CORP ACFT ON VISUAL APCH ALLEGED TO HAVE ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC.

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ON AN IFR FLT FROM MSP-CGX; VECTORED TO A VISUAL BY O'HARE APCH. HDOF WAS DELAYED. CALLED MEIGS IN SIGHT FOR VISUAL APCH. CTL CLRED US FOR VISUAL APCH AND INSTRUCTED US TO CHANGE TO TWR FREQ. WHEN WE DID; THE TWR CTLR WAS ENGAGED IN DISCUSSIONS WITH 2 OTHER PLTS. MY COPLT DELAYED THE RADIO CALL ESTABLISHING CONTACT SO AS NOT TO INTERRUPT THE FLOW OF COM BTWN CTLR AND PLTS. WHEN WE FINALLY MADE CONTACT WE WERE ON DOWNWIND. AFTER LNDG THE TWR REQUESTED WE CALL THEM ON THE TELEPHONE. I CALLED THE TWR AND THE CTLR SAID WE HAD ENTERED CLASS 'D' WITHOUT TWR CLRNC. I EXPLAINED WHY WE DELAYED THE INITIAL CALL. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN THE INITIAL CLRNC AT THE DEP ARPT IS CLRNC TO ENTER ALL AIRSPACE ALONG THE RTE OF FLT. SOME CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDED A LATE CHANGE OVER FROM O'HARE APCH. THE MEIGS CTLR WAS ENGAGED IN AN ONGOING DISCUSSION WITH OTHER PLTS; AND MY COPLT WAS FRESH FROM 20 YRS OF MIL FLYING. WE HAD BEEN FLYING TOGETHER FOR 2 MONTHS AND I HAD NOTICED A SLOW RESPONSE TIME TO ATC INSTRUCTIONS; AS WELL AS A RELAXED VIEW TOWARDS ATC AUTH AND THE GENERAL QUICK FLOW OF RADIO COM IN BUSY AND CONGESTED AIRSPACE. HE DID NOT ALWAYS COMPREHEND THE URGENCY THAT ATC OPERATES WITH THESE DAYS.