CLOSE PROX COMMUTER SMT COMMUTER SMT NEAR PTW VOR.

Narrative

I WAS GIVING A CAPT UPGRADE CANDIDATE VOR ORIENTATION TRAINING IN THE AREA OF THE POTTSTOWN VOR. OUR FLT ATTITUDE WAS CRUISE; LOW CRUISE CONFIGN WITH STANDARD RATE TURNS. WE WERE INTENTIONALLY FLYING AT AN 'ODD' ALT (3700' MSL) TO AVOID CONFLICTS WITH OTHER CRUISING ALTS. THE PHILADELPHIA APCH FREQ WAS VERY BUSY; SO RATHER THAN OBTAIN A TRANSPONDER CODE; WE MONITORED THE FREQ FOR TFC IN OUR AREA. SMT Y AIRLINER WAS WORKING PHL APCH AND WAS INBND TO PHL VIA A TRANSITION OFF OF PTW VOR. THE SMT Y PLT ANGRILY COMPLAINED TO APCH THAT HE HAD PASSED WITHIN 500' OF MY SMT X AND ASKED IF APCH WAS TALKING TO US. THE CTLR REPLIED THAT HE WAS NOT. THE SMT Y PLT WAS QUITE COARSE WITH THE ATC PERSON AND SAID HE WANTED THIS LOGGED AS A NEAR MISS. THE CTLR MADE A CALL IN THE BLIND 'IS THERE A COMMUTER SMT X IN THE VICINITY OF POTTSTOWN ON THE FREQ?' I REPLIED THAT WE WERE ON FREQ AND HAD BEEN MONITORING AND WERE LOOKING FOR TFC; BUT HAD NOT SEEN THE SMT Y PASS OVER HEAD. THE CTLR ASKED ME TO GO TO ANOTHER FREQ WHERE I EXCHANGED SOME INFO WITH ANOTHER CTLR WHO WAS HANDLING THE RPT. (NOTE: OUR ALT SETTING WAS WITHIN .01' OF THE CURRENT LCL SETTING.) THE CTLR WAS PLEASANT AND EFFICIENT IN HANDLING THE RPT. I GAVE MY DIRECTOR OF OPS A RPT WHICH WAS TO BE FORWARDED TO PHL. TWO SIGNIFICANT POINTS TO THIS INCIDENT: FOR THE PAST YEAR I HAVE MADE IT A POINT TO DO FLT TRAINING AT ALTS THAT WOULD NOT BE IN CONFLICT WITH IFR CRUISING OR VFR ALTS. I WILL CONTINUE THIS PRACTICE; AS I THINK THIS PROC MAY HAVE SAVED US IN THIS SITUATION. ALSO; I THINK LESS EXPERIENCED PLTS FLY AT WHOLE NUMBER ALTS (1500;2000;2500;3000;ETC). I BELIEVE THE SMT Y CREW IN THIS INCIDENT WAS COMPLACENT IN THEIR WATCH FOR TFC. WE WERE IN VERY GOOD VFR CONDITIONS. THE CREW WAS SURPRISED WITH OUR PRESENCE; AND WAS UPSET WITH THE FACT THAT THE CTLR HAD NOT CALLED US OUT AS TFC. AS AN INSTRUMENT INSTR FOR MANY YEARS; I ALWAYS CAUTIONED MY STUDENTS TO LOOK FOR TFC WHEN IN VFR CONDITIONS EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE ON AN IFR CLRNC. MY PERSONAL OPINION: I AM OF COURSE THANKFUL THAT THIS EVENT WAS ONLY A SIGHTING AND NOT A FATAL MIDAIR. IN MY OPINION; THE ONLY CASUALTY IN THIS INCIDENT WAS THE SMT Y CAPT'S EGO. I BELIEVE HE GREATLY OVER-REACTED AND CHOSE TO TAKE IT OUT ON THE CTLR WORKING THAT SECTOR. HIS TONE THROUGH THE ENTIRE APCH SEGMENT WITH THAT ATC SPECIALIST WAS ONE OF ARROGANCE. I HAVE BEEN FLYING IN THE PHL AREA FOR TWENTY YEARS; AND HAVE BEEN REMINDED OF OUR HIGH DENSITY ENVIRONMENT ON MANY OCCASIONS.