ATX LTT INADVERTENTLY PENETRATED AN ARPT AREA CLASS D AIRSPACE ENRTE VFR TO A LARGE METRO ARPT IN A HIGHLY CONGESTED AREA.

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WE LEFT PVD AT XA20 PM ON SCHEDULE FOR EWR. IT WAS RPTED MOSTLY CLR IN EWR; WITH 20 KTS THIN BROKEN; SURFACE WINDS 250 DEGS AT 17 KTS. I WAS ASSUMING THEY'D BE USING RWY 22L AND POTENTIALLY RWY 11 FOR ARRS; AND RWY 22R AND PROBABLY RWY 29 FOR DEPS. USUALLY A NO BRAINER VFR. MY PLAN WAS TO GO DOWN THE SOUND AND BE AT 2500 FT 20 MI FROM LGA AND HOPE THEY'D GIVE US THE USUAL: GLENN COVE- THROG'S NECT-TWR CAB-CENTRAL PARK-DOWN THE (HUDSON) RIVER-STATUE-R TFC OVER THE FIELD FOR 11. IF WE DIDN'T GET THE USUAL; THEN WE'D DO THE STANDARD BACKUP PLAN: PROCEED IN BTWN CLASS B AND HPN CLASS D (6 MI CORRIDOR) TO ALPINE TWR-PATTERSON NDB AND HOLD; USUALLY AT 2500 FT AS DIRECTED BY ATC; BUT SOMETIMES AT 2800 FT IF ATC WASN'T TALKING TO YOU (IN ORDER TO STAY CLR OF ESSEX COUNTY'S CLASS D; (27) INDICATED ON SECTIONAL). WE GET TO 22 MI FROM LGA AT 2500 FT; ATC TELLS US THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO WORK US OVER LGA; CLRED INTO CLASS B AT 2500 FT; GO TO PATTERSON AND HOLD. OKAY; NO BIG DEAL. I REMEMBERED THAT I COULD HAVE SAVED US THIS TROUBLE IF I HAD MADE MY NORMAL CALL TO EWR TWR 60 MI OUT TO SEE IF THEY'RE ACCEPTING TFC DOWN THE RIVER. THIS WOULD HAVE SAVED US THE TROUBLE OF GETTING LOW; UNDER CLASS B; TRYING TO WORK OUR WAY TO ALPINE TWR WITHOUT BUMPING INTO ANYTHING. NO BIG DEAL THOUGH THEY'RE STILL TALKING TO US; THE WINDS ARE LIGHT (IE; NO ARR PROBS); THEY'RE GOING TO PUT US IN LINE FOR RWY 22L; I'VE DONE THIS A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE. WE GET TO PATTERSON; ATC TELLS US THEY CAN'T GET A HDOF; ALSO THAT THERE'S TFC AT 11; 12; AND 2 O'CLOCK (ONE OF THE TFC WAS COMPANY TRYING TO DO THE SAME THING; BUT TALKING ON A DIFFERENT FREQ). WE FIND THEM ALL; AND PROCEED ON AN ASSIGNED HDG OF 340 DEGS; THEN WE'RE TOLD TO PROCEED TO SAX; STAY OUT OF THE WAY; AND SQUAWK 1200. TRY ATC ON 127.6. THIS GUY'S REALLY BUSY - IT CAUGHT ME BY SURPRISE. WE MANAGE TO GET HIS ATTN. HE TELLS THEY ARE NOT ACCEPTING ANY VFR TFC. NORMALLY; THEY TELL YOU TO HOLD AND THAT THEY'D GET BACK TO YOU AND SOMEHOW WORK YOU IN. WE HAD TOLD THEM ALREADY THAT WE COULD TAKE RWY 11; BUT IT WAS IGNORED. BY NOW WE'RE OUT OVER SAX; ROUGHLY 33 MI N/NW OF EWR. I HAD NEVER BEEN TOTALLY SHUT DOWN LIKE THAT. SOMEHOW WE'RE DOWN TO 2000 FT OUT OVER A RIDGE; HDG W. SAX IS THE NORMAL ARR POINT; WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL. I SAY TO MY FO: 'WE ARE WHERE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE; WE WOULD HAVE BEN HERE IFR OR VFR; I COULDN'T BELIEVE THIS GAME THEY WERE PLAYING. THIS IS BABY STUFF.' BY NOT MY FO IS A LITTLE BEWILDERED; BUT CALM. I'M STILL VERY CALM; BUT WITH A SINKING FEELING IN MY STOMACH. I'M FLYING; HE'S WORKING THE