C172 INSTRUCTOR AND TRAINEE PENETRATED PNE CLASS D.

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THE MISSION OF THE FLT WAS FOR INSTRUCTION IN XCOUNTRY NAV. OUR RTE WAS PLANNED FOR DOYLESTOWN (DYL) DIRECT YARDLEY VOR (ARD) THEN THE VOR RADIAL DIRECT TO N14; LUMBERTON; NJ. THIS ROUTING; AT 2000 FT MSL; TOOK US THROUGH TRENTON; NJ (TTN); AIRSPACE. THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE RTE WAS 4 NM E OF PHILADELPHIA NE (PNE) AIRSPACE. WHILE ENRTE; THE STUDENT BEGAN WANDERING FROM THE PLANNED COURSE. DESPITE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN; THE STUDENT MADE RADICAL COURSE CORRECTIONS WHICH DISORIENTED HIM. AFTER TRANSITIONING THE TTN AIRSPACE; WITH THEIR PERMISSION (RADIO CONTACT ESTABLISHED PRIOR TO ENTRY; CLRED ON COURSE); THE STUDENT CONTINUED WANDERING COURSE AND AT ONE POINT CLOSE TO THE NE SIDE OF PNE AIRSPACE; TURNED DIRECTLY TOWARD IT. I ALLOWED THE STUDENT ABOUT 30-60 SECONDS TO RECOGNIZE HIS ERROR BEFORE TAKING CTL OF THE ACFT AND TURNING AWAY FROM PNE CLASS D AIRSPACE. JUST PRIOR TO MY TAKING CTL OF THE AIRPLANE; THE TTN TWR CTLR TOLD ME TO IMMEDIATELY CONTACT THE PNE TWR. I DID SO AND THE PNE CTLR ISSUED A TFC CALL. WE THEN PROCEEDED ON COURSE; WELL CLR OF PNE AIRSPACE. LATER; ON THE RETURN FLT; WE CONTACTED TTN TWR WHEN APPROX 8 NM S OF THEIR AIRSPACE AND E AND WELL CLR OF PNE'S AIRSPACE. WHEN WE CONTACTED TTN; THE CTLR TOLD US THAT WE HAD CUT THROUGH PNE'S AIRSPACE WITHOUT TALKING WITH THEM AND SUGGESTED THAT WE HAD DONE SO ON THE FLT TO N14. I QUERIED THE CTLR IF THE RADAR SHOWED US IN PNE'S AIRSPACE. THE REPLY WAS NOT SPECIFIC; BUT SUGGESTED WE WERE IN PNE'S CLASS D WITHOUT RADIO CONTACT. TO SAY THE LEAST; I AM CONFUSED. THIS AREA IS RICH IN VISUAL WAYPOINTS; AND I AM ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT I NEVER ENTERED THE PNE CLASS D ON THE RETURN FLT. AT THE CLOSEST; WE WERE APPROX 4 NM TO THE E. ON THE FLT TO N14; I WILL ADMIT THAT I AM LESS CONFIDENT; BUT STILL BELIEVE THAT WE DID NOT PENETRATE THE CLASS D. THE HIGH WORKLOAD OF THIS INSTRUCTIONAL FLT DID DISTRACT ME SUFFICIENTLY THAT I AM NOT COMPLETELY CERTAIN OF OUR POS WHEN I TOOK CTL. IN RETROSPECT; IT WOULD BE VALUABLE TO CONTACT PNE AND ALERT THEM THAT WE WERE NEAR THEIR AIRSPACE. HOWEVER; THIS IS NOT AS SIMPLE A DECISION AS IT SOUNDS. PNE HAS AN ILS RWY 24 THAT IS HEAVILY USED FOR TRAINING. TTN HAS AN ILS RWY 6; EQUALLY HEAVILY USED; THAT NEARLY OVERLAPS IT. IN THIS AREA; TFC FOR BOTH ARPTS ARE IMPORTANT. BOTH TWRS HAVE BRITE RADAR PRESENTATIONS. A QUICK CALL TO PNE AND TTN WOULD BE THE BEST SOLUTION. THE OTHER LEARNING IS THAT I SHOULD HAVE INTERCEPTED AND TAKEN CTL OF THE ACFT SOONER. THE STUDENT; A 200 HR PLUS STUDENT WHO HAS HAD MANY INSTRUCTORS BEFORE ME; IS DIFFICULT TO INSTRUCT. HE IS DEFENSIVE; ARGUMENTATIVE AND BECOMES DISORIENTED EASILY. THIS AIRSPACE MAY NOT BE AN ACCEPTABLE INSTRUCTIONAL ENVIRONMENT FOR THIS STUDENT.