See And Be Seen?

From time to time, someone will pop up with the idea that the time-honored practice of visual traffic separation-often known as see and be seen-is too archaic for modern aircraft. Anything that flies, so the theory goes, should have some kind of automated collision avoidance system which does exist but will solve all potential conflicts between aircraft of all sizes. Someday, perhaps, but until then most of us are stuck using see and be seen.

Monday, June 29, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Visual traffic separation, or "see and be seen," remains a critical practice for collision avoidance for most aircraft, as highlighted by the NTSB.
The NTSB's "See And Be Seen" Safety Alert provides key recommendations for pilots, including methodical scanning, minimizing distractions, using aircraft lighting, and clear communication, to prevent mid-air collisions.
The NTSB also released a video analyzing a UPS crash, offering broader safety lessons for all pilots concerning factors like unstabilized approaches, fatigue, and cockpit resource management.

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From time to time, someone will pop up with the idea that the time-honored practice of visual traffic separation—often known as “see and be seen”—is too archaic for modern aircraft. Anything that flies, so the theory goes, should have some kind of automated collision avoidance system which does exist but will solve all potential conflicts between aircraft of all sizes. Someday, perhaps, but until then most of us are “stuck” using see and be seen.