AN R22 HELI PLT RETURNING TO TMB AFTER RETRIEVING HIS ACFT WAS INFORMED BY THE TWR TO CALL MIAMI CTR REGARDING HIS FLT.

Narrative

I WAS TAKEN BY SURPRISE BY THE CONTENT OF THE ATIS BROADCAST AT KTMB ARPT THE NIGHT OF 9/THUR/01. I HAD FLOWN MY R22 HELICOPTER TO X06 WITH A FRIEND OF MINE TO VISIT THE PAINT SHOP WHERE HE IS HAVING HIS AIRPLANE REPAINTED. AFTER WE ARRIVED WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE AIRSPACE CLOSURES. WE WERE FORCED TO LEAVE THE HELICOPTER THERE AND DRIVE HOME IN A RENTAL CAR. IT WAS MY PLAN TO RETRIEVE THE HELI AT THE EARLIEST MOMENT. I HAD CALLED THE AOPA SEVERAL TIMES FOR INFO ON THE OPENING OF THE AIRSPACE. I WAS NOW VERY CONCERNED BY APCHING TROPICAL STORM HURRICANE. I WANTED TO RETRIEVE MY HELI ASAP. I LEARNED FIRST THROUGH TELEVISION AND THEN ON THE AOPA WEB SITE THAT THE AIRSPACE WAS REOPENED. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO X06 TO RETRIEVE MY HELI. ALL THE 'NO FLY' SIGNS AT THE ARPT HAD BEEN REMOVED. AS THE WX WAS GETTING BAD I LEFT RIGHT AWAY. I MADE NO CALLS TO FSS. I LANDED IN 2IS AFTER EXTENSIVE DEVIATION FOR WX TO CALL MY WIFE. I THEN TOOK OFF ON MY FINAL LEG HOME TO KTMB. I MONITORED ALL THE APCH FREQS AND REMAINED CLEAR OF THEIR AIRSPACE. I WAS THEN MAKING MY FINAL APCH TO KTMB AND WAS SHOCKED BY THEIR ATIS. THE TWR CTLR ASKED ME TO CALL MIA ARTCC MANAGER. I DID. I FAILED TO OBTAIN A BEACON CODE AS PER NOTAM. I RECEIVED ALL MY INFO FROM TELEVISION; ONLINE AND BY WORD OF MOUTH. I NEVER FILED FOR THE BEACON CODE. I SIMPLY DIDN'T KNOW THAT I HAD TO. THIS WAS A HURRICANE EVACUATION FLT.