RADIO; SORT OF. ALTHOUGH VERY COMPETENT; HE'S NOT SURE WHAT TO SAY OR DO. HE SENSES THAT I'M SORT OF IN QUANDARY. I SUGGEST I'D GIVE EWR TWR A CALL; MAYBE THEY CAN WORK US IN. I TELL THEM WE CAN TAKE RWY 11. HE SAYS NO. I ASK HIM AGAIN; MAYBE HE CAN AT LEAST PUT OUR NAME IN HAT FOR A SLOT ON ARR. HE COMES BACK AND ASKS IF WE CAN TAKE RWY 11. (I SAY TO MYSELF; IS NOBODY LISTENING - WE'VE TOLD EVERYBODY SO FAR THAT WE CAN TAKE RWY 11). I SAY YES. OKAY; HE SAYS; RPT 10 MI NW. I ASK: DO YOU WANT US AT 2000 FT? HE HESITATES; AND SAYS YES. I HAD ASKED BECAUSE THAT WAS THE NORMAL ARR ALT FOR RWY 11 WHEN WITHIN ROUGHLY 10 MI. OKAY; BIG RELIEF. I PICK UP ABOUT A 190 DEGS HDG; PICK UP THE SPD TO 210 KTS; AND ASK MY FO TO START LOOKING ON THE MAP TO SEE HOW FAR OUT ESSEX COUNTY WAS FROM TEB SO THAT WE COULD STAY CLR. HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DETERMINE ROUGH DISTANCES QUICKLY AND EASILY ON THE SECTIONAL CHART. FEELING A LITTLE FLUSTERED; HE WOULD DIVERT HIS ATTN OUTSIDE AT LEAST TO LOOK FOR THE ARPTS. I WAS THINKING I KNEW WE WOULD BE CLOSE TO EITHER ESSEX COUNTY OR MORRISTOWN; IT WAS HARD TO MAKE OUT ANY LANDMARKS FROM THIS LOW ALT. IN THE FRONT OF MY MIND; ATC HAD TOLD US 2000 FT SO AT LEAST WE WERE SAFE IF WE WENT THROUGH A CLASS D; IN THE BACK OF MY MIND; I KNEW WE WERE VFR; AN SUPPOSED TO NAV CLR OF ANY AIRSPACE SINCE WE WEREN'T TALKING TO THE CTLING APCH FREQ. THEN MY FO SPOTS BOTH ARPTS; WE'RE PROBABLY WITHIN 4 PLUS OR MINUS MI IN BTWN BOTH ARPTS. WE'RE EASILY IN THEIR AIRSPACE SINCE I'M AT 2000 FT. I MAKE A QUICK (BUT HESITATED; AM I NOT SUPPOSED TO BE AT 2000 FT?) CLB TO 2700 FT (I SHOULD HAVE AT 2800 FT). WE PASS BOTH ARPTS; AND CONTINUE HDG S. I'M STARTING TO FEEL REALLY FRAZZLED; FEELING LIKE I'VE JUST REALLY SCREWED UP; AND FEELING DISORIENTED. I KNEW I WASN'T PREPARED. I'VE GOT EWR VISUALLY; AND WE'RE USING THE LOC FOR DME INFO. I'VE DSNDED TO 2500 FT (I DON'T KNOW WHY); AND WE CALL 10 MI NW (TO GET HIS ATTN EARLY; EVEN THOUGH WE WERE ABOUT 12 MI NW); AND START A DSCNT TO 2000 FT. ATC ACKNOWLEDGES US AND WORKS US INTO RWY 11 WITHOUT A HITCH; JUST AHEAD OF COMPANY WHO ENDED UP GETTING CLRED DOWN THE RIVER FOR RWY 11. I HADN'T BEEN TO EWR IN OVER 5 MONTHS VFR FROM THE N; AND MY 2 WK OLD FO HAD CERTAINLY NEVER BEEN THERE. I TOOK FOR GRANTED IT WAS A ROUTINE FLT AND HADN'T BOTHERED TO VISUALIZE MY GAME PLAN. I FORGOT IT WAS RUSH HR. I DIDN'T TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION I HAD A NEW FO. MY ATTITUDE WAS THAT I'D DONE THIS MANY TIMES AND THOUGHT I'D SEEN IT ALL; BESIDES; THERE'S ALWAYS A WAY OUT. IN THE FUTURE; BEFORE GOING VFR TO EWR; I WILL THOROUGHLY REVIEW ALL CHARTS; CONSIDER WHO I'M FLYING WITH; AND THOROUGHLY VISUALIZE MY GAME PLAN. ALSO; THERE ARE CAPTS IN OUR COMPANY THAT HAVE A LOT MORE EXPERIENCE WITH EWR. I PLAN TO REVIEW THE INCIDENT WITH THEM AND ASK FOR SUGGESTIONS.