A BE55 ATP PLT DISCOVERS THAT HE HAS GOTTEN AN ESCORT OF F16 FIGHTERS DURING A HEATING PROB AND PARTIAL LOSS OF COM ON A VFR FLT TO INT; NC.

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I DEPARTED DXR VFR DIRECT TO INT. ENRTE; I PICKED UP ZNY AND GOT CLRNC INTO NEW YORK CLASS B AIRSPACE. I WAS GIVEN 3500 FT FOR AN ALT AND PROCEEDED ON COURSE. AFTER 20 MINS PASSED; I WAS SWITCHED TO PHL APCH WHERE THEY GAVE ME 7500 FT TO CLR THEIR AIR TFC. GIVEN THAT I WAS ON A 240 DEG HDG; I FOUND THIS TO BE WRONG; SO I ASKED CTR FOR A CORRECTION. I WAS DECLINED AND TOLD TO MAINTAIN 7500 FT. I COMPLIED AFTER ABOUT 15 MINS WITH AN OUTSIDE TEMP BEING -17 DEGS. MY HEATER FAILED AND STARTED PRODUCING EMISSIONS INTO THE CABIN. I REQUESTED A LOWER ALT AND EXPLAINED MY PROB. I WAS GIVEN 5500 FT FOR A FINAL ALT AND A HDG OF 260 DEGS. I CONTINUED FOR ABOUT 15 MINS MORE; TROUBLESHOOTING THE HEATER ISSUE; ONLY TO FIND THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYS WAS EXPERIENCING DIMMING AND THAT THE RADIOS WERE NOT XMITTING OR RECEIVING PROPERLY. I HAD A SQUAWK CODE AND I WAS TRYING TO REACH PHL APCH; TO NO AVAIL. THEN; AS I LOOKED UP TO MY R WING; I SAW NEXT TO ME 3 F16 FIGHTERS TRYING TO GET MY ATTN. SO I LOWERED MY GEAR AND TURNED ON MY LNDG LIGHTS. I WENT TO 121.5 TO TRY TO COMMUNICATE. I RECEIVED THEM FINE; BUT THEY HAD TROUBLE HEARING MY XMISSIONS. ANOTHER ACFT I BELIEVE HELPED AS A GO BTWN WITH ME AND ZDC AND THE MIL JETS. I WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW THEM OUT OF THE AIRSPACE. I WAS THINKING THAT I WAS STILL UNDER ADVISORIES AND WAS NOT TOLD TO AVOID OR NAV AROUND. I DID WHAT I WAS INSTRUCTED. THEY LEFT! ZDC ASKED IF I WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER. I DECLINED; THINKING THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTINUE; BUT I WAS MISTAKEN. I DID END UP DIVERTING TO LYNCHBURG WHERE I WAS TOLD TO CALL ZDC. THEY PROCEEDED TO EXPRESS THEIR ANGER WITH ME. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO CTR THE SIT; AND WAS TOLD THAT ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN FOR THE FACT THAT I DIDN'T DECLARE AN EMER. I THOUGHT THAT I WAS THE PIC AND IT WAS TO BE ME ALONE TO DECIDE THIS. I FIGURED THAT I WAS NOT AND THAT I CAUSED ENOUGH TROUBLE. BUT LOOKING BACK AT THE CHAIN OF EVENTS; I SHOULD HAVE DECLARED AN EMER.