Narrative:

I took off sierra sky park (Q60) at about XA25. This was my first flight I can remember taking off on runway 12. As I was climbing out I was also turning for a left downwind departure. I tried to check in with fresno yosemite international (FYI) departure and experienced some difficulty communicating while configuring the aircraft and because of a severe head cold I had. I do believe I was acknowledged by departure. Departure then asked again what my intentions were and what type of aircraft I was flying. I then tried to compose myself and answered, 'I was a centurion /right at, 1500-1800 ft I do not remember, out of sky park, destination columbia at 6500 ft.' the controller came back with my transponder code number. I confirmed it, and he quickly asked me if I had seen the traffic. I said 'negative.' he said that I just cut someone off. At this point I got nervous and forgot the transponder code and asked him to repeat it for me which he did. I continued on for maybe a min or so and he called me, and said I was to call the tower by phone when I landed in columbia. I copied the number down and shortly thereafter he told me to set transponder to 1200 VFR. I called the tower when I got to columbia and according to the ATC controller I entered class C airspace and caused a conflict with a small single engine IFR aircraft landing on the back course to runway 11 at FYI and that this was a violation. He said I would be contacted by someone later. The next day I was contacted by an FAA official. It had been a few months since my last instruction and after I reviewed my logbook I had mistakenly thought that I had been signed off for my cross country training. I must have somehow misinterped the conversations I had with my instructor and assumed since I had over 80 hours in that airplane I was signed off to do my cross country training. However, that was my first mistake. The second mistake was, I should have made a right downwind departure instead of the left which would have helped me avoid the approaching traffic landing on runway 11 at FYI. My third mistake was that I should have been more aware of the area and the class C airspace. The fact that FYI runways 11/29 and sierra sky park runways 12/30 are only 8.5 mi apart and since I've always taken off to the north, I was uncomfortable and should have checked in with departure sooner. In retrospect, I should have planned and known better. It's easy to see the number of factors that play in an incident after the fact and how they complicate and compile the errors.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STUDENT PLT MAKES A SE DEP FROM Q60 ARPT NEAR FAT ARPT. BASE OF CLASS C IS 1600 FT. RPTR CLBS INTO CLASS C AT 1800 FT WITHOUT COORD OR CLRNC AND CUTS OFF ANOTHER ACFT. RPTR WAS NOT ON FAT DEP FREQ AS YET. CONFESSES TO POOR PLANNING AND BEING UNQUALIFIED FOR XCOUNTRY FLYING.

Narrative: I TOOK OFF SIERRA SKY PARK (Q60) AT ABOUT XA25. THIS WAS MY FIRST FLT I CAN REMEMBER TAKING OFF ON RWY 12. AS I WAS CLBING OUT I WAS ALSO TURNING FOR A L DOWNWIND DEP. I TRIED TO CHK IN WITH FRESNO YOSEMITE INTL (FYI) DEP AND EXPERIENCED SOME DIFFICULTY COMMUNICATING WHILE CONFIGURING THE ACFT AND BECAUSE OF A SEVERE HEAD COLD I HAD. I DO BELIEVE I WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY DEP. DEP THEN ASKED AGAIN WHAT MY INTENTIONS WERE AND WHAT TYPE OF ACFT I WAS FLYING. I THEN TRIED TO COMPOSE MYSELF AND ANSWERED, 'I WAS A CENTURION /R AT, 1500-1800 FT I DO NOT REMEMBER, OUT OF SKY PARK, DEST COLUMBIA AT 6500 FT.' THE CTLR CAME BACK WITH MY XPONDER CODE NUMBER. I CONFIRMED IT, AND HE QUICKLY ASKED ME IF I HAD SEEN THE TFC. I SAID 'NEGATIVE.' HE SAID THAT I JUST CUT SOMEONE OFF. AT THIS POINT I GOT NERVOUS AND FORGOT THE XPONDER CODE AND ASKED HIM TO REPEAT IT FOR ME WHICH HE DID. I CONTINUED ON FOR MAYBE A MIN OR SO AND HE CALLED ME, AND SAID I WAS TO CALL THE TWR BY PHONE WHEN I LANDED IN COLUMBIA. I COPIED THE NUMBER DOWN AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER HE TOLD ME TO SET XPONDER TO 1200 VFR. I CALLED THE TWR WHEN I GOT TO COLUMBIA AND ACCORDING TO THE ATC CTLR I ENTERED CLASS C AIRSPACE AND CAUSED A CONFLICT WITH A SMALL SINGLE ENG IFR ACFT LNDG ON THE BACK COURSE TO RWY 11 AT FYI AND THAT THIS WAS A VIOLATION. HE SAID I WOULD BE CONTACTED BY SOMEONE LATER. THE NEXT DAY I WAS CONTACTED BY AN FAA OFFICIAL. IT HAD BEEN A FEW MONTHS SINCE MY LAST INSTRUCTION AND AFTER I REVIEWED MY LOGBOOK I HAD MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THAT I HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF FOR MY XCOUNTRY TRAINING. I MUST HAVE SOMEHOW MISINTERPED THE CONVERSATIONS I HAD WITH MY INSTRUCTOR AND ASSUMED SINCE I HAD OVER 80 HRS IN THAT AIRPLANE I WAS SIGNED OFF TO DO MY XCOUNTRY TRAINING. HOWEVER, THAT WAS MY FIRST MISTAKE. THE SECOND MISTAKE WAS, I SHOULD HAVE MADE A R DOWNWIND DEP INSTEAD OF THE L WHICH WOULD HAVE HELPED ME AVOID THE APCHING TFC LNDG ON RWY 11 AT FYI. MY THIRD MISTAKE WAS THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AWARE OF THE AREA AND THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. THE FACT THAT FYI RWYS 11/29 AND SIERRA SKY PARK RWYS 12/30 ARE ONLY 8.5 MI APART AND SINCE I'VE ALWAYS TAKEN OFF TO THE N, I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE AND SHOULD HAVE CHKED IN WITH DEP SOONER. IN RETROSPECT, I SHOULD HAVE PLANNED AND KNOWN BETTER. IT'S EASY TO SEE THE NUMBER OF FACTORS THAT PLAY IN AN INCIDENT AFTER THE FACT AND HOW THEY COMPLICATE AND COMPILE THE ERRORS.

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.