Date: 201210
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZZZ.TRACON, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Weather elements / visibility: 50
Light: Night
Aircraft: Cessna 210 Centurion / Turbo Centurion 210C; 210D
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: None
Mission: Personal
Flight phase: Climb
Airspace: Class C ZZZ
ATC / advisory: TRACON ZZZ
Second aircraft: B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Pilot Flying; Single Pilot
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument
Human factors: Situational Awareness
Anomaly: Conflict Airborne Conflict
Detector: Automation Aircraft TA
Result: Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Contributing factors: Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure
Primary problem: Procedure

Narrative: I departed in my Cessna 210; VFR for a return flight to my home base. I had asked Tower for radar services and Tower gave me a right turn out and then handed me over to Departure. Departure asked me what altitude I was climbing to and I told them 4;500 FT. I don't remember Departure's exact phraseology but they cleared me on course with a 'Climb and maintain 4;500'. I was never given any radar vectors or told a course to fly. My on course heading was just about straight west. Right after I checked in with Departure; I noticed an aircraft in the distance with a very; very bright recognition light on it. The aircraft was quite a ways above me and did not appear at that time to be moving across my windshield. I always pay special attention to any aircraft that does not appear to be moving in the windshield because I know that means that we are on a converging course. As I kept flying; the other aircraft appeared to be descending and I noticed that their recognition lights appeared to pulse alternately between two lights that I think were close together. Again; these lights were extremely bright and very attention grabbing but it also made it impossible for me to tell the size of the aircraft. I gradually turned a little bit to the southwest; I think probably around 30 degrees to the left of my original course. At this time; the other aircraft appeared to be slowly moving to the right across the copilot side windshield and I then knew that we were not on a converging course. I kept a close eye on the other aircraft. It would have been hard not to have because its recognition light was so bright. I was having a hard time judging distance but it appeared to be well clear of me. I had just leveled at 4;500 FT. I may have gone up an extra 50 FT; but I know I did not get to 4;600 FT. As the other aircraft was going behind me off my right side; I heard the pilot come on the radio and say something about his TCAS giving him a warning and he had to climb. I asked Departure what type of aircraft went behind me and he said it was a B737. I have very little knowledge about TCAS so I don't know what type of warning the other pilot got. I never thought that we were too close together. The only problems I see is that the bright recognition light made it hard for me to judge distance; but I still think that it was better for them to have such a bright light than to not have one. If Departure thought we were too close; he should have vectored one of us or given us a different altitude restriction.




Synopsis: C210 pilot on a night VFR flight in contact with Departure Control; observed very bright lights of a converging aircraft and altered course. As the C210 pilot overshot his assigned altitude he heard the traffic; a B737; report responding to a TCAS alert to climb. Traffic passed clear behind the C210.