DURING AN INST RATING TRAINING FLT; SFO CLASS B WAS ENTERED AFTER APCH CTLR HAD CLRED THE FLT FOR A VISUAL APCH AND DSCNT TO PATTERN ALT OF SQL CLASS D AIRSPACE UNDERNEATH CLASS B AIRSPACE.

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WE WERE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN; CLRED TO LAND AT SAN CARLOS; CA; ARPT (SQL). CTR HAD NOT GIVEN US PERMISSION TO DSND UNTIL QUITE LATE IN THE APCH SEQUENCE. WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 30; AND WE WERE QUITE PRESSED TO LOSE A LOT OF ALT (2800 FT) FROM OUR LAST ASSIGNED ALT (4000 FT) AND THE ALT THE TWR CTLR WANTED US TO BE AT (SOMETHING SIMILAR TO 'CROSS OVER THE ARPT AT OR ABOVE 1200 FT; ENTER R DOWNWIND RWY 30'). COMPLICATING OUR DSCNT; THE TWR CTLR POINTED OUT TFC TO FOLLOW; A CESSNA (172; I BELIEVE); THAT WAS ONLY ABOUT 1 MI AHEAD OF US. WE WERE STILL TOO FAST TO LOWER OUR LNDG GEAR; MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO LOSE THE ALT AND LOSE THE AIRSPD WE NEEDED. AS SUCH; IT IS POSSIBLE WE DIDN'T DSND FAR ENOUGH INTO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE AND MIGHT HAVE CUT AN EDGE OF THE SFO CLASS B (OVER THE WESTERN EDGE OF; AND POSSIBLY ABOVE; SQL'S CLASS D) DURING OUR DSCNT. SQL TWR FOLKS DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING IN THE AIR OR ON THE GND; AND WE WERE SO BUSY KEEPING TRACK OF OUR TFC TO PREVENT US FROM OVERTAKING THEM; OR COMING DOWN ON TOP OF THEM; WE'RE NOT EXACTLY SURE IF WE DID OR DIDN'T MOMENTARILY ENTER CLASS B. IF NOT; OF COURSE; THIS RPT IS MOOT. IF WE DID; IT WAS SIMPLY BECAUSE HAD WE DSNDED ANY MORE RAPIDLY; THE DISTANCE (VERTLY AND LATERALLY) BTWN US AND THE TFC AHEAD OF US WOULD HAVE BEEN INSUFFICIENT FOR SAFE OP. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. 1) REMAINED HIGHER THAN I WOULD HAVE LIKED WITH RESPECT TO THE DISTANCE WE WERE FROM THE ARPT WHEN BAY APCH CLEARED US FOR THE APCH. 2) WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT A SLOWER AIRSPD SO WE COULD HAVE DSNDED FASTER (WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PUT OUR GEAR DOWN EARLIER); WE WERE TOO HIGH AND TOO FAST. 3) OTHER CLOSE-IN TFC. 4) UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA/LCL PROCS. 5) PERSONALLY HAD RELATIVELY LITTLE TIME IN THE ACFT AND HAD ONLY RECEIVED MY MULTI-ENG RATING A FEW WKS BEFORE. (THE PERSON IN THE R SEAT; THE CFI WHOM I HAD AS AN INSTRUCTOR FOR MY MULTI-ENG RATING; HAD ABOUT 150 HOURS IN THE ACFT.)