Narrative:

I departed dekalb county, activated my flight plan to youngstown, oh, and once again encountered haze and deviated around the cleveland, oh, airspace. In that area there were what appeared to be thousands of seagulls I was attempting to stay clear of them as a strike with a sea gull in the right place would be the end of me, my passenger and the airplane. On approaching youngstown, oh, the WX had cleared and the seagulls were gone. I picked up ATIS, contacted approach. Approach passed me to tower. There is some question in my mind whether tower or approach asked me about my mode C. For some reason it wasn't turned on. I turned it on and mode C was operating accurately to control. By this time I will plead guilty to being tired and for the next phase only those of us who fly small tail draggers can appreciate. My total and extreme focus was on getting landed safely. And I did. Then things began to unravel. On contacting ground, the controller's speech pattern was abrupt, very rapid and clipped. My first readback was apparently inaccurate. Controller's second readback was more rapid and more clipped, obviously the controller didn't want to be helpful and was not going to be inconvenienced by me. I was the only one on ground control that I could hear. My readback to the controller was 'take taxiway H to ramp.' when landing runway 14 in my little airplane, the only ramp visible was the ramp to my left. I taxied in thinking the building to my right was an FBO. When I saw that it was not, I contacted ground and controller gave me frequency to an FBO, and then advised me I had taxied onto a restr ramp. What followed was the most unpleasant experience of my life. 1) the ground control was rude, unpleasant, and made it clear that I was an inconvenience to them and obviously they were not paying any attention to what I was doing. 2) the ground controller did not advise me that I was adjacent to a restr ramp area. 3) there was absolutely no signage telling me that the ramp was a restr ramp. 4) I went back and looked through the sectional, flight guides and there was absolutely nothing saying that the ramp was restr. In only 1 reference available to me it says only USAF reserves -- does not say restr.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER LNDG YNG, AN RV4 PLT BECOMES CONFUSED ON THE RAMP AND ATTEMPTS TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE FROM THE GND CTLR.

Narrative: I DEPARTED DEKALB COUNTY, ACTIVATED MY FLT PLAN TO YOUNGSTOWN, OH, AND ONCE AGAIN ENCOUNTERED HAZE AND DEVIATED AROUND THE CLEVELAND, OH, AIRSPACE. IN THAT AREA THERE WERE WHAT APPEARED TO BE THOUSANDS OF SEAGULLS I WAS ATTEMPTING TO STAY CLR OF THEM AS A STRIKE WITH A SEA GULL IN THE RIGHT PLACE WOULD BE THE END OF ME, MY PAX AND THE AIRPLANE. ON APCHING YOUNGSTOWN, OH, THE WX HAD CLRED AND THE SEAGULLS WERE GONE. I PICKED UP ATIS, CONTACTED APCH. APCH PASSED ME TO TWR. THERE IS SOME QUESTION IN MY MIND WHETHER TWR OR APCH ASKED ME ABOUT MY MODE C. FOR SOME REASON IT WASN'T TURNED ON. I TURNED IT ON AND MODE C WAS OPERATING ACCURATELY TO CTL. BY THIS TIME I WILL PLEAD GUILTY TO BEING TIRED AND FOR THE NEXT PHASE ONLY THOSE OF US WHO FLY SMALL TAIL DRAGGERS CAN APPRECIATE. MY TOTAL AND EXTREME FOCUS WAS ON GETTING LANDED SAFELY. AND I DID. THEN THINGS BEGAN TO UNRAVEL. ON CONTACTING GND, THE CTLR'S SPEECH PATTERN WAS ABRUPT, VERY RAPID AND CLIPPED. MY FIRST READBACK WAS APPARENTLY INACCURATE. CTLR'S SECOND READBACK WAS MORE RAPID AND MORE CLIPPED, OBVIOUSLY THE CTLR DIDN'T WANT TO BE HELPFUL AND WAS NOT GOING TO BE INCONVENIENCED BY ME. I WAS THE ONLY ONE ON GND CTL THAT I COULD HEAR. MY READBACK TO THE CTLR WAS 'TAKE TXWY H TO RAMP.' WHEN LNDG RWY 14 IN MY LITTLE AIRPLANE, THE ONLY RAMP VISIBLE WAS THE RAMP TO MY L. I TAXIED IN THINKING THE BUILDING TO MY R WAS AN FBO. WHEN I SAW THAT IT WAS NOT, I CONTACTED GND AND CTLR GAVE ME FREQ TO AN FBO, AND THEN ADVISED ME I HAD TAXIED ONTO A RESTR RAMP. WHAT FOLLOWED WAS THE MOST UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. 1) THE GND CTL WAS RUDE, UNPLEASANT, AND MADE IT CLR THAT I WAS AN INCONVENIENCE TO THEM AND OBVIOUSLY THEY WERE NOT PAYING ANY ATTN TO WHAT I WAS DOING. 2) THE GND CTLR DID NOT ADVISE ME THAT I WAS ADJACENT TO A RESTR RAMP AREA. 3) THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNAGE TELLING ME THAT THE RAMP WAS A RESTR RAMP. 4) I WENT BACK AND LOOKED THROUGH THE SECTIONAL, FLT GUIDES AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING SAYING THAT THE RAMP WAS RESTR. IN ONLY 1 REF AVAILABLE TO ME IT SAYS ONLY USAF RESERVES -- DOES NOT SAY RESTR.

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.