ATC VECTORS AN ACR OFF THE ILS LOC TO BUR TO AVOID A DEPARTING ACFT FROM THE VNY AIRPORT; RPTR CLBED ABOVE THE 2500 FT CLRNC WHEN N OF VNY; AS INSTRUCTED BY VNY TWR PRIOR TO TKOF.

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I WAS CONDUCTING A PART 91 DAY; VFR FLT FROM VAN NUYS TO SAN LUIS OBISPO. I PRE-FILED AN IFR PLAN FOR AN XA25 DEP. THE WX WAS CLR; SO I ELECTED TO DEPART VFR WITHOUT OPENING THE IFR FLT PLAN. AFTER DEPARTING VAN NUYS ARPT USING RWY 16R; I TURNED DOWNWIND AT 2000 FT MSL AND BEGAN A SLOW VFR CLB; TAKING CARE TO STAY BELOW 3000 FT MSL UNTIL MY GPS SHOWED ME CLEAR OF THE BURBANK CLASS C AIRSPACE THAT EXTENDS FROM 3000 FT TO 4800 FT MSL OVER VAN NUYS ARPT. WHEN I WAS ABOUT 3500 FT MSL; I CONTACTED SOCAL DEP TO OBTAIN FLT FOLLOWING TO SAN LUIS OBISPO. AFTER IDENTING ME ON RADAR; THE CTLR ASKED ME IF I SAW THE MD80. HE THEN WENT ON TO EXPLAIN THAT DURING MY CLB FROM VAN NUYS; HE EXPECTED ME TO REMAIN AT 2500 FT MSL UNTIL N OF THE BURBANK LOC. HE EXPLAINED THAT HE TURNED AN MD80 THAT WAS ON THE ILS TO RWY 8 AT BURBANK BECAUSE I CLBED ABOVE 2500 FI MSL BEFORE I WAS CLR OF THE BURBANK LOC. ALTHOUGH I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT I BREACHED THE OVERLYING CLASS C AIRSPACE; I BELIEVE THAT I DID CLB ABOVE 2500 FT MSL BEFORE I WAS SUFFICIENTLY N OR THE BURBANK LOC. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SIT OCCURRED BECAUSE I FAILED TO MAKE NOTE AND READ BACK THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE VAN NUYS TWR CTLR TO STAY AT OR BELOW 2500 FT MSL UNTIL N OF VAN NUYS ARPT. THIS WAS AGGRAVATED BY THE FACT THAT I DID NOT ATTEMPT TO CONTACT THE SOCAL DEP CTLR UNTIL SEVERAL MINS INTO THE FLT. HAD I BEEN IN COM WITH SOCAL; I WOULD HAVE BEEN REMINDED TO REMAIN AT 2500 FT UNTIL CLR OF THE BURBANK LOC. FOR THE FUTURE; THE ATC CTLR SUGGESTED THAT I REQUEST A XPONDER CODE FROM THE VAN NUYS TWR PRIOR TO DEP SO THAT I CAN BE IDENTED ON RADAR AS SOON AS I AM AIRBORNE. THEN; I SHOULD REQUEST A FREQ CHANGE TO SOCAL BEFORE DEPARTING VAN NUYS CLASS D AIRSPACE SO THAT I WILL BE UNDER POSITIVE ATC CTL BEFORE CLBING OUT. I WILL TAKE THIS SUGGESTION TO HEART AND PLAN TO ALWAYS BE IN CONTACT WITH SOCAL DEP WHEN DEPARTING THE VAN NUYS AREA.