PA28R pilot reported becoming confused during a VFR flight to bur and lined up on vny. Bur tower det...

Narrative:

VFR flight plan. Pilot had not flown in los angeles airspace prior to flight. Under socal approach while flying from gorman VOR to burbank. ATC instructed VFR descent to no lower than 3000 ft while maintaining heading. After ATC advised course changes through newhall pass to avoid traffic; pilot asked to contact burbank tower. Burbank tower instructed pilot to use runway 15 and call in location when alongside whiteman airport (whp). Visually sighted whp on left and an airport directly ahead on 150 degree magnetic course and called burbank tower to inform them starting descent on long final to runway 15. Burbank tower responded that I was lining up on van nuys airport; climb to 3000 and make a course correction to 180 magnetic; overfly van nuys and call in position once over airport. Complied with tower instructions and was cleared to land at burbank on runway 8.causes:-pilot unfamiliarity with dense airspace-after course corrections to avoid traffic; pilot did not re-check course heading to burbank. ATC assumed pilot was on correct heading.-high volume of ATC and tower radio traffic. Unable to quickly transmit pilot position reports.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28R pilot reported becoming confused during a VFR flight to BUR and lined up on VNY. BUR Tower detected the error and issued a new heading and climb back to assigned altitude.

Narrative: VFR flight plan. Pilot had not flown in Los Angeles airspace prior to flight. Under SOCAL approach while flying from Gorman VOR to Burbank. ATC instructed VFR descent to no lower than 3000 ft while maintaining heading. After ATC advised course changes through Newhall pass to avoid traffic; pilot asked to contact Burbank tower. Burbank tower instructed pilot to use runway 15 and call in location when alongside Whiteman Airport (WHP). Visually sighted WHP on left and an airport directly ahead on 150 degree magnetic course and called Burbank tower to inform them starting descent on long final to runway 15. Burbank tower responded that I was lining up on Van Nuys airport; climb to 3000 and make a course correction to 180 magnetic; overfly Van Nuys and call in position once over airport. Complied with tower instructions and was cleared to land at Burbank on runway 8.Causes:-Pilot unfamiliarity with dense airspace-After course corrections to avoid traffic; pilot did not re-check course heading to Burbank. ATC assumed pilot was on correct heading.-High volume of ATC and tower radio traffic. Unable to quickly transmit pilot position reports.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.

Attributes
ACN	1428684
Time
Date	201702
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	BUR.Airport
State Reference	CA
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	PA-28R Cherokee Arrow All Series
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Initial Approach
Route In Use	Visual Approach
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30 Flight Crew Total 175 Flight Crew Type 175
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude Deviation - Procedural Clearance Deviation - Track / Heading All Types Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach

PA28R pilot reported becoming confused during a VFR flight to bur and lined up on vny. Bur tower detected the error and issued a new heading and climb back to assigned altitude.