AN EXPERIMENTAL ACFT PLT UNABLE TO REMAIN VFR ENLISTED THE HELP OF ATC TO FIND REFUGE.

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ON THE DATE THAT THIS HAPPENED; I WAS RETURNING TO DECATUR; AL; MY HOME BASE; FROM OSHKOSH. I HAD STOPPED AT HOPKINSVILLE; KY; TO BUY FUEL. AFTER THE TKOF FROM HOPKINSVILLE AND HEADING S; I CLBED TO 9500 FT OVER A SCATTERED TO BROKEN LAYER OF HIGH CUMULUS CLOUDS. AS I APCHED THE NASHVILLE CLASS C AIRSPACE; I CALLED APCH CTL AND ASKED THEM FOR FLT FOLLOWING. HE GAVE ME A XPONDER CODE AND IDENTED ME. THE NEXT FEW MINS WERE UNEVENTFUL. THEN THE CUMULUS STARTED OCCURRING IN ALL QUADRANTS AND WAS BUILDING FASTER THAN I COULD CLB. I CALLED APCH CTL AND TOLD HIM THAT I HAD TO HAVE LOWER ALT; THAT I COULD NOT MAINTAIN VFR AT 9500 FT AND COULD NOT CLB OVER THE CLOUDS. HE SAID OK; WHAT ALT ARE YOU DSNDING TO. I TOLD HIM THAT I COULD NOT TELL HIM AT THAT TIME; BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW HOW LOW I WOULD HAVE TO GO TO GET IN VFR CONDITIONS. I CONTINUED MY DSCNT AND THE CTLR CALLED AND TOLD ME DO NOT DSND BELOW 5500 FT. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS UNABLE; THAT I COULD NOT MAINTAIN VFR AT 5500 FT AND NEEDED LOWER. I CONTINUED TO DSND AND FOUND VFR WX AT 4000 FT. LOOKING AROUND; I FOUND CLOUDS AT LEVELS THAT PERMITTED VFR AT 4500 FT AND I TOLD HIM THAT I COULD MAINTAIN VFR AT 4500 FT. HE THEN GAVE ME A VECTOR TO FLY 360 DEGS. I CONFIRMED A TURN TO 360 DEGS ON THE RADIO AND MADE THE TURN. IN ABOUT 30-45 SECONDS THE CTLR TOLD ME I COULD TURN S AND CONTINUE MY FLT. I MADE THE TURN AND PROCEEDED TO ABOUT A 180 DEG HDG. AFTER A SHORT WHILE; HE CALLED AND TOLD ME THERE WAS SOME WX AHEAD; THAT HE WAS GETTING LEVEL 3 AND 4 RETURNS FROM TSTMS. HE RECOMMENDED THAT I LAND AT ONE OF THE LCL ARPTS AND WAIT OUT THE WX. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED A LITTLE FURTHER S AND TAKE A LOOK. HE SAID; 'WELL WE ARE GETTING LEVEL 1 AND 2 RETURNS AND I RECOMMEND THAT YOU LAND AT ONE OF THE LCL ARPTS.' HE TURNED ME OVER TO ANOTHER SECTOR CTLR AND SAID I COULD CALL HIM AND LET HIM KNOW WHAT I WANTED TO DO. I DECIDED TO LAND AT SMYRNA; TN; AND SEE WHAT THE WX WAS DOING S OF MY LOCATION. THE NEW CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED MY XMISSION AND I REQUESTED A VECTOR TO SMYRNA. BY THAT TIME; I WAS ALMOST ON TOP OF SMYRNA; PROBABLY 4-5 MI W OF IT. HE GAVE ME A VECTOR AND TOLD ME TO MAINTAIN VFR AT OR BELOW 3000 FT. AT THAT XMISSION; I THOUGHT HE WAS RELEASING ME FOR VFR. I LEFT THE FREQ AND CALLED SMYRNA TWR. HE GAVE ME A R DOWNWIND TO RWY 19; CLR TO LAND. WHEN I LANDED AND CALLED GND CTL; HE SAID HE HAD A PHONE NUMBER FOR ME TO CALL TRACON. I GOT THE PHONE NUMBER AND CALLED TRACON AND TALKED TO A PERSON WHO I ASSUMED WAS AN ATC SUPVR. HE SAID HE HAD LISTENED TO THE TAPE OF MY RADIO CONVERSATIONS AND WOULD LIKE TO ASK ME A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. 1) HE ASKED ME WHERE MY HOME BASE WAS. 2) HE ASKED ME WHAT HAPPENED. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS VFR AT 9500 FT AND THE CUMULUS WAS BUILDING FASTER THAN I COULD CLB. HE SAID I DISRUPTED THEIR FLOW OF TFC. I TOLD HIM THAT I UNDERSTAND AND I REGRETTED CREATING THE PROB. I APOLOGIZED TO HIM AND TO HIS CTLRS FOR THE DIFFICULTY THAT I HAD CAUSED; BUT I TOLD HIM I WAS IN A CRITICAL SIT AND I FELT THAT I HAD TO TAKE SOME ACTION. 3) HE SAID THAT I HAD LEFT THE FREQ AT SMYRNA WITHOUT PERMISSION AND I SHOULD NOT DO THIS. I AGAIN TOLD HIM I WAS SORRY AND UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE WAS SAYING AND I WOULD CERTAINLY NOT DO THAT IN THE FUTURE. DURING THIS CALL; HE WAS VERY PLEASANT AND PROFESSIONAL. HE THANKED ME FOR CALLING AND SAID I HAD TOLD HIM WHAT HE NEEDED TO HEAR. LESSONS FROM THIS THAT I HAVE LEARNED: 1) DON'T PUSH THE CLOUD ISSUE WHEN IN AN AREA OF CLASS B OR C AIRSPACE. IF THE FLT IS VFR ON TOP; I SHOULD HAVE A SAFETY MARGIN BTWN THE TOPS AND THE FLT ALT. 2) DON'T LEAVE THE CTLR FREQ UNTIL APPROVED TO DO SO. P.S. I DON'T KNOW IF I EVER VIOLATED THE SPACE BTWN ME AND THE OTHER AIRPLANES IN THE NASHVILLE CLASS C. THEY NEVER SAID AND I NEVER HEARD WHETHER THIS HAPPENED OR NOT. I WAS COMMUNICATING ON THE RADIO ALL THE TIME DURING THIS SIT.