UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE MILFAC.

Narrative

ALTHOUGH I HAVE DONE A LOT OF XCOUNTRY FLYING; IN AND OUT OF CLASS D AIRSPACE; THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA. TO FLY OVER TAMPA BAY INTO ST PETERSBURG WHITTED FIELD; WAS THE INTENDED DEST. MY PLANE WAS 1 OF A GROUP OF 6; ALL HEADED FOR THIS ARPT. BECAUSE OF DIFFICULTY IN RAISING THE TWR; DUE TO A FREQ CHANGE; ONE OF THE GROUP TURNED BACK. I DID A LOT OF CAREFUL PLANNING TO AVOID TAMPA AND MACDILL. I MARKED THE CHART AND SET MY PORTABLE GPS (OLD) FOR MANATEE; AS A WAYPOINT TO ALBERT WHITTED. I WAS CAREFUL TO PLAN A PROPER ALT ACCORDING TO THE CHART. MANATEE ARPT IS A GRASS STRIP 10 MI SSE ACROSS TAMPA BAY FROM ALBERT WHITTED. I WAS TOLD BY PLTS; WHO HAD MADE THE TRIP; THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE ALBERT WHITTED FROM THE SHORE. AT 1000 FT NOTHING IN A DISTANCE LOOKS THE SAME AS ON THE CHART AND BECAUSE MY GPS KEPT TURNING ITSELF OFF; I SIMPLY LOOKED ACROSS THE BAY; TO SPOT THE ARPT. I CALLED ALBERT WHITTED TWR ON 124.4; THE FREQ ON MY CHART (EXPIRES MAR/95) AND DID NOT GET A RESPONSE. I TRIED 120.4 WHICH WAS THE FREQ ON THE PLATE IN MY ARPT BOOK. ALSO WRONG. I REMEMBERED THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAD AN ARPT PLATE WITH 127.4; TRIED THAT AND GOT RESULTS. I GAVE MY DISTANCE 10 MI OUT; ALT 1000 FT; AND POS SSE OF THE ARPT. I WAS TOLD TO PROCEED TO RWY 18 FOR LNDG. EVIDENTLY WITH ALL MY FOOLING AROUND WITH RADIOS; I GOT OFF COURSE AND WHAT LOOKED GOOD OVER THE WATER AS ALBERT WHITTED TURNED OUT TO BE MACDILL. ACCORDING TO THE TWR THEY FIGURED I WAS STILL OVER MANATEE. I TRIED GIVING THEM GND REF POINTS; TRIED HOLDING MY LOW ALT; AND TRIED TO ANSWER ALL THEIR QUESTIONS. THIS KEPT ME MORE THAN BUSY; BUT I CONCENTRATED MAINLY ON FLYING THE PLANE. THERE DID NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY ACTIVITY AT MACDILL AND WHEN 1 OF OUR GROUP CALLED ALBERT WHITTED HE WAS ASKED IF HE HAD CONTACT WITH MACDILL. HE SAID NO; HE WAS VECTORED THROUGH BY TAMPA AND ONLY TOLD TO CONTACT ALBERT WHITTED ON 127.4. THIS MAKES ME BELIEVE THE AREA WAS COLD AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT. THE CTLRS AT ALBERT WHITTED DID A GOOD JOB OF GETTING ME OUT OF AREA AND BACK ON TRACK ONCE THEY GOT ME ON THEIR RADAR. IN THE FUTURE I WILL PLAN MY HDGS ON PAPER RATHER THAN DEPEND ON MY GPS. I NEVER GOT LOST AS A STUDENT PLT AND FEEL LIKE AN IDIOT FOR MAKING SUCH A DUMB MISTAKE AT THIS STAGE OF FLYING.