Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 100; Flight Crew Total 5200; Flight Crew Type 700
Communication Breakdown; Distraction; Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Airspace Structure; Procedure; Human Factors
After completing an IFR flight with student to the ZZZ1 airport; we canceled IFR on short final and requested a Tower to Tower departure to ZZZ2 with intent to request the published hold at ZZZ VOR. The airspace was very congested with VFR training airplanes.We were given a frequency change to ZZZ2 Tower by the ZZZ1 Tower Controller; and the student; under the hood continued his climb while I attempted to contact ZZZ2 Tower; which was extremely congested.After several attempts; I instructed the student to turn to a heading of 150 and level off prior to 2;700 MSL to exit the local airspace and was focused outside. Due to the heavy training activity; I could not contact ZZZ2 Tower.I looked inside and noted that the student had climbed to above 2;900 MSL which was inside the Class C shelf of ZZZ; but nearly clear to the south.I instructed the student to level off and depart the airspace; and we returned to our home base without further incident. In retrospect; due to the congestion; I would have landed at ZZZ1; taxied to the ramp; and amended my plan with the student. Traffic congestion since COVID has been significant; and has made training IFR training a challenge. I have begun to mitigate this by filing direct to airports as previously described with a plan to return home under VFR. In the future; I will no longer request Tower to Tower and plan to leave and attempt holds at airports in northern ZZZ3 County.
Flight Instructor reported a Class C airspace incursion.