A TL ULTRALIGHT PLT FLYING FORMATION WITH ANOTHER ULTRALIGHT EXPERIENCED VERTIGO; LOST SIGHT OF THE LEAD ACFT AFTER BROADCASTING 'PAN; PAN; PAN' AND ULTIMATELY LANDED AT AN ABANDONED FIELD.

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WE HAD DEPARTED DESTIN; FL; EARLY AFTERNOON IN A FLT OF 2; WITH ACFT Y AS LEAD AND ACFT X (WITH MYSELF AS PLT) IN THE #2 POS. I AM A RELATIVELY JUNIOR PLT WITH SOME 600 HRS EXPERIENCE; BUT IT WAS MOSTLY 20 YRS AGO. I HAD JUST PURCHASED ACFT X LAST OCTOBER AND MY EXPERIENCE WITH TYPE WAS LIMITED TO A TYPE CHKOUT AT SEBRING AND THE XCOUNTRY TO DESTIN ON OCT/SUN/04. I WAS ALSO UNFAMILIAR WITH UNITED STATES PROCS; PARTICULARLY AROUND RESTR AREAS; WHICH IS WHY WE PLANNED TO FLY IN A FLT OF 2 UNDER MR X'S DIRECTION. WE PLANNED TO FLY W TOWARDS MOBILE OR GULFPORT ATTEMPTING TO GET AROUND BAD WX; THEN TURN N TOWARDS OUR DEST OF LITTLE ROCK. HAD FOLLOWED LEAD W; THEN N. LEAD WAS CLBING ABOVE CLOUD. I EXPERIENCED 3 OR 4 INCIDENTS OF VERTIGO. AT FIRST I THOUGHT THIS WAS TWISTING TURB VERSUS USUAL BUMPS; UNIQUE TO THE TYPE OR CONDITIONS NEAR THE CUMULUS CLOUD; BUT NEVER BEFORE EXPERIENCED BY MYSELF AND I HAD FOUND IT DISCONCERTING. I ADVISED LEAD THAT I DID NOT HOLD A VFR ON TOP RATING; BUT IT APPEARS THIS IS ONLY A REQUIREMENT IN CANADA. WHEN IT APPEARED WE WOULD NOT GET OVER THE BROKEN LAYER; AND RECOGNIZING MY DISCOMFORT; LEAD TURNED BACK S. AT THIS POINT; I EXPERIENCED COMS PROB BEING UNABLE TO CONTACT LEAD. WHEN WE HAD FORMED UP AGAIN I HAD ASKED IF HE HEARD ME AND HE WAGGLED HIS WINGS THAT HE COULD SO MY PROB WAS ONLY RECEIVING. BUT I WAS SUFFICIENTLY DISORIENTED THAT I DID NOT REALIZE LEAD INTENDED TO CONTINUE W TO GET AROUND THE WX SYS. STILL AT 4000 FT OR SO; I HAD A CLR VIEW OF A COAST. I ANNOUNCED TO LEAD THAT I WAS DSNDING TO FIND AN ARPT TO LAND. I WAS SPEAKING TO HIM ON 123.45 BUT HE ADVISED HE DID NOT GET MY RPT; LIKELY BECAUSE HE HAD CHANGED BACK TO 119.0 TO TALK TO ATC. LOSING SIGHT OF LEAD AND BELIEVING I HAD A COMS FAILURE; I TUNED 121.5 AND BROADCAST AN EMER 'PAN; PAN; PAN.' MY CALL WAS ANSWERED BY AN ACR FLT AND I PRESUMED HE WOULD HAVE NOTIFIED AUTHS. I ALSO ATTEMPTED TO SET 7600 ON MY XPONDER BUT IT SEEMED TO GO FROM 6 TO 0 ON THE SETTING WITH NO 7 POS (IT SEEMS THERE WAS; BUT I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE INST HAVING BEEN FLYING ONLY ON 1200 OR AS #2 WITH IT ON STANDBY). I CONTINUED DSCNT TOWARDS THE LAND AND WHEN AT 2000 FT USED THE 'NEAREST' FUNCTION ON THE GPS TO FIND AN ARPT. WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTACT WITH PNS AND THOUGHT I WAS LNDG THERE. IT TURNED OUT TO BE AN OLD AIRFIELD BEING USED FOR HURRICANE DAMAGE CLEAN-UP. WAS TOLD BY CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ON THE GND THAT IT WAS 'HOLLEY;' AN OLD SATELLITE TRAINING FIELD. SHORTLY AFTER; LEAD APPEARED OVERHEAD AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE CONTACT. I TOOK OFF AND FOLLOWED HIM BACK TO DESTIN. LEAD SUBSEQUENTLY ADVISED ME THAT IT WAS A SERIOUS INFRACTION TO BREAK FORMATION AND THAT ATC HAD TO VECTOR ACFT FROM MY PATH. HOWEVER; I FELT I HAD A REAL EMER; BTWN DISORIENTATION; LOST POS AND COMS; SUFFICIENTLY SERIOUS TO BROADCAST 'PAN; PAN; PAN.' AND THAT I TOOK ALL STEPS POSSIBLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH ATC AND KEEP ADVISED OF MY SIT AND INTENTIONS. MY ACTIONS WERE TAKEN AS A PIC IN AN EMER AND THE LEAD PLT HAD NO MEANS TO CTL MY ACTIONS.