SMA IN CRUISE HAS 2 NMACS WHEN ON FLT FOLLOWING AND ENTERS CLASS D AIRSPACE.

Narrative

MY WIFE AND I WERE FLYING VFR FROM VRB TO TIX. 10 MI S OF MLB I CALLED PATRICK APCH (132.65) TO ASK FOR FLT FOLLOWING. THEY ASKED ME TO SQUAWK XXXX AND THEN CONFIRMED RADAR CONTACT AND 6 MI S OF MLB AND FLYING AT 1100 FT. ABOUT 3 MI S OF MLB A CESSNA POPPED UP OUT OF NOWHERE. WE MISSED HIM BY APPROX 500 FT AND WE WERE BOTH AT THE SAME ALT. THE CESSNA WAS SBOUND AND WE WERE NBOUND. ABOUT THE TIME THE CESSNA PASSED OFF OUR R WING TIP; PATRICK APCH CAME ON TO SAY THAT WE HAD TFC. I INFORMED THEM THAT THE TFC HAD ALREADY PASSED. AS WE FLEW FURTHER NORTHWARD; PATRICK APCH CAME BACK TO SAY THAT WE HAD TO CALL THE MLB TWR; AND GAVE THE FREQ. WE WERE ABEAM THE MLB ARPT; HAVING OBVIOUSLY PENETRATED CLASS D AIRSPACE; SO I VERY QUICKLY CALLED THE MLB TWR TO ADVISE THEM OF OUR POS AND TO INFORM THEM THAT WE HAD BEEN ON FLT FOLLOWING. JUST AS I STARTED COM WITH THEM; A CESSNA FLEW DIRECTLY AT US OFF OUR R WING TIP AND HE PROMPTLY TURNED TO HIS L AND PASSED IN BACK OF US. WE WERE BOTH AT THE SAME ALT AND HIS QUICK REFLEXES SAVED THE DAY FOR ALL OF US!! MLB TWR WAS AMAZED THAT WE WERE IN THEIR AIRSPACE AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW OF IT IN ADVANCE. THE CESSNA COULDN'T HAVE MISSED US BY MORE THAN 100 FT. YOU CAN HEAR ALL ABOUT THIS IF YOU LISTEN TO THE TAPES. WE WERE THEN GIVEN APPROVAL TO SWITCH FREQS AND TO CONTACT PATRICK TWR; WHICH WE DID. AFTER THAT WE WERE GIVEN THE WINDS AND ACTIVE RWY AT TIX; OUR DEST. ON OUR RETURN TRIP TO VRB ABOUT AN HR AND A HALF LATER; WE CONTACTED PATRICK APCH AND ASKED FOR FLT FOLLOWING AGAIN AND WERE GIVEN THE DISCRETE CODE OF XXXX AGAIN. WE WERE THEN HANDED OFF TO PATRICK TWR AND THEN TO THE MLB TWR. MLB THEN GAVE US PERMISSION TO CHANGE FREQS AND I SAID THAT WE WOULD SQUAWK 1200 AND FLY ON TO VRB. IT SEEMS ODD TO ME THAT THE PATRICK APCH HANDED US OFF IN CLASS D AIRSPACE AT THE APCH END OF A RWY AND HADN'T EVEN CALLED MLB TWR BY LAND LINE TO INFORM THEM OF OUR POS. ISN'T THIS ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF FLT FOLLOWING? IN THE EVENT THAT THEY WERE TOO BUSY TO HANDLE US (IT DIDN'T SEEM THAT THEY WERE VERY BUSY) SHOULDN'T THEY HAVE TURNED DOWN OUR REQUEST AT THE BEGINNING OR AT LEAST TOLD US TO CONTACT MLB BEFORE ENTERING CLASS D AIRSPACE? AFTER ARRIVING HOME; I CALLED MLB TWR TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE DAYS HAPPENINGS. THE GENTLEMAN I SPOKE WITH WAS AWARE OF THE INCIDENT HOWEVER HE WAS ON A LATER SHIFT AND THE CTLR WHO DEALT WITH ME HAD LEFT. HE SAID THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROB AND WOULD I PLEASE CALL THE PATRICK APCH TO WHICH HE GAVE ME THE NUMBER. THE GENTLEMAN I SPOKE WITH THERE SAID THAT THEY HAVE HAD A NUMBER OR PROBS SIMILAR TO MINE AND THAT THEY WERE GOING TO ISSUE A BULLETIN ON THE NEXT DAY; TO NOT 'DROP' PEOPLE IN THE MLB AIRSPACE. HE ASKED IF I WANTED TO FILE SOME TYPE OF A RPT. MY ANSWER WAS THAT MY PURPOSE IN CALLING WAS NOT TO STIR THINGS UP BUT TO BRING THE INCIDENT TO THEIR ATTENTION. HE APOLOGIZED NUMEROUS TIMES AND WAS VERY COURTEOUS. THE LESSON I LEARNED DURING THIS ORDEAL WAS TO NOT BE AT PATTERN ALT DURING A TRANSITION THROUGH CLASS D AIRSPACE IF IN THE VICINITY OF THE RWY ENDS. THIS INCIDENT IS ANOTHER LESSON TO KEEP ONES EYES OUT OF THE COCKPIT AT ALL TIMES!!!