C172 ACFT. INEXPERIENCED PVT PLT RUSHED PREFLT WITH INADEQUATE WX BRIEFING; UNFAMILIAR WITH ACFT; AFTER TKOF BECAME OVERLOADED AND FLEW INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC. RPTR STATES THAT SHE WAS IN OVER HER HEAD AND KNEW IT.

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THE PROB WAS A SERIES OF ERRORS OR POTENTIAL ERRORS; ALL OF WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAPPENED; BUT EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. IT BEGAN BEFORE THE FLT. I WORKED A FULL DAY; GOT UP AT XA30 AM TO WORK. SO; ALTHOUGH I WAS ABLE TO CHK WX CONDITIONS AT WORK; IT WAS A HECTIC DAY. I RUSHED HOME; RUSHED TO THE ARPT AND HAD FRUSTRATIONS ON THE WAY (CLOSED FREEWAY RAMPS AND SAW AN ACCIDENT WHICH CAUSED A LONG TFC JAM I HAD TO WAIT IN) WHICH MADE ME LATE TO MEET MY PAX AND MADE US EVEN LATE FOR OUR PLANNED DEP TIME! UH-OH! SO; I EXPLAINED I HAD TO GET FINAL WX BRIEFING (WINDS AT DEST MIGHT BE A PROB) AND FILE FLT PLAN; ETC. ALSO; THE ACFT I THOUGHT I'D BE USING WASN'T THE ONE I GOT; SO I QUICKLY RE-DID WT AND BAL FOR THIS PLANE. I'VE ONLY FLOWN A C172 4 PREVIOUS OCCASIONS. I THOUGHT I HAD ONE I'D FLOWN 3 PREVIOUS TIMES; BUT ENDED UP WITH A PLANE I'VE NEVER BEEN IN. I DID NOT TAKE TIME TO FAMILIARIZE WITH RADIOS; NAV EQUIP; ETC. NAV WOULD MAINLY CONSIST OF FOLLOWING THE SHORE SO I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD MATTER. WE TOOK OFF AND I WAS ALREADY QUITE DISTR OR FLUSTERED AND THE GUSTY XWINDS MADE FOR A VERY 'EXCITING' TKOF; AND VERY TURBULENT AIR. I WAS PRETTY SCARED AND SHAKEN UP FROM THAT TKOF. THIS WAS FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY PROBS GETTING THE RADIO FREQ TO WORK. MAYBE WE WERE STILL TOO LOW; BUT BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THE RADIO SET-UP DIDN'T HELP MATTERS ANY. I FINALLY GOT A HOLD OF MKE APCH BUT AT THE TIME I MAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN THEIR AIRSPACE. BELIEVE YOU ME; I WAS SO BUSY JUST TRYING TO MANAGE THE RADIO AND KEEPING THE PLANE FAIRLY LEVEL; I LITERALLY COULD NOT HANDLE COMPARING GND REFS TO MY CHART. I WAS IN WAY OVER MY HEAD AND I KNEW IT; BUT I KEPT GOING BECAUSE I DID NOT FEEL I COULD LAND SAFELY AGAIN AT MWC. BY THE TIME I LEFT MKE AIRSPACE; I HAD THINGS BETTER IN CTL; BUT I STILL FORGOT TO SWITCH ONE XPONDER BACK TO 1200; UNTIL I WAS CLOSE TO OUR DEST. REALLY THE LNDG AT CGX WENT FINE AND I FELT MUCH MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT THE RETURN AT THAT POINT. WE DEPARTED AFTER DARK AND ALL WENT WELL; BUT WHEN I GOT TO TALK TO MKE APCH; I NOTICED AS I WAS PUTTING IN THE XPONDER CODE THEY GAVE ME THAT IT WAS ONLY ON STANDBY AND NOT MODE C. I AM FAIRLY CERTAIN I GOT THAT IN MY CHKLISTS; BUT I ALSO HAVE NO IDEA WHEN IT WOULD'VE GOT TURNED TO STANDBY THEN. MY FRONT PAX WASN'T SPECIFICALLY BRIEFED NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING AND WAS TRYING TO HELP OUT; AND ACTUALLY WAS A LIFESAVER BY HELPING WITH CHARTS; CHKING GND REFS; CALLING OUT TFC; AND CALMING BACKSEAT RIDER ABOUT TURB. TFC WAS VERY HVY OUT OF CGX; SO THAT WAS A HECTIC AND HVY WORKLOAD SIT. I DID NOT NOTICE WHEN IT HAPPENED; ONLY THAT IT HAD; SO I CORRECTED IT AT THAT TIME. IT IS POSSIBLE WE WERE IN THE MODE C VEIL AREA OF ORD WITH IT JUST ON STANDBY; BUT AGAIN I HAVE NO WAY TO KNOW FOR SURE. THERE WAS TIME PRESSURE TO GET HOME; TOO; SO IN THE FUTURE I WILL NEVER LET THE SIT CTL ME INSTEAD OF ME CTLING THE SIT. PAX CAN WAIT; NOTHING'S SO URGENT THAT SAFETY SHOULD BE COMPROMISED FOR IT. NEXT TIME I WOULD TAKE 15 OR 20 MINS JUST TO SIT IN THE PLANE AND FAMILIARIZE MYSELF -- THAT WOULD HAVE MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE. I'D BE LESS LIKELY TO MISS SOMETHING AND IT WOULDN'T ADD TO MY STRESS LEVEL THEN.