A PIPER PA28 PLT WAS ASKED TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM A B25 AND HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION.

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MY WIFE AND I WERE ENRTE TO VALDOSTA ARPT ON OCT/XA/99 ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. I WAS BEING CTLED BY VALDOSTA APCH CTL AND WAS CRUISING AT 5000 FT APPROX 20 MI FROM THE ARPT. TIME WAS APPROX XA45 AND THE WX WAS EXCELLENT; CLR SKIES; GOOD VISIBILITY WITH JUST A SLIGHT HAZE LAYER. AN AIRSHOW WAS TAKING PLACE AT MOODY AFB; APPROX 13 NM NNE OF THE VALDOSTA ARPT AND A NOTAM HAD BEEN ISSUED STATING THAT A 5 NM RADIUS OF MOODY WAS BEING USED FOR THE AIRSHOW. A FEMALE CTLR HAD BEEN WORKING APCH AND I HAD HEARD HER BEFORE ON MY PREVIOUS TRIP THROUGH VALDOSTA (I USE VALDOSTA AS A REGULAR REFUELING POINT WHEN WE GO TO AND FROM FLORIDA ON VISITS). SHE SEEMS TO SPEAK FAST; CLIP HER WORDS AND PHRASES; AND IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. I HAD TO HAVE HER REPEAT SEVERAL XMISSIONS AND HAVE HEARD OTHERS ASK HER TO DO THE SAME. ADDITIONALLY; I ASSUMED SHE WAS NEW AND/OR TRAINING BECAUSE THINGS SOMETIMES GET CONFUSING AND I HAVE HEARD ANOTHER CTLR STEP IN AND TAKE OVER. SHE HAD CALLED TFC FOR ME A FEW MINS PREVIOUS AND A MALE CTLR STEPPED IN AND TOLD ME TO DISREGARD. TFC WAS CALLED AT 10 OR 11 O'CLOCK POS; 3-4 MI AT 3000 FT. BOTH MY WIFE AND I SAW IT AND I STATED TO APCH CTL THAT I HAD IT IN SIGHT. THE ACFT WAS IN THE DISTANCE AND APPEARED TO BE XING SLIGHTLY L TO R AND HDG AWAY FROM ME. I TOLD MY WIFE TO HELP ME KEEP IT IN SIGHT; WHICH SHE DID. I THOUGHT IT WAS A DEP AIRPLANE HDG S OR SW. I HAD BEEN CLRED TO DSND FROM 5000 FT TO 3000 FT AND WAS ON AN ASSIGNED HDG OF 180 DEGS. I ASKED WHAT THE HDG WAS FOR AND WAS TOLD IT WAS TO KEEP ME CLR OF THE MOODY AIRSPACE (WINDS WERE LIGHT FROM 070 DEGS AT 4 KTS AND I'D REQUESTED A STRAIGHT-IN TO RWY 17 AT VALDOSTA). I WAS BOTH TRACKING AND HDG 174 DEGS ON MY GPS SO I CAME R 6 DEGS TO COMPLY WITH THE 180 DEG HDG. WE WERE APPROX 15 MI FROM VLD BY THIS TIME. WE HAD STARTED OUR DSCNT PROBABLY SOMEWHERE AROUND 18-20 NM FROM THE ARPT. WE WERE TOLD WE COULD ANTICIPATE A STRAIGHT-IN TO RWY 17. THE PREVIOUSLY CALLED TFC WAS HARD TO SEE IN THE DISTANCE BUT APPEARED TO BE TURNING TO THE R AND MY WIFE MENTIONED IT TO ME. I WAS ALSO WATCHING BECAUSE THE TFC WAS WELL OUT IN THE DISTANCE AND COULD EASILY BE LOST IF I TOOK MY EYES OFF OF IT. THE TFC THEN APPEARED TO BE COMING BACK IN OUR DIRECTION; GETTING LARGER; AND APPEARED TO BE PARALLELING MY TRACK AS HE STAYED OFF TO MY R BY PERHAPS 1 MI OR SO. AS I MAINTAINED 3000 FT AND AN ASSIGNED HDG OF 180 DEGS; THE B25 BEGAN A TURN INTO US WHICH ALARMED MY WIFE AND CERTAINLY GOT MY ATTN. I HAVE MANY HRS OF FORMATION FLYING; AM STILL A GOOD JUDGE OF RELATIVE MOTION AND DISTANCE; AND I CONTINUED TO WATCH THE ACFT COMING AT US. I EXPECTED APCH CTL TO GIVE US A DIFFERENT HDG OR CHANGE OUR ALT BUT THEY SAID NOTHING. