ACFT ON VFR FLT PLAN ENCOUNTERED MARGINAL CONDITIONS WITH TFC CONFLICT.

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MOST OF THE FLT WAS FLOWN AT VFR ALTS BTWN 10000 FT MSL TO FL175 WITH THE LATER AND LAST PORTION OF THE FLT FLOWN DSNDING OR CLBING BTWN 7500 FT AND 12500 FT MSL. THESE DSCNTS AND CLBS WERE FLOWN TO GET FUEL FLOWS AND HANDLING QUALITIES AT INST HOLDING SPDS AND ALSO TO FIND ADEQUATE VFR WX TO DSND INTO VAN NUYS. DURING A TURN BACK IN THE PALMDALE LAKE HUGHES AREA AND SUBSEQUENT TO CONTACTING VAN NUYS 22 MI OUT FOR CLRNC; ANOTHER ACFT WAS SEEN THAT WAS PROBABLY AN IFR ACFT COMING OUT OF CLOUDS. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE BROKEN CLOUD LAYER THROUGHOUT THE AREA WITH SMALL TSTMS TO OVCST AREAS W OF THE PALMDALE AREA. CORRECTIVE ACTION IS TO CONTACT APCH FOR SEPARATION DURING WX THAT IS MARGINAL VFR. THE CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS ENTIRELY UP TO US AS THE OTHER ACFT WAS PROBABLY ALREADY FLYING IFR. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS PROBABLY WERE PLT APPREHENSION WITH GETTING INTO THE VAN NUYS AREA VFR. THIS WAS THE FIRST FLT IN THIS ACFT FOR THE PLT INTO AN AREA OUTSIDE OF THE CALIFORNIA CITY LOW DENSITY AREA. INACTIONS OR JUDGEMENT DECISIONS WERE: NOT CONTACTING APCH CTL SOON ENOUGH TO SUPPLY TFC WHILE VFR IN A BROKEN CLOUD AREA; AND FACTORS AFFECTING PERFORMANCE WERE: PROBABLY BEING INST RATED AND APCH CTL REQUEST KNOWLEDGEABLE BUT BEING IN AN ACFT THAT WAS UNFAMILIAR; SO THIS WX ENVIRONMENT BECAME UNFAMILIAR.