UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE. PLT DEPARTS IN AN UNPLANNED DIRECTION AND TURNS TO INTERCEPT COURSE THROUGH NEIGHBORING CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT A CLRNC.

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I MADE A TRIP FROM CHS TO CUB; SC. AT XA00 PLANNING ON RETURNING BY XC20. WE HAD A LOT OF RAIN EARLIER IN THE DAY SO THERE WERE PATCHES OF SCUD. DEP DELAYED UNTIL AFTER XB00. PLANNED TO DEPART RWY 13 AT CUB BUT; AS I TAXIED OUT; I HEARD A PLANE CALL IN ON THE CTAF THAT HE WOULD BE ENTERING A DOWNWIND FOR RWY 31. WINDS WERE LIGHT AND VARIABLE SO I TAXIED TO RWY 31. ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO DEPART TO SE AND TURN W TO PICK UP THE VICTOR AIRWAY TO CHS WHICH BOUNDARY FOLLOWS I-26 WHICH IS A GOOD VISUAL REF AT NIGHT OR IN POOR VISIBILITY. ON DEP I ENCOUNTERED LIGHT WISPY CLOUDS AT ABOUT 1000 FT AND HAD TO MAKE SOME DEVS AND CONTINUED TO CLB TO CLR THEM. NOTICING THE CDI WITH FULL R DEFLECTION; I KEPT MY HDG W TO TRY TO INTERCEPT THE 154 DEG RADIAL ASAP. I NOTICED RWY LIGHTS JUST OFF MY STARBOARD SIDE AND IT SUDDENLY SANK IN THAT I HAD STRAYED INTO CAE CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT PERMISSION. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO 150 DEGS TO CLR THE AREA ASAP. I HAD OVERLOOKED THE FACT THAT CUB WAS N OF THE VOR AND CAE IS W AND N OF THE VOR. DEPARTING RWY 31 HAD PUT ME EVEN CLOSER TO CAE. MY FLT WAS DEFINITELY NOT PROPERLY PLANNED. THE FACT THAT IT WAS JUST A 'LITTLE 60 MI HOP' PUT IN TOO MUCH COMPLACENCY. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS VFR EXACT HDGS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLANNED FOR DEP AND WHEN THE DEP RWY WAS CHANGED; EVERYTHING SHOULD HAVE BEEN REFIGURED. EVEN THOUGH VISIBILITY WAS GOOD AND ALMOST NO TFC; THE TENSIONS OF NIGHTTIME AND POSSIBLE. WX CONFLICTS MADE AN IMPORTANT DETAIL GET OVERLOOKED. DEPARTING RWY 13 WITH A CLB TO 1800 FT TILL INTERCEPTING THE AIRWAY POSES NO CONFLICT WITH CLASS C AIRSPACE. DEPARTING RWY 31 IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT BALL GAME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PLT SAID THAT HE DOES NOT FLY HIS BEECH BONANZA H35 MUCH LATELY SINCE HE HAS A NEWER; BUT SOMEWHAT SLOWER AIRPLANE. HE BECAME A BIT COMPLACENT BECAUSE HE HAD PLANNED TO OPERATE BY VISUAL REF ON THE WAY BACK HOME AND HE DID NOT PLAN ON DEPARTING TO THE NW OR RUN INTO ANY CLOUDS. WHEN HE REALIZED THAT HE WAS IN THE CLASS C AIRSPACE; HE WAS MONITORING THE FREQ AND THERE WAS NO TFC AT THE TIME; HE DECIDED THAT THE BEST COURSE WAS TO EXIT ASAP. HE TURNED TO THE S WHILE CONTINUING TO CLB; EXITED THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND INTERCEPTED THE AIRWAY AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME. THE RPTR ADMITS HIS ERROR AND HE HAS RETHOUGHT HIS ACTIONS THAT EVENING AND HE DOES NOT THINK THAT HE WILL REPEAT THAT ERROR.