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE TIME BECAUSE THE ACFT HAD A MUCH HIGHER SPD THAN I; SO I ADDED FULL PWR; PULLED THE NOSE UP SHARPLY; AND TURNED INTO THE B25 BECAUSE I NEEDED TO GET MY R WING OUT OF THE WAY TO MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT. I DID NOT WANT HIM TO SUDDENLY SEE ME AND BEGIN A PULL-UP AT THE SAME TIME I DID AND HIT ME AS HE CLBED WITH HIS NOSE HIGH. WHEN HE BEGAN HIS TURN INTO ME HE WAS PROBABLY 1/2 MI FROM ME; AT EXACTLY MY ALT; AND I EXPECTED HIM OR HIS COPLT TO SEE ME FROM THEIR R COCKPIT WINDOW AS THEY PASSED ME GOING THE OPPOSITE WAY. AFTER HIS TURN; HE WAS COMING AT A 90 DEG ANGLE TO ME FROM MY R; CLOSING RAPIDLY; AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE HE DID NOT SEE ME AT THAT DISTANCE BECAUSE I WAS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF HIM OFFERING HIM A PROFILE VIEW OF MY ACFT AND WING AND TAIL STROBES. HE WAS INSIDE OF 1/4 MI WHEN I BEGAN MY PULL-UP AND HE WAS ON A DEAD CERTAIN COLLISION WITH ME. AS I RECOVERED FROM MY PULL-UP IN A WINGOVER TYPE MANEUVER REVERSING BACK TO MY ORIGINAL COURSE (THE B25 PASSED BELOW AND BEHIND ME); I TOLD APCH CTL I HAD BEEN FORCED TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION AND ASKED THEM WHY THEY HAD ALLOWED US TO COME SO CLOSE WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING. TO MY ASTONISHMENT THEY REPLIED THAT I HAD SAID I HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT (SOME 3-4 MINS PRIOR) AND THE SEPARATION THEN BECAME MY RESPONSIBILITY! AT THE TIME I CALLED THE TFC IN SIGHT; THEY WERE HEADED AWAY FROM ME AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE DEPARTING THE ARPT AREA. I HAD NO REASON TO THINK THEY WERE GOING TO TURN AND COME MY WAY; AND AT THE DISTANCE I FIRST SAW THEM I COULD EASILY HAVE LOST THEM MOMENTS LATER. AND; AT NO TIME DID APPROACH CONTROL TELL ME TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM THAT ACFT! INSTEAD; I WAS LEFT ON AN ASSIGNED HDG AND DID NOT HAVE THE DISCRETION TO CHANGE IT OR MY ALT AT ANY TIME I WISHED. ASTONISHED; I ASKED THEM IF THEY WERE SIMPLY GOING TO SIT AND LET 2 PLANES COME TOGETHER BECAUSE I HAD EARLIER SAID I HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT! THEY RESPONDED THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS VFR AND THEY WEREN'T TALKING TO HIM; TO WHICH I REPLIED; 'NO; BUT YOU WERE TALKING TO ME AND YOU SAID NOTHING!' I FURTHER STATED THAT I WAS ON AN ASSIGNED HDG AND ALT; AND I THEN ASKED FOR THEIR PHONE NUMBER SO I COULD CALL THEM ON THE GND.