LOW TIME; XCOUNTRY PLT IS CHALLENGED WITH MSP AIRSPACE COMPLEXITIES AND COM REQUIREMENTS.

Narrative

I PERFORMED A VFR FLT FROM SUW TO FCM IN MY P28B/I DAKOTA. I HAVE MADE THIS FLT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. KNOWING THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE LAST FEW WKS; I HAVE CAREFULLY REVIEWED AND FOLLOWED THE NOTAMS ON THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND THE ECB AIRSPACE. WHILE I UNDERSTOOD THAT VFR 1200 SQUAWKING FLTS UNDER THE CLASS B RINGS WERE AUTH; I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE CTLRS WERE CTLING ALL OF THE ECB SPACE. I HAD FLT FOLLOWING OBTAINED FROM DLH DEP. UPON ARRIVING AT CINCI; I WAS PASSED OFF TO MSP APCH. THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT I WAS NOT CLRED TO ENTER INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE; TO DSND TO 4500 FT; AND PROCEED TO CRYSTAL ARPT AND THEN TO FCM. I WAS ALSO INSTRUCTED TO REMAIN VFR; MAINTAIN MY OWN NAV AND REMAIN CLR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD NOT EXPECT TO BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AS WE HAVE NORMALLY DONE AND WOULD HAVE TO CIRCUMNAV TO THE W. I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AIRSPACE AND PROCEEDED TO DSND FROM 6500 FT TO 4500 FT AND TURNED W TO CRYSTAL ARPT. I THEN QUICKLY REVIEWED THE SECTIONAL AND DETERMINED THAT THIS SET OF INSTRUCTIONS WOULD NOT BE LEGAL AS THE FLOOR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AT THE OUTER RING IS 4000 FT. AS I DSNDED TO 3500 FT; THE CTLR INSTRUCTED ME TO NOT GO BELOW 3500 FT; BUT TO REMAIN CLR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND REMAIN VFR. I AGAIN REVIEWED THE RECOMMENDED RTE OF FLT AND DECIDED THAT TO THEN TURN TO FCM AFTER PASSING CRYSTAL WOULD REQUIRE A VERY RAPID DSCNT TO LESS THAN 3000 FT TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE NEXT RING OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I FELT THAT I WOULD BE UNABLE TO DO THIS WITHOUT CONTACTING THE CRYSTAL TWR TO OBTAIN CLRNC TO ENTER THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. AS I WAS OUTSIDE OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE; KNOWING THAT I WAS ONLY ON FLT FOLLOWING; AND CONCERNED ABOUT A VIOLATION OF THE CRYSTAL CLASS D AIRSPACE; I CHANGED FREQ TO CRYSTAL TWR; REQUESTED OVERFLT AND DSCNT. I ALSO CHANGED FROM MY FLT FOLLOWING SQUAWK TO 1200 TO BE VFR. HOWEVER; IN RETROSPECT; I FAILED TO COMMUNICATE WITH MSP APCH MY INTENTIONS/ACTIONS. I THEN PROCEEDED OUT TO THE W; DSNDED OVER A KNOWN GND REF (A LAKE) TO 2500 FT; CONTACTED THE TWR AT FLYING CLOUD AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AT FCM. UPON REVIEWING THE FLT; I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MY CONFUSION WITH THE MSP CTLR. I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY AIRSPACE MGMNT. BY FLYING THE RTE 'DIRECTED' BY THE CTLR; I PUT MYSELF IN A POS THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE CHOSEN THIS PATH DUE THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS AIRSPACE (LESS THAN 600 FT CLRNC) FOR A LOW TIME VFR PLT. IN RETROSPECT I SHOULD HAVE CANCELED FLT FOLLOWING AND DIVERTED FROM THIS RTE OF FLT TO A SIMPLER APCH TO FCM. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A 'SAFER' RTE OF FLT AND SLOWER DSCNTS UNDER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. MY PRECONCEIVED NOTION THAT UPON CONTACT WITH MSP APCH I WOULD BE CTLED AND VECTORED SAFELY THROUGH THIS COMPLEX AIRSPACE ALLOWED ME TO TAKE WHAT I NOW KNOW WAS ONLY 'A RECOMMENDED' RTE OF FLT AS A 'CTLR PRESCRIBED' RTE OF FLT THAT ACTUALLY WAS NOT WISE. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS PROB WAS THE CONFUSION OVER ENHANCED CLASS B AIRSPACE AND CLASS B AIRSPACE. WHILE I HAD REVIEWED THE NOTAM AND THE COMMERCIAL SVC FAQ ON THE ISSUE OF VFR FLT AND WAS CERTAIN THAT VFR FLT; SQUAWKING 1200; NOT IN CONTACT WITH THE ZMP ATC CTLR WAS LEGAL; I WAS; AND STILL AM; CONFUSED OVER WHAT ROLE ZMP AND ZMP ATC CTLR HAVE WITHIN THE AIRSPACE THAT IS INSIDE THE ECB AND THE REGULAR CLASS B AIRSPACE. IN RETROSPECT; AND IN CAREFUL DISCUSSION WITH OTHER PLTS; I NOW AM CERTAIN THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE AND SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER COMMUNICATING WITH ZMP ATC CTLR.