Narrative:

After a full day of inspections and negotiations, the purchase of a used small aircraft was concluded in jacksonville, tx at dusk on friday night, may, 1990, as the prevailing VFR WX rapidly deteriorated due to severe WX approaching from the west. A call to flight service resulted in advice to fly due east after departure and do an 'end run' around the front. The WX was expected to stay bad through the weekend. Being unfamiliar with the airplane and its avionics, plus being aware of the possibility of imbedded thunderstorms up in the clouds, led to a reluctance to file my customary IFR flight plan. Also, the approaching WX did not allow the luxury of a chkout on the plane's systems. I was given a few quick pointers, including that the HSI and RMI (instruments new to me), were 'slaved' to the compass. Upon starting up, I noticed that the dg card differed with the compass by approximately 30 degrees, but I figured that it took awhile for it to align. With darkness and WX fast approaching, I tool off in a southerly direction and turned left (east). I soon realized that the 30 degree difference between the dg and compass remained, but I could not figure out how to reset the card until some time later. Keep in mind that I was busy navigating visually around WX at 2500' with several sectional charts spread out all over the small cockpit. Never having flown in the area before, I was unfamiliar with local landmarks. Also, I could not get the RNAV or LORAN programmed and working. Even the VOR and DME receivers did not cooperate at first, so I was reduced to navigating solely with the ADF for about the first hour of the flight. VFR navigation was further hampered by the fact that this area of tx, is just at the juncture of several sectional charts, with the longview TRSA and shreveport municipal airport and air force base arsa's lurking just off the edge of the chart I started out on. It took awhile to sort out all these factors and get clear of the front. During that time, I cannot guarantee exactly where I was, and I may have violated one of the above mentioned controled airspace areas, although I did not see any of the airports in question. I was not talking to any of the facs and continued my VFR flight on home west/O incident. In over 700 hours of flying, this was my worst case of get homeitis, compounded by the forecast of impending severe WX to last for several days. By the way, the forecast was correct. I was overconfident of my ability to figure out the plane's radios and make up a flight plan en route, like I used to do in my just sold plane with its database LORAN. The new plane's LORAN must be programmed with latitude/long, and I found that impossible to do as I flew and tried to learn all the other systems. In retrospect, the lessons from me as a pilot are obvious, and I intend to learn from and long remember this flight. My main suggestion for an improvement to help other pilots in a similar situation in this geographical area is to publish a regional navigation chart that would give them the 'big picture' of this area west/O having to juggle 3 sectionals, houston, dallas and memphis, while trying to dodge WX VFR and stay clear of controled airspace. I'm sure some of the lcls probably make their own by taping corners of these 3 charts together, but I didn't think of that until it was too late.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE.

