Marginally effective, see-and-avoid is based on the big sky theory; the sky is big and airplanes are small so the chances of running into each other are minimal. Our vision limitations in an airplane combined with massive blind spots foreshadow disaster. In 2014, pilots reported 163 near mid-air collisions. Most involved GA. Who knows how many occurred without either pilot realizing?
Mid-air collision possibilities frighten every pilot and have shaped aviation. The first occurred in 1910. In 1956, United 718 and TWA 2 collided over the Grand Canyon. The accident “led directly to legislation creating the Federal Aviation Agency,” according to the FAA.
