A VFR C172 CFI ON A XCOUNTRY FLT ENTERS THE TFR 10 NM SW OF WHITEMAN AFB; SZL; MO.

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A CO-WORKER AND I TRAVELED TO TULSA; OK; TO ACQUIRE ANOTHER ACFT FOR OUR FLT SCHOOL. UPON REACHING THE AREA OF WHITEMAN'S APCH CTL; WE WERE ROUTED AROUND THE BASE AND MOA. THE ENTIRE LEG WAS MONITORED BY GPS; LOW ALT ENRTE CHARTS; AND ATC RADAR. ON THE RETURN LEG; I ALONE FERRIED THE C172 BACK. HDGS; ALTS; FUEL BURNS AND DISTANCES WERE ALL COMPUTED AS WELL AS A CAREFULLY SELECTED RTE. NOTAMS; DISTANCES; AND WINDS ALOFT WERE ALL RECEIVED FROM A PREFLT BRIEFER. WX WAS SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE FLT DOWN. A SOLID OVCST LAYER RESTR VFR FLT TO 3500 FT. AT THAT ALT; MY AIRPLANE WAS UNABLE TO BE PICKED UP BY ZKC. I LEFT THE SVCS OF FLT FOLLOWING AND CONTINUED USING MY OWN NAV. I REMAINED FULLY AWARE OF MY POS. UPON APCHING WHITMAN AFB; I MONITORED THEIR APCH CTL AND MAINTAINED A DISTANCE OF 8 MI ATTEMPTING TO GO AROUND THEIR AIRSPACE. WHILE MAINTAINING A COMFORTABLE DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE AIRSPACE; I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR; 'AIRPLANE HDG N AT 3500 FT CONTACT WHITEMAN APCH.' AFTER RESPONDING; I WAS IMMEDIATELY VECTORED AWAY FROM THEIR AIRSPACE; AND WAS INFORMED OF THE NOTAM FOR A NO-FLY ZONE OF 10 NM SURROUNDING THE BASE. LOOKING BACK ON THE SIT; I FOUND FAULT IN MY PREFLT PLANNING. I HAD NOT ASKED THE PREFLT BRIEFER FOR SPECIFIC ENRTE NOTAMS (LCL DISTANT OR FDL). A SIMPLE QUESTION ON MY PART COULD HAVE CHANGED THE SIT. A SECOND ERROR WAS NOT CONTACTING WHITEMAN APCH CTL FOR ADVISORIES. MONITORING THE FREQ WAS NOT ADEQUATE ENOUGH FOR THIS SIT. THIS WAS AN EMBARRASSING MISTAKE THAT VERY EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.