PVT PLT OF AN SMA SEL ACFT FLEW INTO A SPECIAL FLT RULE AIRSPACE ON A SIGHT-SEEING PLEASURE FLT.

Narrative

ON OCT/TUE/93 I DEPARTED SANTA FA MUNICIPAL ARPT (SAF) FOR A SIGHTSEEING FLT TO MONUMENT VALLEY AND THE GRAND CANYON. I VERY RARELY FLY VFR; AND AT THE LCL FBO I ATTEMPTED TO PURCHASE THE APPROPRIATE SECTIONAL CHART FOR THE GRAND CANYON AREA. THE FBO HAD SOLD OUT OF THE SECTIONAL; SO I PURCHASED A WAC CHART AND NOTICED THAT NO XING INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CANYON APPEARED ON THE CHART. ANOTHER PLT AT THE COUNTER SAID THAT HE HAD CROSSED THE CANYON ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS; AND THAT THE PROPER PROC FOR XING FROM THE N WAS TO FLY THE 360 DEG RADIAL OFF THE GRAND CANYON VOR AT OR ABOVE 10500 FT. ACCORDINGLY; I FLEW OVER MONUMENT VALLEY; THEN CROSSED LAKE POWELL N OF THE PAGE VOR. SUBSEQUENTLY; I PICKED UP THE 360 DEG RADIAL OF THE GCN VOR AND FLEW TOWARD THE CANYON. AFTER A WHILE I WAS ABLE TO RECEIVE THE ATIS XMISSION FROM GRAND CANYON ARPT; AND; AS INSTRUCTED; I TUNED IN THE APCH FREQ TO ANNOUNCE MY POS AND INTENTION TO LAND. THIS WAS APPROX 20 MI FROM THE ARPT; ACCORDING TO MY GPS (THE GRAND CANYON VOR DME WAS OTS). THERE WAS VERY HVY TFC ON THE FREQ; AND I WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT APCH UNTIL I WAS APPROX 11 MI FROM THE ARPT. I ANNOUNCED MY POS AND SHORTLY THE CTLR CAME BACK AND ASKED MY ALT. I REPLIED THAT I WAS AT 10500 FT. HE THEN INFORMED ME THAT I WAS IN A RESTR AREA AND THAT I SHOULD TURN BACK AND CLB TO 14500 FT BEFORE XING THE CANYON. BY THIS TIME I WAS AT THE S RIM OF THE CANYON AND I EXPLAINED THIS TO THE CTLR. HE INSTRUCTED ME TO FLY TO THE ARPT AND RPT OVER THE RWY AT AN ALT OF 9500 FT. I DID SO AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY GIVEN LNDG INSTRUCTIONS. AS I WAS DEPARTING; THE GND CTLR ASKED FOR MY NAME AND CERTIFICATE NUMBER AND SAID THAT I SHOULD CONTACT THE FAA IN LAS VEGAS; WHICH I HAVE DONE THIS DAY. I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT I HAVE 1400 HRS AS A PVT; INST RATED PLT AND HAVE NEVER VIOLATED ANY OTHER REG. I WOULD NOT HAVE DONE SO HAD THE SECTIONAL CHART BEEN AVAILABLE; OR HAD I NOT RECEIVED INCORRECT INSTRUCTIONS FROM ANOTHER PLT.