> incredibly surprising that an organization of that complexity could have survived as long as they did without a major incident I'm not surprised. FAA does no

> incredibly surprising that an organization of that complexity could have survived as long as they did without a major incident I'm not surprised. FAA does not fly each plane. Government organizational complexity helps ensure the government organization survives through next round of Congressional appropriations. Org complexity + opaque oversight + 'safety' + 'homeland security' + taxpayer funded = playing around and more budget. The pilot is responsible for safety. Air travel has rules to avoid collisions (eastbound gets altitude levels different than westbound, pilots shall broadcast on known frequencies) and pilots have distributed intelligence to keep their flight safe. Yes, somehow there needs to be coordination of runway use. Many ways to provide reservations and queuing.