This Collision may be as important as the PSA Midair
This recent F-16 and C150 collision could turn out to be as important as the PSA B727 midair, or the Allegheny DC9 Cherokee collision at KIND, ...to finally lead to long needed evolution of our obsolete airspace system, and improvement of our separation processes. The collision again points out the significant risk still inherent in our present antiquated Air Traffic Separation processes, still depending on a mixture of "see and be seen" and hand carrying 1:1 radar vectors, or even procedural separation, which is now becoming increasingly impractical with small UAVs operating in global airspace and the continued mix of VFR VMC traffic with IFR VMC traffic. Instead, now with the ability to electronically exchange trajectories (e.g., RNP based via data links) at very low cost and high reliability, it may be time to start to move to electronic flight rules (EFR) and phase out VFR, VMC, IFR, and IMC as such, so as to be able to safely assure economic airspace access for any users, but with vastly improved separation assurance. Bottom line is that not only may starting a Wikipedia entry for this tragic event now be appropriate, but with the FAA hearings pending this fall considering the split up of FAA, and the formulation of a long needed separate ANSP that is more accountable to the airspace users, this could become a watershed historic event regardless of the ultimate assignment of responsibility or contributing factors.