C210 ACFT. PLT FLYING ACFT WITH FERRY PERMIT TOOK OFF WITH KNOWN RADIO PROB. AFTER AIRBORNE RPTR BECAME DISORIENTED AND ENTERED CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT RADIO CONTACT. EVENTUALLY RPTR GOT THE RADIOS WORKING AND CONTINUED TO DEST.

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ON DEC/TUE/96 I RECEIVED A FERRY PERMIT TO FLY A C210 FROM BROOKRIDGE ARPT TO GARY FOR AN ANNUAL INSPECTION. THE MECH AUTH THE PLANE FOR FLT. I COULD NOT GET THE RADIOS TO WORK; BUT HAVING FLOWN THIS AREA FOR THE LAST 35 YRS; I SET THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE ON A RWY HDG OF 100 DEGS AND TOOK OFF. MY INTENTION WAS TO INTERCEPT THE RIVER AND FLY THE SE LEG TO GARY. AFTER TAKING OFF I WENT TO WORK ON TRYING TO GET THE RADIOS TO WORK. CHKING MY FLT POS; I WAS NOT WHERE I SHOULD BE. I CHKED THE MAGNETIC COMPASS WHICH INDICATED A N HDG; THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE INDICATED 070 DEGS. FURTHER CHK; THE SUN WAS ON MY L SIDE AND IT SHOULD BE IN THE TAIL POS. I TURNED R TO THE SE HDG AND SAW AN ARPT TO MY L. I KEPT CYCLING THE MASTER SWITCH AND THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS TO GET RADIO CONTACT. APCHING THE ARPT I LEFT 1900 FT TO GET A BETTER LOOK AT THE ARPT. I SAW BIG PLANES AND RECOGNIZED ORD. I TURNED SE LOOKING FOR LANDMARKS AND SOON RECOGNIZED THE HANCOCK BUILDING. 1 VOR NEEDLE INDICATED TO A HDG TO THE LANSING ARPT ON THE CHICAGO HEIGHTS FREQ. I HEARD A PLANE CALLING GARY. I HAD FINALLY GOT THE RADIO WORKING. THE PLANE HAD BEEN SITTING FOR SOME TIME; PROBABLY CAUSING THE RADIOS NOT TO WORK AS WITH OTHER INSTS. I CALLED GARY; NO ANSWER; BUT KEPT CALLING. AFTER A SHORT TIME; THEY ANSWERED. I ASKED FOR A POS RPT AND WAS RPTED E OF MIDWAY. VISIBILITY WAS OBSCURED SMOKE AND HAZE. THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE WAS NOT OPERATING. TRYING TO GET THE RADIOS TO WORK DISTR FROM ATTN TO TRACK. MY INTENTION WAS TO STOP AT LANSING; CALL THE TWR AT GARY IF I COULDN'T GET THE RADIOS TO WORK. I HAD NOT INTENDED TO FLY N WHERE THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE TOOK ME AT 165 MPH. I DID NOT BELIEVE I COULD HAVE MADE THIS KIND OF MISTAKE. I HAVE FLOWN THIS AREA WORKING PICKUP AND DELIVERY OF ACFT; STUDENT TRAINING; AND I AM A COMMERCIAL PLT WITH AN INST AND CFI RATING.