CPR ACFT ON DEP TAKES EVASIVE ACTION FROM SMT ON INBOUND TO SAME ARPT.

Narrative

AFTER BEING TOLD THERE WOULD BE A SHORT DELAY ON OUR RELEASE FROM BKL DUE TO TFC IN AND OUT OF CLE; WE HELD SHORT AWAITING RELEASE. AFTER 5 MINS THE TWR AT BKL WAS QUERIED ON THE ADDITIONAL LENGTH OF THE DELAY. THE TWR SAID IT WOULD CALL AND CHK. AFTER SEVERAL MORE MINS; THE TWR ADVISED AT LEAST ANOTHER 5 MINS DELAY SHOULD BE EXPECTED. WITH THE WX BETTER THAN 3000 FT AND 4 MI; I REQUESTED A VFR DEP. THE TWR APPROVED THE DEP ON RWY 06L AND ADVISED TFC IN THE PATTERN ON L DOWNWIND. AFTER LEVELING AT 2000 FT TO ASSURE CLRING CLASS B AIRSPACE; I SAW AN MU-II CONVERGING QUICKLY UPON US; ALTHOUGH ACTUALLY PARALLEL TO OUR COURSE. WE HAD OUR STROBES NAV; AND RECOGNITION LIGHTS ALL ON TO INCREASE OUR CONSPICUITY. THE MITSUBISHI WAS CONFIGURED SIMILARLY. WE SPOTTED EACH OTHER AND BOTH TURNED L TO INCREASE SEPARATION. WHILE I BELIEVE WE WERE NEVER QUITE ON A 'COLLISION' COURSE; I FOUND IT DISTURBING THAT THE TWR DID NOT WARN US OR THE MU-II OF THE MUTUAL TFC UNTIL AFTER THE FACT. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL AS WE RECEIVED OUR IFR FORM CLE. HAD I KNOWN PRIOR TO DEP THAT ACFT WERE INBOUND ON THE RWY 24R APCH; I WOULD NOT HAVE LEFT VFR. THE TWR HOWEVER; ONLY RPTED TFC IN THE PATTERN AND OUR DELAY WAS DUE TO TFC IN AND OUT OF CLE; AND NOT INBOUNDS ON THE RWY 24R APCH.