"I've watched my (very experience) pilt friend, and he is spending so much time looking at the screens and fine-tuning his flight profile, he almost never looks out."
JAYSUS!
Here is further perpetuation of the groundless myth that those who have TCAS do not keep a look out.
Why don't we all go back to the days of non-radio biplanes, flying helmets and no electrics in the cockpit. We could munch carrots to keep our vision sharp (like blackadders glorious 20 minuters) and exchange steely-eyed tales of derring do in front of bowled-over maidens in the flying club bar.
what bollocks!
Get real, the future is here, get a GPS, get a transponder, and for God's sake activate mode-C, (if you can) get a TCAS and use a combination of avionics and eyeballs to keep you as safe as possible.
Anyone with experience counted in thousands of hours will have had enough close calls to confirm that use of the eyeball as a sole means of collision avoidance is a flawed concept.
SB