A C172 CFI AND HIS STUDENT INADVERTENTLY FLY INTO LAX CLASS B AIRSPACE BEFORE THE SOCAL CTLR CAN COORD ENTRY W OF RAL; CA.

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WHEN ON AN IFR FROM VNY TO RAL ON V186; A 300 HR PVT PLT WAS FLYING WITH VIEW LIMITING DEVICE. HE WAS DOING A VERY GOOD JOB OF NAV AS WELL AS ALT CT. AT OR NEAR THE EL MONTE AREA; THE CTLR (SOCAL) INSTRUCTED HIM TO TRACK THE RAL LOC. MY STUDENT MISSED THE FIRST CALL OR DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT; AND I PROMPTED HIM TO 'SAY AGAIN.' ON THE SECOND COM; THE CTLR INSTRUCTED HIM TO TRACK THE LOC OR INTERCEPT THE LOC. HE OMITTED ANY INSTRUCTION AS TO HOW TO GET TO THE LOC; WHICH WAS S OF OUR POS. (WE TUNED THE LOC FREQ AND GOT FULL DEFLECTION R.) IN ABSENCE OF SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS; WE CHOSE AN INTERCEPT HDG OF 110 DEGS TO INTERCEPT AN 89 DEG LOC. THE CTLR QUESTIONED OUR TRACK WITH THE DREADED 'SAY HDG.' HE ADVISED US THAT WE WERE IN CLASS B AIRSPACE AND GAVE US VECTORS BACK TO THE N. HE SEEMED UPSET. WE WERE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND THE CLASS B AIRSPACE SHOULD HAVE BEEN OK; WHICH SURPRISED ME. IN HINDSIGHT; I WILL QUESTION AN INSTRUCTION LIKE THIS WITH 'SUGGEST HDG TO INTERCEPT LOC.' I HAVE CALLED SOCAL AND TALKED TO MGMNT AND THE PERSON I SPOKE WITH SAID HE BELIEVED THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE BEEN SPECIFIC AS TO HOW TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. THE SUPVR BELIEVED THE CTLR ASSUMED I WOULD CONTINUE TO TRACK THE AIRWAY UNTIL THE INTXN. WE (PLTS) ARE ENCOURAGED TO NOT TIE UP THE FREQ; BUT IN THIS CASE WE SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED CLARIFICATION. I THINK THE CTLR COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SPECIFIC.