PA34 PLT ENTERS AN ACTIVE WARNING AREA AFTER DEP FROM MLB.

Narrative

THIS EVENT OCCURRED ON A VFR FLT CREW FROM MLB TO MYAM. APPARENTLY; I FLEW INTO AN AIRSPACE THAT WAS CLOSED (W497B) DUE TO AN UPCOMING LAUNCH FROM CAPE CANAVERAL. I OBTAINED A RTE BRIEFING ON THE MORNING OF THE FLT CREW. I NORMALLY USE WWW.DUATS.COM (NOTE THE 'S'); BUT HAD RECENTLY ATTENDED SUN-N-FUN; AND SAW A DEMO OF WWW.DUAT.COM (NO 'S'); SO DECIDED TO TRY THAT SVC. THEIR DATA PRESENTATION IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I WAS USED TO. I DID NOTE THAT THE RESTR AREAS NEAR THE CAPE WERE HOT; BUT THAT WAS WELL N OF MY RTE. I DID NOT NOTE THAT W-497B (WHICH WAS ON MY RTE) WAS RESTR -- THIS MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO MY UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE NEW DUAT.COM SVC. I FILED AN INTL FLT CREW PLAN VIA DUATS WITH ST PETERSBURG FSS. DEPARTED MLB TO THE SE; APPROX 5 NM SE OF MLB; I CALLED ST PETERSBURG FSS; AND ACTIVATED THE FLT CREW PLAN. THE BRIEFER ACKNOWLEDGED THE PLAN; BUT DID NOT MENTION ANY AIRSPACE RESTRS. NEXT; I ATTEMPTED CONTACT WITH ZMA. THE FREQ WAS QUITE CONGESTED; AND I WAS NOT INITIALLY ABLE TO GET A RESPONSE. I CONTINUED TO ATTEMPT CONTACT; AND FINALLY GOT A RESPONSE (ABOUT 10 TO 20 NM E OF URB). I WAS ASSIGNED A CODE AND IDENT; WHICH I COMPLIED WITH. THE CTLR DID NOT STATE 'RADAR CONTACT;' BUT THE FREQ WAS STILL CONGESTED. ABOUT 10 MINS LATER; I RECEIVED A CALL FROM CTR TO 'IMMEDIATELY TURN TO THE S' -- THIS CALL WAS MADE TO A SIMILAR-SOUNDING N-NUMBER; SO I FIRST TRIED TO VERIFY THAT THE CALL WAS INTENDED FOR ME. THE FREQ WAS STILL CONGESTED; SO IT TOOK A COUPLE OF TIMES. THE CTLR VERIFIED THAT THE CALL WAS FOR ME; AND I COMPLIED. APPARENTLY; W497B WAS CLOSED DUE TO AN UPCOMING LAUNCH; AND I WAS BEING VECTORED AWAY. I WAS NOT NEAR THE CAPE AND I WAS FLYING SE; AWAY FROM THE CAPE. ABOUT 10 MINS LATER; I WAS HANDED OFF TO THE NEXT ZMA SECTOR; WHICH WAS FAR LESS FREQ CONGESTED. I QUERIED THE CTLR AS TO THE STATUS OF THE W497B AIRSPACE; AND SHE STATED THAT IT WAS 'NOT FOR VFR TFC;' BUT THAT THERE WAS SOME QUESTION AT CTR; AND THAT 'MGMNT FROM UPSTAIRS HAD COME DOWN' TO TALK TO THE CTLRS. FROM THE TONE OF VOICE OF THE CTLRS; AND THAT STATEMENT; IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THERE WAS SOME INTERNAL CONFUSION. I NOTICED THAT SHORTLY AFTER THIS; CTR WAS EXPLICITLY ADVISING OTHER ACFT OF THE NEED TO STAY S OF W497B AND PROVIDING VECTORS. I HAD HEARD NONE OF THIS PRIOR TO MY VECTORS. THE FLT CREW CONCLUDED UNEVENTFULLY. CHAIN OF EVENTS: PROB AROSE BY NOT DISCOVERING THAT W497B WAS HOT DUE TO LAUNCH. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS -- USING THE NEW DUATS (NEW TO ME) SVC; NOT USING A LIVE BRIEFER. NOW DISCOVERED: CTR NOTIFIED ME. CORRECTIVE ACTION: EXIT W AREA.