A STEARMAN BIPLANE PLT RPTS THAT HE WAS ACCUSED OF FLYING THROUGH PBI'S CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT PERMISSION.

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ON FEB/SUN/97 AT ABOUT XA00 HRS; A FRIEND AND I; BOTH LICENSED PLTS; WERE FLYING A STEARMAN BIPLANE ON A VFR PLEASURE FLT. THE FLT PATH WAS FROM F45 TO LNA AT AN ALT OF 1100 FT MSL; PASSING W OF PBI. RTE 7/441 WAS USED AS A GND REF TO STAY OUT OF THE PBI CTLED AIRSPACE. WE CIRCLED S OF LNA COMING AROUND AND ENTERING A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 9; 090 DEGS; AND LNDG. UPON ARRIVING AT THE FBO; WE WERE ADVISED THAT THE PLT SHOULD CALL THE CTLR AT PBI. UPON CALLING THE CTLR THE PLT WAS INFORMED THAT HE HAD FLOWN WITHIN THE PBI AIRSPACE WITHOUT PERMISSION. THE CTLR INDICATED THAT WE CAME WITHIN 4 MI OF THE FIELD AT 2000 FT MSL. THE CTLR FURTHER INDICATED THAT A G2 ACFT ON APCH TO PBI HAD TO BE DIVERTED FROM HIS FLT PATH TO AVOID OUR ACFT. THE G2 PLT RPTED TO THE CTLR THAT HE ESTIMATED OUR ALT AT 1600-1800 FT. NEITHER THE PLT NOR THE PAX OF THE STEARMAN SAW ANY ACFT AND WERE UNAWARE THAT AN AIRPLANE WAS BEING DIVERTED BECAUSE OF OUR FLT PATH. WE ARE THEREFORE UNABLE TO COMMENT ON THE CHAIN OF EVENTS OR HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS RELATED TO THIS RPTED INCIDENT. THE STEARMAN HAS NO SOPHISTICATED DME OR A XPONDER. IT DOES HAVE AN ALTIMETER AND A COMPASS. DURING THE COURSE OF THE FLT; WE SAW NUMEROUS PROXIMATE ACFT; NONE OF WHICH POSED A THREAT; BUT SAW NO ACFT AS WE PASSED PBI.