SPI BECOMES DISORIENTED DUE TO HAZE ON XCOUNTRY FLT. NEEDS FLT ASSIST.

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STUDENT PLT TRAVELED TO HILLSBORO FROM SALEM; OR; TO MAKE SECOND LNDG OF 3 REQUIRED FOR LONG XCOUNTRY REQUIREMENT FOR PRIVATE PLT CERTIFICATE. ON RETURN LEG; (ROUND ROBIN FROM TIW TO SLE AND BACK); PLT FAILED TO LOCATE HILLSBORO. HAZE OBSCURED THE GND AND PLT COULD NOT GET A VOR FIX. PLT CALLED PORTLAND APCH FOR HELP. PORTLAND GAVE PLT VOR RADIAL BUT ACFT'S RECEIVER COULD NOT KEEP IT FIXED. PLT WAS GIVEN TRANSPONDER CODE AND ASKED TO IDENT AFTER CTLRS EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT PLT MAY HAVE VIOLATED PORTLAND ARSA. PLT IDENTED AND CHKED SECTIONAL CHART AND GND POS. PLT DETERMINED HE WAS OUTSIDE THE ARSA AND TOLD CTLRS SO. PLT WAS THEN GIVEN CORRECT VECTOR AND FOUND THE ARPT EASILY. AT THE TIME VECTOR WAS GIVEN; RADAR SHOWED PLT WAS 15 MI S OF ARPT. WELL OUTSIDE CTLED AIRSPACE. PLT BELIEVES NO VIOLATION OCCURRED; BUT WAS URGED TO FILE NASA RPT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: MOUNTAINS AND GND HAZE MADE LOCATING ARPT FROM THE S DIFFICULT. PLT'S INEXPERIENCE AND RELATIVE UNFAMILIARITY WITH VOR WERE FACTORS. PLT WAS ONLY ON SECOND FLT IN 3 WKS BECAUSE OF BAD WX. COMS WITH CTLRS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT. AT ONE POINT; CTLR TRIED TO COM WITH HER RADIO TURNED DOWN. EVEN FILING/ACTIVATING FLT PLAN REQUIRED TALKING ON 3 OR 4 FREQS BEFORE SOMEONE WOULD ACTIVATE IT. PLT WAS USING FREQS GIVEN HIM BY FSS AT TIME OF FILING. COMS PROCS NEED TO BE STREAMLINED.