"Chip Jones" wrote
In the most professionally bored voice I can muster, I key up and say "Baron
123, traffic alert, traffic two o'clock, two miles converging from the right
indicating 7000, suggest you turn right heading 180 immediately." The Baron
pilot says "We're turning left to 090, no contact."
Given this traffic scenario, would any of you guys have followed my
suggestion to turn to a 180 heading, or was I wasting my breath?

Personally, I've had one of those "Immediately" calls in my life. Two
miles, converging, altitude indicates 4200 (I was IFR at 4000, in and
out of the tops). The controller suggested I descend. Instead I
climbed, figuring I could be out of the tops in just a couple of
seconds and avoid the guy visually. It was the right call - I spotted
and avoided him. My feeling was that if we crashed, I wasn't going to
have to worry about it, and if we didn't, I would claim emergency
authority. I'm betting the Baron pilot figured something similar.

Your explanation makes sense - it explains why turning into the
traffic is reasonable and not nearly as crazy as it initially sounds.
Not having a sailing background, it's the first time I've heard it.

I suspect I would have done exactly what the Baron pilot did - make a
diving left turn. A Baron is way faster than almost anything that's
going to be flying around VFR not talking to anyone, so turning away
and diving still seems like the best plan. I can certainly see what
the Baron pilot was thinking.

Michael