PILATUS PC-12 PLT FLEW TO DEST VFR AFTER HIS IFR FLT PLAN WAS LOST. UPON ARRIVAL; HE ASSUMED HE WAS 'CLEARED FOR THE VISUAL' APCH AND MADE HIS INITIAL CONTACT WITH TWR IN CLASS D AIRSPACE AFTER HE WAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED ON FINAL.

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WHILE FLYING VFR I INADVERTENTLY ENTERED INTO CTLED AIRSPACE AT CRE. AT MY DEP ARPT I STARTED MY ENG AND CALLED FOR MY IFR CLRNC THAT HAD BEEN FILED EARLIER WITH CHICAGO FSS. I WAS INFORMED BY CLRNC THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE MY FLT PLAN AND UPON REQUEST THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO TAKE A NEW FLT PLAN. KNOWING THE CURRENT CONVERSION SITUATION WITH FSS; I KNEW IT MIGHT TAKE CONSIDERABLE DELAY TO GET A NEW FLT PLAN IN AND THEN IT MIGHT BE 'LOST' AGAIN. THEREFORE I GAVE CLT CLRNC VFR DEP INFO AND DEPARTED VFR. CLT; WITHOUT REQUEST; HANDED ME OFF TO FLO APCH WHO IN TURN HANDED ME OFF TO MYR APCH. MY STANDARD PRACTICE IS TO ALWAYS FLY IFR. I REMEMBERED THAT I WAS FLYING VFR ENRTE AND WATCHED CAREFULLY FOR OTHER ACFT. DURING THE DSCNT INTO CRE I WENT THROUGH THE USUAL ROUTINE (THIS IS A FREQUENT DEST FOR ME) OF TALKING TO MYR CALLING THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND BEING HANDED OFF TO CRE TWR. MY MEMORY IS UNCLR AS TO WHETHER THE MYR CTLR SAID 'CLRED FOR THE VISUAL' (BY MISTAKE) OR 'CONTACT GRAND STRAND TWR' (CRE). THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER ACFT APCHING AND I MAY BE THINKING ABOUT WHAT HE SAID TO ONE OF THEM. AT ANY RATE; I CALLED CRE TWR AT 6.2 NAUTICAL AND DID NOT GET A RESPONSE. DRIFTING INTO MY NORMAL (IFR) ROUTINE AS OPPOSED TO REMEMBERING CLRLY THAT I WAS VFR THIS TRIP; I PROCEEDED TOWARD THE ARPT. NOT HAVING GOTTEN A RESPONSE; I CALLED AGAIN AT ABOUT 4 MI AND WAS TOLD I WAS #1 TO LAND. I CALLED AGAIN ON SHORT FINAL FOR CLRNC TO LAND AND RECEIVED IT. THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION IN THE COMS; MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY MY PROCEEDING IN WITHOUT CLRNC. THE TWR AND I DISCUSSED THE MATTER AFTER LNDG AND IT BEGAN TO DAWN ON ME THAT I HAD LULLED INTO IFR ROUTINE AND CONTINUED TOWARD THE ARPT AS IF I HAD AN IFR HDOF AND CLRNC TO THE ARPT. IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT THE COMS WERE A LITTLE CONFUSED BECAUSE I WAS NOT FOLLOWING PROC. I CALLED THE CTLR ON THE LAND LINE TO FURTHER DISCUSS THE SITUATION AND THE LESSONS LEARNED. HE OF COURSE WAS CONCERNED THAT I UNDERSTAND THE DANGER IN THE SITUATION; WHICH I DID. OBVIOUSLY WHEN I FLY VFR; I HAVE TO GET BACK INTO THAT MODE AND UNDERSTAND THE RULES. AS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT WHEN THERE IS AN EVENT OUT OF MY CTL (LOST FLT PLAN) THAT I MUST STOP; SHUT THE PLANE DOWN IF NECESSARY; RE-FILE AND RE-REQUEST MY CLRNC. THOSE 2 ADMISSIONS HAVING BEEN MADE; I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO SEE THE CONTRIBUTION THAT THE CURRENT FSS CONVERSION FIASCO MADE TO THE SITUATION. WHEN YOU CANNOT GET FSS OR WHEN THEY LOSE A FLT PLAN; IT IS NOT RIGHT BUT IT IS HUMAN NATURE TO TAKE SHORT CUTS AND/OR MAKE EXCEPTIONS TO BEST PRACTICES. I ALSO FEAR THAT THE PROSPECT OF USER FEES WILL CAUSE THE SAME THING TO HAPPEN. IT WILL TEMPT PEOPLE TO SKIP BRIEFINGS OR AVOID FILING IFR BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO COST THEM MONEY. AGAIN; IT IS NOT RIGHT BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. I HAVE JUST DEMONSTRATED ONE OF THE RESULTS THAT COULD COME OUT OF THAT. THANK YOU FOR THIS SVC AND HOPEFULLY THIS NOTE WILL MAKE A SMALL CONTRIBUTION TO FLT SAFETY.