POTENTIAL CONFLICT. VISUAL CONTACT.

Narrative

ON CLBOUT OF GSO WE WERE GIVEN NORMAL HDG AND ALT FROM APCH. (290 DEG HDG; CLB TO 10000 FT). AS WE WERE PASSING 9000 FT; APCH ADVISED VFR TFC 12 O'CLOCK; SAME DIRECTION AT 10400 FT. AS WE WATCHED THE ACFT HE APPEARED TO BE LOWER THAN RPTED ALT SO I LEVELED AT 9600 FT. (WE WERE OVERTAKING THE ACFT VERY FAST.) DURING THIS PROC WE WERE HANDED OVER TO ZTL WHO INSTRUCTED US TO CLB TO 14000 FT. WE REFUSED CLB AND ADVISED CTR OF THE ACFT AT 12 O'CLOCK 1/2 - 1 MI AND AT 10400 FT. HE THEN REPEATED CLB CLRNC. AGAIN WE ADVISED HIM OF TFC AND SAID WE WERE DEVIATING L TO AVOID CONFLICT. CTR THEN SAID THEY HAD THE TFC AND TOLD US TO DEVIATE R; CLB TO 14000 FT. HAD WE DEVIATED R; THE ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN A CONFLICT. WE CONTINUED VFR SEPARATION UNTIL PASSING THE ACFT THEN PROCEEDED WITH THE CLB INSTRUCTION. IN HINDSIGHT; I'M GLAD APCH POINTED OUT TFC AS THEY HANDED US OFF TO CTR; OTHERWISE WE MIGHT NOT HAVE SEEN THE ACFT AND BLINDLY FOLLOWED CTR INSTRUCTIONS AND CLBED INTO OR TOO CLOSE TO THE OTHER PLANE. THUMBS UP FOR APCH.