A PITTS PLT ENTERED SJC CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING WING IN A LOOSE FLT OF 2 FROM RENO-STEAD (4SD). LEAD WAS A PIPER ARCHER. NEARING OUR DEST; RHV; LEAD SUGGESTED I GO IN FIRST TO RHV. I AGREED; BUT WE WERE ALREADY FOLLOWING A RTE THAT WAS NOT MY TYPICAL RTE INTO RHV. I TYPICALLY OVERFLY CALAVERAS RESERVOIR AND RPT IN TO RHV THERE. LEAD HAD ALREADY TAKEN US INTO THE SANTA CLARA VALLEY; JUST W OF THE MOUNTAIN PEAK JUST W OF CALAVERAS RESERVOIR. AT THIS POINT; I WAS LOW AND DSNDING; LEVELING OUT AT 1500 FT. I COULD NOT SEE RHV FROM THIS POINT; BUT HEADED IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION I KNEW IT TO BE. I KNEW THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE SAN JOSE CLASS C AIRSPACE FOLLOWED THE FREEWAY; BUT IN LOOKING FOR RHV AND SEEING A FREEWAY OFF TO MY R; I ASSUMED THAT FREEWAY WAS THE BORDER OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. AS I STILL DID NOT HAVE RHV IN SIGHT; I RECHKED MY CHART FOR LANDMARKS. I REALIZED THAT THE FREEWAY UNDERNEATH ME WAS THE BORDER OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE; AND THAT I MAY HAVE GONE W OF IT; BUT CERTAINLY LESS THAN 1 MI; BUT STILL INSIDE THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. AT THIS POINT; I MOVED E OF THE FREEWAY AND CONTINUED THE APCH; AND SOON AFTER THAT I VISUALLY ACQUIRED THE ARPT AND LANDED. ALL THROUGH THIS; I WAS IN CONTACT WITH RHV TWR. THE PROB AROSE BECAUSE; AS THE WINGMAN IN THE FORMATION; I HAD NOT BEEN NAVING; HAD NOT PLANNED OUT THIS APCH TO THE ARPT; AND WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE RTE. I BECAME PREOCCUPIED WITH LOCATING RHV AND DID NOT PAY ATTN TO OTHER NEARBY AIRSPACE. ALSO; I HAD A HANDHELD GPS ON BOARD WITH AIRSPACE MAPPING AND ALERTS; BUT IT WAS LEFT OFF DUE TO INTERFERENCE IT CAUSES WITH THE COM RADIO. IN FUTURE; HDOFS OF LEAD AND NAV WILL BE BRIEFED IN MORE DETAIL; WITH EMPHASIS ON FAMILIARIZATION WITH THE RTE. I WILL ALSO FAMILIARIZE MYSELF WITH ALL APCHS TO MY LCL ARPT; AS MY TYPICAL RTE MAY NOT ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE DUE TO WX; ETC.