PA38-112 COMMERCIAL PLT; WHEN LOWERING THE NOSE AT THE COMPLETION OF A CHANDELLE MANEUVER; OBSERVED A MOONEY XING IN FRONT OF HIM. HE ASSUMED THAT HE WAS NOT AT AN APPROPRIATE ALT FOR HIS DIRECTION OF FLT.

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AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT; I WAS PRACTICING COMMERCIAL FLT MANEUVERS IN A PIPER TOMAHAWK; OVER A LARGELY UNPOPULATED AREA APPROX 15-17 NM NNE OF THE EQA; KS; ARPT. JUST PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT; I HAD COMPLETED 2 CONSECUTIVE; GAINING ROUGHLY 500 FT OF ALT IN EACH MANEUVER. THIS PUT ME AT 4000 FT MSL; ON A HDG OF 090 DEGS (NOTE THAT GND ELEVATION IN THE AREA IS APPROX 1500 FT MSL). AT THIS POINT; I DECIDED TO PERFORM 1 MORE CHANDELLE. PRIOR TO BEGINNING THE MANEUVER; I PERFORMED A 180 DEG CLRING TURN TO THE L; ENDING ON A HDG OF 270 DEGS AT 4000 FT MSL. NO TFC WAS OBSERVED. I THEN INITIATED THE MANEUVER; TURNING TO THE R AND FINISHING ON A HDG OF 090 DEGS; AT APPROX 4500 FT MSL AND WITH A NOSE HIGH PITCH ATTITUDE OF ROUGHLY 13-14 DEGS. AS I INITIATED RECOVERY BY SLOWLY LOWERING THE NOSE OF THE ACFT; ANOTHER ACFT SUDDENLY APPEARED AT MY 1:30 O'CLOCK POS. THE OTHER ACFT (A MOONEY) WAS SWBOUND AT MY ALT. I WOULD ESTIMATE THAT WE HAD APPROX 1000 FT OF SEPARATION; IN THE HORIZ; AT THE TIME OF MY FIRST SIGHTING. I TOOK NO EVASIVE ACTION; AS IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THERE WAS NO IMMINENT DANGER OF COLLISION (AND; IN ANY CASE; WE HAD NEARLY PASSED EACH OTHER BY THE TIME I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACT IN ANY MEANINGFUL WAY). I SAW NO INDICATION THAT THE MOONEY TOOK ANY EVASIVE ACTION; EITHER; AND HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING WHETHER HE HAD ME IN SIGHT. IT WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS TO ME THAT I WAS AT FAULT IN THE MATTER. I DO NOT FEEL THAT THE WX CONDITIONS WERE A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR. DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT WAS SOMEWHAT HAZY AT THE TIME; I DOUBT THAT I WOULD HAVE SPOTTED THE MOONEY DURING MY CLRING TURN (EVEN WITH UNLIMITED VISIBILITY; AND PARTICULARLY GIVEN OUR RATE OF CLOSURE). NOR DO I FEEL THAT MY MENTAL OR PHYSICAL CONDITION WERE IN ANY WAY TO BLAME. THE REAL PROB WAS THAT I FAILED TO CONSIDER THE SITUATIONAL OUTCOME OF MY PLANNED MANEUVER BEFORE BEGINNING IT. I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THE FACT THAT THE CHANDELLE WOULD PLACE ME AT A VFR CRUISING ALT (AT SLIGHTLY ABOVE 300 FT AGL) FOR WHICH I WOULD BE ON AN INCORRECT HDG (090 DEGS) AND THAT MY NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE WOULD IMPEDE MY ABILITY TO SEE AND AVOID. IN THE INTEREST OF AVOIDING ANY MORE SUCH INCIDENTS IN THE FUTURE; I PLAN TO PAY MUCH MORE ATTN TO THE PROJECTED SITUATIONAL RESULTS OF FLT MANEUVERS -- PARTICULARLY THOSE THAT COMBINE LARGE HDG AND ALT CHANGES WITH HIGH PITCH ATTITUDES AND CONSEQUENTLY POOR FORWARD VISIBILITY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: WHEN THE RPTR WAS INFORMED THAT THE HDG RULE APPLIED TO CRUISE FLT ONLY. HE STATED THAT HE DID NOT KNOW THAT. HOWEVER; HE WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE HE HAD GONE BEYOND THE PRACTICE AREA USUALLY USED FOR AIR WORK PRACTICE. HE IS PRACTICING THE COMMERCIAL MANEUVERS FOR HIS FLT INSTRUCTOR'S PRACTICAL EXAMINATION.