> Unless they're in a dogfight, airplanes do not require constant attention to the outside world.
This sounds like you're not a pilot. Pretty much the first thing flight school teaches you is situational awareness. Constantly visually scanning for nearby traffic is a very, very important skill.
IFR is essentially the painted lines on the road - it's just a directional radio signal that you can follow to see if you're following the glideslope.
An autopilot can follow it, but even in IFR you're supposed to be visually scanning, as you can be in IFR weather while still having a mile or two of visibility around your plane.
Wait, are you a pilot? IFR (instrument flight rules) means you must be able to fly looking solely at your instruments, not out the window. There's no equivalent in driving.
I think you might be thinking of ILS.
Disclaimer: I'm not a pilot, although I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.
IFR doesn't mean no visibility, it means visibility below minimums. If you're driving in fog, you still look out the window. Same for aircraft. You may be in instrument flight rules while being able to see the runway.
You're right, though, on ILS. Part of being able to do IFR, but not IFR itself.
This sounds like you're not a pilot. Pretty much the first thing flight school teaches you is situational awareness. Constantly visually scanning for nearby traffic is a very, very important skill.