PVT PLT RPT OF FLT IN PROX OF SBA CLASS C. RPT IMPLIES AN OVERFLT OF BIRD SANCTUARIES AT LOWER THAN REQUIRED ALT. PLT CITES CHART DEFICIENCIES INSTEAD OF PLT PLANNING; PERCEPTION AND VIGILANCE.

Narrative

I DEPARTED CAMARILLO ARPT AT AROUND XA00 TO RETURN TO CONCORD. IT WAS A CLR; WARM AFTERNOON AND I DEPARTED UP THE COAST IN PART TO ENSURE THAT I STAYED CLR OF THE CONDOR SANCTUARY AND THE SAN RAFAEL WILDERNESS AREA LOCATED TO THE N OF THIS FLT PATH. I WAS ATTEMPTING TO FLY TO THE N OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AT SANTA BARBARA BY FLYING TO THE SAN MARCOS VORTAC. FROM THE LOS ANGELES CHART; IT APPEARED THAT THERE WAS AMPLE CLRNC TO FLY BTWN THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND THE VORTAC AT THE ALT THAT I WAS FLYING. AS I APCHED THE VORTAC; IT WAS NOT CLR WHETHER I COULD CONTINUE AT MY PRESENT ALT AND REMAIN CLR OF THE MAGENTA LINE FOR THE CLASS C AIRSPACE; AND I MADE A CLBING R TURN AND COURSE REVERSAL TO AVOID THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. I FLEW TO THE E AND THEN TO THE N AND PROCEEDED N OF THE VORTAC ON COURSE CONCORD. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT I INADVERTENTLY CUT THE EDGE OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. AS DRAWN; THE CLASS C AIRSPACE IS SHOWN AS EXTENDING 6.5 NM TO THE N OF THE SANTA BARBARA ARPT. CLASS C AIRSPACE IS SUPPOSED TO EXTEND 5 NM. MY SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF SAFETY IN THIS AREA ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1) CONSIDER PROVIDING THE ALT OF THE VORS IN THE INFO BOX TO ASSIST PLT WITH GND ORIENTATION. 2) CONSIDER REVISING THE CHART TO MORE ACCURATELY DEPICT THE CLASS C AIRSPACE OR EXTEND THE CLASS C TO INCLUDE THE VORTAC AS A BOUNDARY AS ONE WOULD HAVE TO CLR THE CLASS C ANYWAY BECAUSE OF ALT NECESSARY TO OVERFLY THE VORTAC. 3) CONSIDER A MORE STANDARD CONFIGN OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE TO DISCOURAGE FLT BTWN THE CLASS C BOUNDARY AND THE VORTAC. 4) CONSIDER BETTER MARKING OF THE CONDOR SANCTUARY BY CROSSHATCHING RATHER THAN THE SMALL DOTS AND BLUE BOUNDARY LINE WHICH ARE HARD TO SEE INFLT; EG; RESTR AREAS ARE EASY TO LOCATE. 5) RELOCATE THE NOTICE TO PLTS INFO BOX TO THE NEW CUYAMA ARPT AREA FOR BETTER READABILITY. 6) ADVISE FSDO OFFICES THAT ACCORDING TO THE AIM; THAT THEY ARE THE SOURCE OF FORM 277. WHEN I STOPPED IN AT OAKLAND FSDO; THEY COULD NOT LOCATE THE FORM AND SEEMED TOTALLY UNAWARE OF IT. I HAD TO OBTAIN THIS FORM FROM THE LONG BEACH FSDO IN PERSON ON A BUSINESS TRIP TO LOS ANGELES; WHICH DELAYED FORWARDING OF THIS FORM BY SEVERAL DAYS.