UNAUTH UNCOORD AIRSPACE PENETRATION. A LOW TIME STUDENT PLT IN A C172 ON HIS FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY; ENTERS THE CLASS C AIRSPACE OF DAY; OH.

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ON MY FIRST STUDENT SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT; I WAS FLYING FROM LUK TO SGH DIRECT. I NOTICED BEING SUBSTANTIALLY E OF COURSE SOON AFTER DEP. I GOT BACK ON COURSE; RESUMED MY CALCULATED HDG; AND AGAIN NOTICED I WAS E OF DESIRED COURSE HALFWAY TO SGH. AGAIN; GETTING BACK ON COURSE; I RESUMED MY ORIGINAL HDG. APCHING WHAT I THOUGHT WAS XENIA; BUT WHICH I LATER FIGURED WAS A SMALL TOWN TO THE E; I CALLED SGH TWR SAYING I WAS OVER XENIA; INBOUND TO LAND. SOON AFTER THIS; SINCE I COULD NOT SEE SGH; WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN DIRECTLY AHEAD OF ME; I ENTERED SGH INTO THE ONBOARD GPS AND SAW THAT I WAS MOVING AWAY FROM THE ARPT. I THEN TURNED W; AND THE DISTANCE TO THE ARPT BEGAN TO DECREASE. ABOUT THIS TIME; SGH TWR CONTACTED ME AND ASKED FOR MY POS. I TOLD THEM I WASN'T SURE. THEY CONTACTED DAYTON APCH; HAD ME IDENT; AND TOLD ME I WAS DIRECTLY E OF THE ARPT; AND TO TURN TO 270 DEGS TO FIND SGH. I DID SO; AND A FEW MINS LATER SGH ASKED IF I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. I DID HAVE AN ARPT IN SIGHT; AND BEGAN MY APCH TO IT. SGH THEN SAID THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE ME IN SIGHT; AND ASKED ME TO DESCRIBE THE ARPT I SAW; AND IF MAYBE IT WAS FFO THAT I WAS SEEING. I SAID I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS AND CONTINUED FLYING TOWARDS IT. A LITTLE LATER; SGH CONTACTED ME AGAIN AND SAID THAT DAYTON APCH HAD ME EITHER ENTERING OR ABOUT TO ENTER (I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT PHRASING THEY USED) FFO'S CLASS D AIRSPACE; AND THAT I SHOULD IMMEDIATELY TURN TO 120 DEG HDG. I DID; AND THEN SAW SGH AHEAD OF ME AND TO MY L. I ENTERED THE PATTERN AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. ON THE RETURN TO LUK; I NOTICED THE DIRECTIONAL GYRO WAS OFF BY ABOUT 15-20 DEGS. I SHOULD HAVE CHKED IT WHEN I FIRST DISCOVERED BEING OFF COURSE. ALSO; I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AWARE OF THE AIRSPACE AROUND SGH SO I WOULDN'T MISTAKE FFO FOR SGH. REGARDLESS; WHEN SGH TWR SUGGESTED I WAS APCHING FFO; I SHOULD HAVE VERIFIED WHERE I WAS BEFORE CONTINUING. LACK OF EXPERIENCE AND POOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WERE PRIMARY FACTORS IN THIS INCIDENT.