SMA ENTERS CLASS D AIRSPACE WHILE ATTEMPTING AN IFR CLRNC.

Narrative

IN THE LATE AFTERNOON OF SEP/XX/93; I DEPARTED LANSING; IL; FOR KALAMAZOO; MI. THIS WAS THE 4TH LEG OF A BUSINESS TRIP THAT DAY FROM KALAMAZOO TO EAU CLAIRE; WI; AND RETURN. ALTHOUGH I HAD FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM LANSING TO KALAMAZOO; I WAS UNABLE TO REACH CHICAGO APCH TO ACTIVATE IT ON THE GND; AND SO DEPARTED VFR TO THE W OFF RWY 27 AND CONTACTED CHICAGO APCH FOR A CLRNC AS I TURNED TO THE E. SINCE I WAS 1 HR AHEAD OF MY FLT PLAN TIME; IT TOOK APCH SEVERAL MINS TO LOCATE THE PLAN. IN THE INTERIM TIME; I TURNED TO THE NE AND CONTINUED MY CLB TO 2900 FT MSL; ALL IN VFR CONDITIONS. WHEN I HAD PLOTTED MY COURSE TO KALAMAZOO; I DID NOT NOTICE ANY CTL ZONES OR ARSA'S ON THE COURSE. WHEN CHICAGO APCH RESPONDED TO GIVE ME A CLRNC; THEY POINTED OUT THAT I HAD ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT A CLRNC; THE GARY; IN; ARPT CTL ZONE. FOLLOWING THAT; I RECEIVED A VECTOR TAKING ME DIRECTLY OVER THE GARY ARPT AND A CLRNC TO KALAMAZOO. ABOUT 1 MIN LATER; CHICAGO APCH TOLD ME GARY HAD RESPONDED TO THE INCURSION AS 'NO PROB.' FOR MY PART; I WAS QUITE UPSET. THIS OCCURRENCE WAS A REINFORCEMENT OF MY FEAR TO FLY VFR. SINCE I ALMOST ALWAYS FILE IFR AND ONLY KEEP MY IFR CHARTS FULLY CURRENT; I AM ALWAYS CONCERNED THAT THE DIFFERENCES IN THE VFR ENVIRONMENT WILL LEAD TO PROBS EXACTLY LIKE WHAT HAPPENED AT GARY. AFTER ARRIVING HOME I INVESTIGATED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I HAD MISSED. I FOUND THAT THE FAMILIAR DOTTED LINES FOR CTL ZONES HAD BEEN REPLACED ON THE CURRENT 23 LOW ALT CHART WITH CLASS D AIRSPACE SYMBOLS. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THERE IS NO CLASS D SYMBOL ASSOCIATED WITH GARY; UNDOUBTEDLY A CHART ERROR. HONESTLY; I PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE NOTICED THE CLASS D SYMBOL ON SEP/XX/93; BUT I SURELY WILL IN THE FUTURE.