TEMPORARY LOSS OF ACFT CTL CREATES A FREQ CHANGE LATE AND AN UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE.

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AFTER 6 YRS FLYING SINGLE PLACE JETS IN THE MIL; I SPENT 28 YRS WITH A MAJOR AIRLINE; ACCUMULATING 17000 HRS; AND CHOSE EARLY RETIREMENT 2 YRS AGO. DURING THAT 34 YRS; I FLEW LESS THAN 100 HRS IN THE GA ENVIRONMENT; AND THAT ONLY WITH LCL FLTS. A FEW MONTHS AGO I DECIDED TO GET ACTIVE IN GA. STUDIED THE AIM/FAR MANUAL; GOT SOME DUAL TIME; DID SOME LCL FLYING; PASSED MY BI-ANNUAL; AND JOINED A LCL FLYING CLUB. 2 DAYS AGO FLEW MY FIRST XCOUNTRY. GOT VFR CHARTS; IFR CHARTS; PLANNED EVERYTHING. VORS; RADIALS; INTERSECTING RADIALS (ACFT HAS NO DME; RADIOS ARE 1960'S TECHNOLOGY); HDGS; LANDMARKS; ALTS; CLASS B SECTORS I WOULD TRAVERSE; SVFR CORRIDORS. FILED A VFR FLT PLAN. I'M OFF. TIME TO GO HOME. SAME PLANNING. CONTACT LOS ANGELES FOR FLT FOLLOWING. NW OF VTU (WHICH IS OTS -- I KNEW THAT; HAD CHKED NOTAMS) THEY CANNOT TAKE ME IN NEXT SECTOR. DIAL IN CMA TO ESTABLISH WHEN ABEAM (NO DME REMEMBER) AS A POINT TO START DSCNT FROM 9500 FT TO GET UNDER THE 'INVERTED CAKE' BELOW 4000 FT PRIOR TO SMO 261 DEG RADIAL; 18 MI. IT'S NIGHT; LOOK FOR MUGU RWY AS GEO REF; EITHER MISS IT OR ITS NOT LIGHTED. NOT GETTING MUCH HELP FROM CMA VOR; REALIZE I AM PAST IT. MISSED THAT LITTLE TO AND FROM THING. SUDDENLY THERE IS POINT DUME OFF TO MY R. OH S---!!! CRASH DIVE. THINK I MADE IT. MAYBE NOT. SQUAWKING 1200 WITH AUTO ALT RPTING; OTHERS WOULD KNOW. CROSSED SMO; DID THE VFR THING OVER LAX AT 3500 FT. CALLED FSS TO CLOSE FLT PLAN AND GIVE PIREP ON TRIP. MUCH TURB FORECAST AND RPTED; MY FLT WAS SMOOTH -- UNTIL SE OF LAX. EXPERIENCED THE WORST TURB EVER IN 36 YRS. SHOULDER AND LAP BELTS WERE TIGHT; I STILL GOT MY HEAD BANGED OFF THE TOP OF THE CANOPY. LASTED ABOUT 5 SECONDS; ACFT WAS TOSSED AROUND LIKE A BIRD IN A JET BLAST; LOST 900 FT. TURB THEN DECREASED TO MODERATE FOR ABOUT 15 SECONDS. WAS UNABLE TO CHANGE FREQ TO TOA TWR. BY THE TIME I CONTACTED THEM I WAS IN THEIR CLASS D AIRSPACE AT 2000 FT IN THE DEP CORRIDOR FOR THE ACTIVE RWY. THEY MENTIONED THAT TO ME AND CLRED ME FOR A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 29L. I WAS SOMEWHAT RATTLED; HAD ASKED FOR A R DOWNWIND ENTRY FOR RWY 29R; THAT IS WHAT I HEARD; AND THAT IS WHERE I HEADED. THE TWR CORRECTED MY ERROR WITH NO SMALL AMOUNT OF FRUSTRATION IN THE VOICE. I LANDED; THE TAXI WAS UNEVENTFUL. ALTHOUGH CONSIDERING THE LACK OF A DME; SOMETHING WHICH I HAVE TAKEN FOR GRANTED; I COULD HAVE HAD MORE OPTIONS; ESPECIALLY SINCE ONE OF THE NAVAIDS ON MY RTE WAS OUT. MORE FROM LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN WHAT FOR ME WAS A NEW ENVIRONMENT. THE SECOND MISTAKE WAS DUE TO NOT CONTACTING THE TWR EARLIER. THE ACFT'S NAV TECHNOLOGY I THOUGHT I WAS FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH; BUT WAS NOT. THE LITTLE TO AND FROM THING WILL FOREVER BE PROMINENT. THE SECOND MISTAKE WAS HELPED ALONG DUE TO TURB; THE SUDDEN LOSS OF ALT AND THE INABILITY TO CHANGE THE FREQ. HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED. THE FIRST BY VISUAL REF TO A LANDMARK. THE SECOND I KNEW WHILE IT WAS HAPPENING; BUT COULDN'T DO MUCH ABOUT IT. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: HAVE A DME INSTALLED IN ACFT; OR HAVE MORE OPTIONS WITH OTHER INTERSECTING RADIALS. FILE AN IFR FLT PLAN; SO THE CTLR IS THERE TO 'HOLD YOUR HAND.' GET MORE DUAL TIME IN UNFAMILIAR ENVIRONMENTS. THE ACFT HAS 3 PLACES TO SET UP FUTURE FREQS -- USE THEM. CALL CTLING AGENCIES EARLIER RATHER THAN JUST WHEN NECESSARY. WHILE THERE WAS LIGHT CHOP IN THE LNDG PATTERN; THE SEVERE TURB SE OF LAX COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A 'BLOW OFF' AT THE REFINERY IN EL SEGUNDO. SOMETHING TO BE AWARE OF IN THE FUTURE.