THE RPTR 'LOST IN HIS THOUGHTS' GOES THROUGH THE FAY CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT CALLING FAY APCH.

Narrative

ON MY REGULARLY SCHEDULED RTE FOR A SMALL CARGO AIRLINE; FROM RDU TO LBT; I WAS RELEASED BY RALEIGH DEP ABOUT 10 MI BEFORE I AM USUALLY RELEASED. BECAUSE I WAS STILL OUTSIDE OF FAYETTEVILLE APCH'S RADAR COVERAGE; I DIALED THEIR FREQ INTO THE RADIO BUT DID NOT TRY TO CONTACT THEM; INTENDING TO MAKE MY INITIAL CONTACT WHEN I WAS ABOUT 25 MI FROM FAYETTEVILLE (FAY). AT ABOUT 30 MI OUT FROM FAY; I HEARD APCH ADVISE A FLT OF A10'S GOING INTO POPE AFB OF VFR TFC (MY ACFT) IN THEIR VICINITY. I BECAME ENGROSSED IN LOOKING FOR THESE ACFT; NOT WANTING A CONFLICT TO OCCUR. A FEW MINS LATER APCH ADVISED THE A10'S THAT THE TFC WAS NO LONGER A FACTOR. AFTER THAT; RADIO TFC WAS VERY LIGHT AND I BECAME 'LOST' IN MY THOUGHTS. I BRIEFLY WONDERED WHY I HADN'T BEEN HANDED OFF TO THE NEXT CTLR; BUT BECAUSE OF THE LIGHT TFC; ASSUMED THAT THE SAME CTLR WAS WORKING BOTH SECTORS; AND CONTINUED ON. IT WASN'T UNTIL I WAS ABOUT TO START MY DSCNT INTO LBT THAT I NOTICED MY XPONDER WAS STILL SET TO 1200. AT THIS POINT I WAS WELL CLR OF FAYETTEVILLE'S AIRSPACE. I REALIZED THAT I HAD FLOWN THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF FAYETTEVILLE'S CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT EVER CALLING OR IN ANY OTHER WAY CONTACTING ATC. BECAUSE I WAS CLR OF THEIR AIRSPACE AT THIS TIME; I CONTINUED THE FLT WITHOUT MAKING CONTACT. IN RETROSPECT; THE REASON FOR THIS INCIDENT WAS A LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ON MY PART. I FIRST BECAME ENGROSSED IN LOOKING FOR POSSIBLE CONFLICTING TFC AND THEN IN MY OWN THOUGHTS THAT I FORGOT ABOUT WHERE I WAS AND WHAT I NEEDED TO BE DOING.