PVT PLT OF AN SMA SEL INADVERTENTLY ENTERED CLASS B AIRSPACE.

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DEPARTED PNE FOR BED; COURSE 060 DEGS; PLANNING TO OVERFLY THE NEW YORK AREA TCA AT 7500 FT. PASSING PLUS OR MINUS 6500 FT; JUST E OF ARD; SAW THAT AN OVCST LAYER AT AROUND 7000-8000 FT WOULD PRECLUDE VFR OPS. ELECTED TO DSND TO 5500 FT AND CIRCUMNAV THE TCA TO THE W AND N BEFORE AGAIN TURNING NE. THE AUTOPLT HAD BEEN IN THE NAV MODE; RECEIVING FROM THE GPS; FOR DIRECT TO BED. WE WERE PROBABLY NEAR JERYY INTXN WHEN I SELECTED 'TO SAX' AND COMMANDED DIRECT TO IT. HOWEVER; IN SHORT ORDER I COULD SEE THAT WE WOULD PENETRATE THE TCA AND ITS WESTERN EDGE. I PUT THE AUTOPLT BACK IN HDG MODE; TURNED MORE TO THE N; AND SELECTED HUO VORTAC ON THE GPS. AT THAT TIME; I MUST HAVE BEEN DISTRACTED BY A PAX POINTING OUT SOME TFC; AND I DID NOT PUT THE AUTOPLT INTO NAV MODE. IT CONTINUED IN HDG MODE AS I WATCHED FOR TFC; AS I KNEW WE WERE NEAR BUSY TERMINAL AIRSPACE. AFTER A TIME; I NOTICED A HVY JET OFF TO OUR L; PLUS OR MINUS 1 MI AT ABOUT OUR ALT AND BECAME ALARMED SINCE HIS ALT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE IF OUTSIDE THE TCA. I PUT EWR ON THE GPS; AND IT READ 16.7 NM; THEN SAW MY HSI'S CDI IN A FULL SCALE DEFLECTION. IMMEDIATELY TOLD MY PAX TO HELP ME WATCH FOR TFC; SHUT OFF THE AUTOPLT; PULLED PWR AND MADE A MAX RATE DSCNT TO 3000 FT; BELOW THE SHELF; CLRING TO NNE. MOST OF MY FLYING HRS ARE UNDER IFR PLAN. THIS MATTER HAS SO UPSET ME THAT I INTEND TO NEVER AGAIN OPERATE VFR IF THE FLT PASSES OVER OR NEAR ANY TYPE OF RESTR OR POSITIVE CTLED AIRSPACE.