AN LTT CREW INADVERTENTLY FLEW THROUGH AN ATA ON A VFR FLT PLAN.

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ON THE AFTERNOON OF OCT/FRI/92; THE ZNY RADAR WENT OTS FOR ABOUT 2 HRS. IFR CLRNCS FOR ACR TFC OUT OF JFK INTL WERE NOT BEING ISSUED. THE ONLY CLRNCS BEING ISSUED WERE FOR VFR OUT OF THE NY TCA AT OR BELOW 1400 MSL. OUR COMPANY OPS SPECS ALLOW US TO OPERATE VFR; AND OUR COMPANY ACTIVELY ENCOURAGES US TO DO SO WHEN WE CAN. AFTER CONSULTING WITH OUR DISPATCHER FOR OUR FLT TO ALB; WE REQUESTED AND WERE ISSUED A VFR CLRNC OUT OF THE TCA 12 DME E AT OR BELOW 1400 FT MSL. WE DEPARTED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. PRIOR TO TKOF; WE REVIEWED; ALBEIT HURRIEDLY; THE ONLY CHART WE HAD WHICH DEPICTED THE DIMENSIONS OF THE NY TCA; WHICH WAS THE COMMERCIAL CHART. THE CAPT WAS FAIRLY FAMILIAR WITH THE NY AREA AND WAS COMFORTABLE DEPARTING VFR. AFTER TKOF; WE WERE ISSUED A 090 DEG HDG. AT ABOUT 12 DME FROM THE JFK VOR; RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED AND WE WERE ON OUR OWN. AT THIS POINT; THE CAPT WAS REFERRING TO THE COMMERCIAL CHART AND SUGGESTED A L TURN DIRECT TO THE BRIDGEPORT; CT VOR. AS I BEGAN TO TURN; I OBSERVED A LARGE ARPT AT OUR 12 O'CLOCK AND APPROX 5 MI AHEAD. I STARTED AN IMMEDIATE CLB TO 3100 MSL TO CLR THE ATA. THE CAPT FINALLY BECAME ORIENTED AND SAID THAT WE COULD CLB TO 3500 MSL AND STAY CLR OF THE TCA; AND I REALIZED WE WERE PASSING OVER THE FARMINGDALE ARPT. THOUGH I BELIEVE THAT WE STARTED THE CLB IN ENOUGH TIME TO CLR THE ATA; WE MAY HAVE INADVERTENTLY PENETRATED THE ATA BY NO MORE THAN A MI OR LESS. NO CONFLICT WITH OTHER TFC WAS OBSERVED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) LACK OF REAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE NY AREA. 2) LACK OF USABLE CHARTS FOR VFR OPS. WE ARE NOT ISSUED SECTIONALS OR VFR TERMINAL AREA CHARTS. 3) OVER-RELIANCE ON THE CAPT'S KNOWLEDGE OF THE NY AIRSPACE. 4) FIXATION ON NOT PENETRATING THE NY TCA. 5) A 'RUSH' ATMOSPHERE PRIOR TO DEP. IN SHORT; A STUPID; INADVERTENT MISTAKE THAT I WILL NOT REPEAT. FROM NOW ON; IF WE CANNOT GO IFR AS PLANNED; WE DON'T GO.