PENETRATED ARSA.

Narrative

ON THE LAST LEG OF THE DAY WE WERE LEAVING ORANGE COUNTY FOR PALM SPRINGS. IT WAS THE CAPT'S LEG TO FLY. WHILE I WAS PREPARING THE CABIN THE CAPT WAS OBTAINING THE CLRNC. AS WE TAXIED OUT; A RELATIVELY SHORT DISTANCE; I WAS BUSIED WITH MY RESPONSIBILITIES OF DETERMINING TKOF PWR; SPDS; PAX BRIEFING; AND CHKING FOR CLRNC ALONG THE DIMLY LIT RAMP AND TXWYS. HOLDING SHORT OF THE RWY AND RUNNING THE CHKLIST I NOTED THE 1200 CODE IN THE TRANSPONDER AND THE RESPONSE WAS A VFR DEP. I PRESUMED THE CAPT HAD DECLINED THE PREFILED IFR FLT PLAN FOR A VFR FLT. HAVING BEEN ON LINE ONLY 1 MONTH I HAD FLOWN WITH SEVERAL CAPTS; EACH OF WHICH HAD THEIR OWN WAYS OF WORKING WITH THE SYS--VFR CLBS; VFR ON TOP; ETC. SINCE I KNEW WE WOULD REMAIN WELL S AND E OF THE LA TCA; AND CLBING TO 11000'; I SAW NOTHING ILLEGAL WITH THIS; HOWEVER UNORTHODOX. AFTER DEP THE TWR SUGGESTED OUR DISCRETION; APCH CTL ON A SPECIFIC FREQ FOR VFR ADVISORIES. I WAS HANDLING THE RADIOS AND ACKNOWLEDGED THE CHANGE. THE RADIO ON THE CAPT'S SIDE IS NORMALLY SET BY THE CAPT. WHEN HE FAILED TO CHANGE FREQ; OR CHOSE NOT TO; I TOOK THAT TO MEAN THAT HE DID NOT WANT VFR SVC. AT THE TIME A STERILE COCKPIT WAS BEING OBSERVED AND THE CAPT SEEMED SOMEWHAT BUSY WITH FLYING THE AIRPLANE. I DID NOT QUESTION FURTHER AS I WAS SATISFIED THAT THIS WAS HIS CHOICE. SUBSEQUENTLY UPON ARR INTO THE PALM SPRINGS AREA WE CONTACTED APCH CLT FOR ADVISORY SVC. WE WERE THEN ADVISED THAT SANTA ANA COAST APCH HAD CALLED THEM TO ADVISE US THAT WE HAD PENETRATED THE EL TORO ARSA W/O COMMUNICATING WITH THEM ON OUR CLBOUT. I WAS COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THE EXISTENCE OF THIS ARSA CENTERED AROUND AN ADJOINING MIL AIR BASE JUST S OF ORANGE COUNTY. IN THE SUBSEQUENT EXCHANGE; THE CAPT REMARKED THAT HE HAD INTENDED AND BELIEVED THAT OUR FLT TRACK HAD REMAINED OUTSIDE THE LAT LIMITS OF THE ARSA UNTIL WELL ABOVE THE VERT LIMITS. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: USE OF IFR PUBLICATIONS; IE; APCH PLATES; SID'S; AND ENRTE CHARTS FOR A FLT CONDUCTED UNDER VFR WHEN SUCH PUBLICATIONS INADEQUATELY DISPLAY AIRSPACE SUCH AS AN ARSA. A LOW TIME CAPT WITH A LOW TIME F/O AND NEITHER ONE ADEQUATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA TO ACCEPT SUCH A VFR DEP IN THE COMPLICATED AIRSPACE SURROUNDING ORANGE COUNTY W/O AT LEAST THE ASSISTANCE OF ATC. IN THE FUTURE; AS AN F/O; I WILL INSIST PRIOR TO DEP OF A COMPLETE BRIEFING ON THE DEP PLAN; ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS A VAGUE AS THIS HAD BEEN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR NEW WITH COMPANY AND NOT SURE OF ALL PROCS YET. FELT CAPT KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING. CHOSE VFR AS A TIME SAVER. THIS PARTICULAR ROUTING IS NOT ONE WHERE COMPANY ALLOWS PLT DISCRETION TO DECLINE THE PRE-FILED IFR FLT PLAN. THIS WAS NIGHT FLT; SO WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD TO READ VFR CHARTS IF AVAILABLE.