERE ABOVE 7000' BY THE TIME WE FIRST CALLED, THEY ALLEGED THAT WE WERE IN THE TCA. WE INDICATED THAT OUR NAV EQUIP SHOWED OTHERWISE! THEY ALSO WERE TALKING TO OTHER TFC IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY, INCLUDING SOME TO THE E OF US. WE CONTINUED DOWN VFR CLB TO 11500' ON COURSE TO THE JOT VOR UNDER THEIR OBSERVATION AND THEN FLEW EBND ON V8 TOWARD OUR HOME BASE W/O FURTHER INCIDENT OR ALLEGATION. SAFETY ISSUE/SUGGESTION: IF SOMEONE THOUGHT WE OR ANYONE ELSE MIGHT BE IN THE TCA, WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD TO CHK OUR POS IMMEDIATELY, NOT TOLD TO CHANGE FREQ AND WAIT TO BE IDENTED. WE WERE NOT IN THE TCA, BUT IF WE HAD BEEN, IN THE TIME TAKEN FOR CTLR TRANSFER AND IDENT, SOMETHING UNHAPPY COULD HAVE OCCURRED. I RECOMMEND THE PROC FOR POSSIBLE TCA INCURSION BE REEXAMINED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.