IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE TIME AND AVOID DEVELOPING WX; A BELLANCA PLT FLIES VFR DIRECT ENDING UP IN THE WX. FEAR OF GETTING INTO TROUBLE PREVENTS CALLING ATC. EVENTUALLY RETURNED TO DEP STATION AFTER SOME CONFUSION.

Narrative

GOT A BRIEFING FROM FSS FOR A FLT FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ. TRIP WAS INTENDED TO PICK UP FRIEND AND RETURN TO ZZZ1 THAT EVENING. FORECAST CONDITIONS FOR ZZZ1 WERE TO BE IFR THAT EVENING. BRIEFER SAID WX WAS VFR IN BOTH ZZZ1 AND ZZZ AT TIME OF DEP; BUT ALONG RTE; CEILINGS WERE 3500 FT AGL IN SPOTS. DECIDED TO GO VFR BECAUSE AIRWAYS WOULD HAVE BEEN QUITE A BIT LONGER THAN DIRECT PATH AND HOPEFULLY COULD BEAT DETERIORATING WX FORECAST FOR RETURN TRIP. ABOUT A HALF HOUR OUT OF ZZZ1; CEILINGS STARTED DROPPING BUT I COULD SEE SUN THROUGH LAYER; THEN IT STARTED TO SNOW; HEAVIER AND HEAVIER; CEILINGS DROPPING AND THEN I WAS IFR ON MY VFR TRIP. I TRIED CLBING AT FIRST TO GET ABOVE LAYER WHICH WAS FORECAST TOP AT 5000 FT THE BRIEFER SAID; BUT STILL IMC. STARTED TO GET WORRIED ABOUT WHAT I WAS DOING. IFR WITHOUT A FLT PLAN AND NOT QUITE EXACTLY SURE WHERE I WAS; ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING IN WAY OF IFR TFC IN MY AREA. I TURNED AROUND AND TUNED IN ZZZ1 VOR AND HEADED TO IT. ALSO CLBED TO HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF BEING ON RADAR AND CTR TO SEE ME AND ADVISE IFR TFC. TUNED IN CTR FREQ TO LISTEN IF THERE WAS ANYONE ELSE NEAR ME; BUT DID NOT CALL. DIDN'T WANT TO GET INTO TROUBLE BEING WITHOUT A FLT PLAN. NOT QUITE SURE WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE; BUT NOW I THINK CALLING WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER IDEA. GOT CLOSER TO ZZZ1; LAYER BROKE UP AND I LANDED. WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE IS JUST FILED AND GONE IFR EVEN THOUGH IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN A LITTLE LONGER. I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED THOUGH FLYING SINGLE PLT IFR AND NOT HAVING TOO MUCH TIME IN THAT PARTICULAR AIRPLANE WHICH WAS PURCHASED LESS THAN 1 MONTH AGO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THERE WAS NEVER CONTACT WITH ATC OR THE FAA ABOUT THIS INCIDENT. TERRAIN AVOIDANCE WAS NEVER AN ISSUE AT ANY TIME. THE RPTR NOW UNDERSTANDS THAT ATC WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL IF THEY HAD BEEN CALLED. THE PLT HAS BEEN INSTRUMENT RATED FOR APPROX 2 YRS.