Originally Posted by
SASless
Heads on swivels, listening to the radio and conjuring up a mental picture of what is going on around you, checking above or below you when changing altitude doing cleaning turns if need be, and just plain old paying attention to outside the cockpit.
In an ideal world maybe. But during a training flight one has to explain lots of stuff to one's student, one has to show them the position on the map, one has to show them the chart of the aerodrome and how to join the circuit. One simply can not always look outside.
Both aircraft involved in this accident were on training missions. Which means that their attention might have been drawn to other things than maintaining a perfect lookout from time to time. And we all know how difficult it can be to spot other aircraft, especially helicopters, even if one constantly looks outside.