STUDENT PLT BECAME DISORIENTED ON A SOLO XCOUNTRY AND INADVERTENTLY ENTERED AN AIR FORCE BASE ATA.

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SHORT XCOUNTRY VFR CONDITIONS. MY DEST WAS PERU. I DID NOT MAKE IT TO THAT ARPT. MY PLANS WERE TO FLY TO LOGANSPORT THEN TO PERU; LAND AND RETURN TO EAGLE CREEK. I REVIEWED MY FLT PLAN WITH MY INSTRUCTOR AND HE SIGNED ME OFF TO GO. WX WAS GOOD OTHER THAN SOME TURB AROUND 2500 FT. WINDS ALOFT 220/16. MY HDG WAS 350 DEGS TO LOGANSPORT. I CHANGED THE DIRECTIONAL GYRO SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE I FELT MY HDG WAS OFF. I BEGAN TO HAVE DIFFICULTY FINDING THE NEXT CHKPOINT WHICH WAS ELECTRIC WIRES; 37 KM N OF EAGLE CREEK. THEN I STARTED FLYING MUCH TOO CLOSE TO KOKOMO SO I TRIED TO CORRECT MY HDG BY TURNING NW. I BEGAN LOOKING FOR THE LOGANSPORT ARPT WHEN I TURNED AND LOOKED DOWN AND MY R WING WAS DIRECTED TOWARDS A HUGE ARPT; WHICH I REALIZED WAS GRISSOM AFB. I BELIEVE MY ALT WAS BTWN 2900-3000 FT. IT SCARED ME BECAUSE I WAS PROBABLY ABOUT 4 MI AWAY AND I THOUGHT A FIGHTER MIGHT TKOF AND FLY DIRECTLY INTO ME. OR I THOUGHT I WAS IN DEEP TROUBLE FOR NOT GETTING PERMISSION TO FLY IN A CTL ZONE. I FLEW N OF THE ARPT AND CIRCLED AROUND SO I COULD THINK. I WAS TOO CONCERNED ABOUT BEING SO CLOSE TO GRISSOM TO CARE IF I FLEW AND LANDED AT PERU. ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS GO HOME. I TALKED TO GRISSOM APCH AND EXPLAINED I WAS A STUDENT PLT AND I HAD GOTTEN DISORIENTED. I ASKED FOR A HDG TO EAGLE CREEK. THE CTLR WAS VERY CALMING AND DIRECT; HIS SPEEDY COURTEOUS ATTN WAS HELPFUL IN GETTING ME BACK ON COURSE TO EAGLE CREEK. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED IN MYSELF FOR NOT COMPLETING MY XCOUNTRY AND FOR FLYING INTO A CTL ZONE/ATA UNANNOUNCED. FOR A BRIEF MOMENT I THOUGHT ABOUT GIVING UP ON WORKING TOWARDS MY PVT LICENSE BUT I LOVE TO FLY TOO MUCH FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. I CRIED MY EYES OUT AFTER I TIED DOWN THE PLANE; THEN I HAD TO CONFESS MY DOINGS TO MY INSTRUCTOR AND PLT HUSBAND. I REALIZED MY LEARNING WAS JUST BEGINNING. THIS WAS A FRIGHTENING; BUT IMPORTANT LESSON.