INADEQUATE SEPARATION FROM CLOUDS.

Narrative

FLT FROM PDK (ATLANTA; GA) TO BGF (WINCHESTER; TN). AFTER WATCHING WX TREND ALL WK GOOD VFR WAS EXISTING WITH FORECAST AS GREAT. I WANTED TO FILE IFR; BUT DID NOT BECAUSE (LOOKING BACK) I WAS 'PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH.' I HAD NOT OBTAINED THE TN ETC LOW ALT ENRTE CHARTS (EXPIRATION DATE AUG/18/94) -- CLOSE IN EXPIRATION DATE; HOW FOOLISH! REACH BGF VISUALLY; BUT ARPT WAS COVERED WITH 9/10 LOW 'VALLEY TYPE CLOUDS. MONITORED CTAF; AND HEARD FEW ACFT HAD GONE DOWN THROUGH A HOLE AND WAS 6-700 BELOW 9/10 OVCST AND VISIBILITY WAS GOOD BELOW CLOUDS. TRIED TO MONITOR AWOS; BUT WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN INFO FOR UNKNOWN REASON. I THEN PICKED A CLRING IN CLOUDS AND WENT BELOW AND LANDED SAFELY! I REMAINED CLR OF CLOUDS AT ALL TIMES; BUT DID NOT HAVE 1000 FT ABOVE ACFT AS REQUIRED FOR CLASS E AIRSPACE (LESS 10000 FT). AFTER RETURNING HOME AND BEING UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT SAFETY FOR MYSELF; PAX AND OTHER ACFT (NO OTHER ACFT INVOLVED); I REVIEWED 'AIRSPACE RECLASSIFICATION' AND ESPECIALLY CLASS 'E' PLUS 91.155 BASIC VFR MIN. AS A RESULT; REALIZED THAT 'CLR OF CLOUDS' WAS WRONG ASSUMPTION TO USE IN MY DECISION PROCESS WHEN GOING THROUGH THE AFOREMENTIONED HOLE. 'CLR OF CLOUDS' IS FOR 'G' AIRSPACE AND THIS WAS NOT MY SIT. I HAVE REVIEWED THESE AREAS TO ELIMINATE ANY FUTURE PROBS. HUMAN FACTOR TYPE CONSIDERATIONS: I ASSUMED THAT BECAUSE OTHERS DID IT (EG: I WAS 5TH OF 6TH TO LAND AT FLY-IN BREAKFAST). THAT 'CLR OF CLOUDS' WAS CORRECT AND OK; THAT IS LEGAL -- AND I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THE ANSWER! I KNEW EXACTLY WHERE MY NEAREST 'VFR' ARPT WAS AND SHOULD HAVE USED IT. I SHOULD HAVE PLACED LONG- DISTANCE CALL TO ARPT BEFORE DEPARTING PDK FOR 1ST HAND WX (NO WX RPTING AT BGF). I SHOULD HAVE FILED IFR; BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT MY PLAN WAS TO DO EARLIER IN WK; AND PART OF MY OWN CAREER TRAINING AT MY EXPERIENCE LEVEL; THAT IS; TO USE THE SYS AND DID NOT BECAUSE I WAS CHEAP (WITH SAFETY) AND WILL BUY THOSE CHARTS EVEN IF EXPIRATION IS NEAR IN FUTURE. FINAL COMMENT: I DO APPRECIATE HAVING THE NASA AVIATION SAFETY RPTING SYS AVAILABLE TO ME! IT HAS PROVIDED ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO SOUL-SEARCH MYSELF AND THIS WRITE-UP PROVIDED TO ME A CHANCE TO CLR MY OWN THINKING AND TO SET AND REAFFIRM MY COMMITMENT TO FLT SAFETY.