ARTCC RADAR CTLR INTERVENED TO ADVISE PLT OF CESSNA 421 THAT HE WAS 5 MI S OFF COURSE.

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WE WERE IN RADAR AND RADIO CONTACT WITH ZSE; DSNDING SBOUND ON V27 BTWN CEC AND WHEEL; AND HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE VOR RWY 14 APCH INTO ACV. ACV WAS MVFR AND WE WERE ON TOP OF A SCATTERED-TO-BROKEN MARINE LAYER ALONG THE COAST. WE INTENDED TO USE THIS APCH TO GET BELOW THE LAYER; THEN CANCEL AND PROCEED VFR TO EKA. MY R SEATER HAD BEEN CHKING ME OUT IN THIS ACFT; AND ALTHOUGH HIS NAME WAS LISTED AS PIC ON THE FLT PLAN; I WAS SEATED ON THE L AND WAS SOLE MANIPULATOR THROUGHOUT THE FLT. WE ARE BOTH LEGALLY CURRENT AND QUALIFIED IN THIS TYPE OF ACFT; BUT HE HAD MUCH MORE TIME IN TYPE THAN I. AS WE APCHED OUR INBOUND TURN AT WHEEL; MY 'BUDDY' WAS YAMMERING ON AND ON; TELLING SOME STORY ABOUT WHICH I REMEMBER ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I ONLY RECALL THAT I WAS TRYING TO SHOW 'POLITE' ATTN TO HIS STORY WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY TRYING TO KEEP TRACK OF THE APCH. MY FIRST CLUE THAT I'D MISSED SOMETHING WAS WHEN CTR CALLED; ASKING IF WE INTENDED TO FLY THE VOR RWY 14 APCH. 'THAT'S THE PLAN;' I REPLIED; WONDERING WHY HE WAS ASKING ABOUT MY INTENTIONS AFTER WE'D ALREADY BEEN CLRED FOR THE APCH. THE 'OH; S..T!' CAME WHEN THE CTLR CASUALLY REPLIED THAT WE WERE NOW ABOUT 5 MI S OF THE FINAL. INSTEAD OF 'TURNING AND TURNING' WE'D BEEN 'TALKING AND TALKING.' OR RATHER 'TALKING AND NODDING.' SINCE WE WERE 'ON TOP' AND IN VFR CONDITIONS; WE PROMPTLY CANCELED IFR AND KICKED OUR OWN BUTTS ALL THE WAY TO EKA. THERE'S A SIMPLE LESSON HERE: 'GEAR UP; FLAPS UP; SHUT UP.' WHEN YOU'RE FLYING TERMINAL PROCS; KEEP YOUR MIND ON YOUR BUSINESS AND SAVE THE STORIES FOR THE HANGAR. THERE'S A REASON WHY 135 AND 121 OPS ARE REQUIRED TO REMAIN STERILE BELOW 10000 FT. THERE'S JUST TOO MUCH IMPORTANT STUFF GOING ON TO FILL THE AIR WITH IDLE CHIT-CHAT. FURTHERMORE; I SHOULD NEVER HAVE LET ANOTHER PERSON TAKE CTL OF MY CONCENTRATION. IN THE FUTURE I WILL BE MORE INCLINED TO ASK MY COCKPIT MATE TO SPEAK ONLY WHEN THE SUBJECT IS THE BUSINESS AT HAND AND THE SAFE COMPLETION THEREOF.