SPI LOST ON 3RD SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT. DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE ARPT AFTER FLT ASSIST EFFORT.

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I WENT ON MY THIRD SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT FROM SANTA ROSA; CA; TO FRANKLIN; CA. I HAD RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING AND FILED A VFR FLT PLAN. AFTER DEP; I CLBED TO 7500 FT TO AVOID THE TRAVIS AFB ALERT AREA. SHORTLY AFTER THIS; I STARTED TO LOOK FOR FRANKLIN ARPT BUT WAS UNABLE TO FIND IT. AFTER SEARCHING FOR A WHILE; RATHER AT RANDOM; I CALLED OAKLAND RADIO ON 122.5 AND ASKED THEM TO EXTEND MY FLT PLAN BY 40 MINS. THEY ASKED MY POS AND I SAID I THOUGHT I WAS NEAR FRANKLIN. AT THIS TIME; I STARTED TO FEEL UNEASY AND DECIDED TO RETURN TO SANTA ROSA BY CLBING AND TURNING TO THE RECIPROCAL OF MY HDG TO FRANKLIN. AT THIS TIME; I DID NOT CHK THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE AGAINST THE MAGNETIC COMPASS; ALTHOUGH I WAS LATER TO DISCOVER A LARGE DISCREPANCY AND I DO NOT REMEMBER ADJUSTING IT SINCE THE START OF THE FLT. THIS COMBINATION OF THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE BEING OFF PLUS THE FACT THAT I THINK I DRIFTED TO THE S WHILE I WAS LOOKING FOR FRANKLIN RESULTED IN ME FLYING OFF IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. I REALIZED THIS AFTER A WHILE AS THERE WAS A LOT OF WATER BELOW (IN RETROSPECT; THIS WAS PROBABLY THE SACRAMENTO DELTA) AND AT THIS POINT I BECAME REALLY NERVOUS AND CONCERNED THAT I WAS LOST. I STARTED TO CLB AND IDENT MY POS ON THE MAP. I ALSO TRIED TO IDENT MY POS WITH THE VOR RECEIVER ALTHOUGH I COULD NOT ACCURATELY DRAW A LINE ON THE CHART AS I WAS BY NOW NERVOUS AND SOMEWHAT DISORGANIZED AS WELL AS BEING CONCERNED THAT I WAS PROBABLY HDG IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA. I NOW THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST TO CONTACT OAKLAND RADIO AND INFORM THEM I WAS LOST. AT THE SAME TIME I SPOTTED AN ARPT BELOW ME AND DECIDED TO CIRCLE THE ARPT (I THINK BY NOW I WAS AT ABOUT 8000 FT) AS I DID NOT WANT TO CONTINUE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION AND IT WAS AN OBVIOUS PLACE FOR A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. I CALLED OAKLAND RADIO AND TOLD THEM I WAS LOST. THEY ASKED ME FOR MY POS AND I RESPONDED BY SAYING THAT I DID NOT KNOW BUT WAS CIRCLING OVER AN ARPT. THEY ASKED ME AGAIN FOR MY POS AND I TOLD THEM I THOUGHT I WAS CLOSE TO SAN FRANCISCO AS THIS IS THE NEAREST PLACE I KNOW. THE FSS TOLD ME TO SQUAWK 7700 AND; AS I WAS DOING SO; I SAW THAT IT WAS LIVERMORE ARPT I WAS CIRCLING. I SQUAWKED 1200 AGAIN AND TOLD THE FSS I WAS GOING TO LAND AND ASKED THEM FOR THE TWR FREQ. I WANTED TO GET ON THE GND ASAP AS I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH PLANNING MY WAY BACK IN THE AIR. I HEADED N OF THE ARPT TO DSND. AFTER I HAD LOST SUFFICIENT ALT; I HEADED BACK TO THE ARPT AND CALLED LIVERMORE TWR. I GAVE THEM MY POS AND TOLD THEM I WAS A STUDENT PLT. I WAS TOLD TO RPT XING 580 WHICH I DID. I MISSED THE NEXT COM AND DIDN'T REPLY IMMEDIATELY; BUT THE TWR CAME BACK TO ME AND TOLD ME TO TURN L; WHICH I COMPLIED WITH. I WAS NOW PARALLEL TO THE RWY AND SO FLEW DOWNWIND; TURNED BASE; FINAL AND LANDED. AT LIVERMORE; I CALLED XYZ AVIATION IN SANTA ROSA AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I PLANNED A FLT BACK TO SANTA ROSA; REFUELED; AND HEADED HOME. BEFORE TAKING OFF FROM LIVERMORE WAS WHEN I REALIZED MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE WAS A LONG WAY OFF. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT PASSED WITHOUT INCIDENT. IN RETROSPECT; I REALIZED I HAD MADE 2 MISTAKES WHICH CAUSED THE PROB. I DID NOT CHK MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE WITH THE MAGNETIC COMPASS AFTER LEAVING SANTA ROSA. THE RESULTANT UNCORRECTED PRECESSION CAUSED ME TO DEVIATE SERIOUSLY OFF MY PLANNED RTE AND BECOME DISORIENTED. I DID NOT USE THE VOR RECEIVER TO TAKE A FIX OF MY POS. IT ALSO DID NOT OCCUR TO ME TO FLY TO VOR AND TRACK OUTBOUND ON A RADIAL ALTHOUGH WE HAD COVERED THIS IN EARLIER DUAL XCOUNTRIES. I THINK A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS FLYING AT A HIGHER ALT THAN I WAS USED TO; WHICH MADE IDENT OF FEATURES ON THE GND MUCH HARDER AND DISTORTED MY DISTANCE PERSPECTIVE SO THAT I WAS LOOKING TOO FAR AWAY FOR NEARBY FEATURES.