Narrative: AFTER A FULL DAY OF INSPECTIONS AND NEGOTIATIONS, THE PURCHASE OF A USED SMA WAS CONCLUDED IN JACKSONVILLE, TX AT DUSK ON FRIDAY NIGHT, MAY, 1990, AS THE PREVAILING VFR WX RAPIDLY DETERIORATED DUE TO SEVERE WX APCHING FROM THE W. A CALL TO FLT SVC RESULTED IN ADVICE TO FLY DUE E AFTER DEP AND DO AN 'END RUN' AROUND THE FRONT. THE WX WAS EXPECTED TO STAY BAD THROUGH THE WEEKEND. BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AIRPLANE AND ITS AVIONICS, PLUS BEING AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF IMBEDDED TSTMS UP IN THE CLOUDS, LED TO A RELUCTANCE TO FILE MY CUSTOMARY IFR FLT PLAN. ALSO, THE APCHING WX DID NOT ALLOW THE LUXURY OF A CHKOUT ON THE PLANE'S SYSTEMS. I WAS GIVEN A FEW QUICK POINTERS, INCLUDING THAT THE HSI AND RMI (INSTRUMENTS NEW TO ME), WERE 'SLAVED' TO THE COMPASS. UPON STARTING UP, I NOTICED THAT THE DG CARD DIFFERED WITH THE COMPASS BY APPROX 30 DEGS, BUT I FIGURED THAT IT TOOK AWHILE FOR IT TO ALIGN. WITH DARKNESS AND WX FAST APCHING, I TOOL OFF IN A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION AND TURNED LEFT (E). I SOON REALIZED THAT THE 30 DEG DIFFERENCE BTWN THE DG AND COMPASS REMAINED, BUT I COULD NOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO RESET THE CARD UNTIL SOME TIME LATER. KEEP IN MIND THAT I WAS BUSY NAVIGATING VISUALLY AROUND WX AT 2500' WITH SEVERAL SECTIONAL CHARTS SPREAD OUT ALL OVER THE SMALL COCKPIT. NEVER HAVING FLOWN IN THE AREA BEFORE, I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH LCL LANDMARKS. ALSO, I COULD NOT GET THE RNAV OR LORAN PROGRAMMED AND WORKING. EVEN THE VOR AND DME RECEIVERS DID NOT COOPERATE AT FIRST, SO I WAS REDUCED TO NAVIGATING SOLELY WITH THE ADF FOR ABOUT THE FIRST HR OF THE FLT. VFR NAV WAS FURTHER HAMPERED BY THE FACT THAT THIS AREA OF TX, IS JUST AT THE JUNCTURE OF SEVERAL SECTIONAL CHARTS, WITH THE LONGVIEW TRSA AND SHREVEPORT MUNICIPAL ARPT AND AIR FORCE BASE ARSA'S LURKING JUST OFF THE EDGE OF THE CHART I STARTED OUT ON. IT TOOK AWHILE TO SORT OUT ALL THESE FACTORS AND GET CLR OF THE FRONT. DURING THAT TIME, I CANNOT GUARANTEE EXACTLY WHERE I WAS, AND I MAY HAVE VIOLATED ONE OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED CTLED AIRSPACE AREAS, ALTHOUGH I DID NOT SEE ANY OF THE ARPTS IN QUESTION. I WAS NOT TALKING TO ANY OF THE FACS AND CONTINUED MY VFR FLT ON HOME W/O INCIDENT. IN OVER 700 HRS OF FLYING, THIS WAS MY WORST CASE OF GET HOMEITIS, COMPOUNDED BY THE FORECAST OF IMPENDING SEVERE WX TO LAST FOR SEVERAL DAYS. BY THE WAY, THE FORECAST WAS CORRECT. I WAS OVERCONFIDENT OF MY ABILITY TO FIGURE OUT THE PLANE'S RADIOS AND MAKE UP A FLT PLAN ENRTE, LIKE I USED TO DO IN MY JUST SOLD PLANE WITH ITS DATABASE LORAN. THE NEW PLANE'S LORAN MUST BE PROGRAMMED WITH LAT/LONG, AND I FOUND THAT IMPOSSIBLE TO DO AS I FLEW AND TRIED TO LEARN ALL THE OTHER SYSTEMS. IN RETROSPECT, THE LESSONS FROM ME AS A PLT ARE OBVIOUS, AND I INTEND TO LEARN FROM AND LONG REMEMBER THIS FLT. MY MAIN SUGGESTION FOR AN IMPROVEMENT TO HELP OTHER PLTS IN A SIMILAR SITUATION IN THIS GEOGRAPHICAL AREA IS TO PUBLISH A REGIONAL NAV CHART THAT WOULD GIVE THEM THE 'BIG PICTURE' OF THIS AREA W/O HAVING TO JUGGLE 3 SECTIONALS, HOUSTON, DALLAS AND MEMPHIS, WHILE TRYING TO DODGE WX VFR AND STAY CLR OF CTLED AIRSPACE. I'M SURE SOME OF THE LCLS PROBABLY MAKE THEIR OWN BY TAPING CORNERS OF THESE 3 CHARTS TOGETHER, BUT I DIDN'T THINK OF THAT UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE.

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.