BE36 PLT ENTERS HOU CLASS B OUTER RING BELOW FLOOR OF CLASS B; BUT ARE TOLD BY CTLR THEY WERE IN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE.

Narrative

THIS WAS A DAY VFR FLT TO HOUSTON HOBBY ARPT (HOU). WE CROSSED NAVASOTA VOR (TNV) AND PROCEEDED DIRECTLY TO HOU ON A COURSE OF 125 DEGS USING AN IFR CERTIFIED GARMIN 530 GPS WITH A CURRENT DATABASE. PRIOR TO REACHING THE 30 NM RING OF THE HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL CLASS B AIRSPACE; WE DSNDED TO 3700 FT MSL WHICH PUT US BENEATH THE FLOOR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE OUTSIDE OF THE 20 NM RING. CURRENT HOUSTON VFR TERMINAL AREA AND HOUSTON SECTIONAL CHARTS WERE ABOARD AND THE TERMINAL CHART WAS OPEN AND IN USE. WE WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT HOUSTON APCH CTLR UNTIL WE WERE 37 NM FROM HOU; WHICH WAS ABOUT 5 NM INSIDE OF THE 30 NM RING OF THE IAH CLASS B AIRSPACE. THE CTLR ASSIGNED US A DISCRETE XPONDER SETTING; ADVISED US THAT WE WERE IN CLASS B AIRSPACE AND THAT THERE WAS AN RJ TURNING IN FRONT OF US. WE SPOTTED THE RJ EASILY AT ABOUT 10 NM XING OUR FROM R TO L AND CLBING. THE CTLR DIRECTED US TO TURN TO A HEADING OF 180 DEGS AND TO DSND TO 3000 FT; BOTH OF WHICH WE DID. AFTER RECHKING OUR POS USING GPS; PILOTAGE (I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA) AND THE VOR RADIAL AND DISTANCE FROM HOU; WE ADVISED THE CTLR THAT THE FLOOR OF CLASS B AT OUR LOCATION WAS 4000 FT AND THAT WE WERE BELOW THE FLOOR. HE AGAIN STATED VERY FIRMLY THAT WE WERE IN THE CLASS B AND THAT THE FLOOR IS 3000 FT. WE DID NOT RAISE THE ISSUE AGAIN. HE VECTORED US TOWARD HOBBY AND INTO THE 20 NM RING AT 3000 FT. THERE WAS NO MORE CONVERSATION ABOUT CLASS B AND WE WERE HANDED OFF AND LANDED AT HOU WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. BOTH PLTS ABOARD ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF THE POS WHICH WAS XCHKED BY BOTH THE GPS AND THE VOR/DME. FURTHER; ALTHOUGH THERE IS AN NRPM TO LOWER THE CLASS B FLOOR TO 3000 FT IN THE AREA WHERE WE WERE FLYING; THIS HAS NOT YET GONE INTO EFFECT. IF THIS CTLR IS VECTORING AIRLINE FLTS THROUGH THE AIRSPACE IN QUESTION BASED ON A BELIEF THAT IT IS CLASS B; THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD AND MUST BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY.