Pilotless Airliner - They're looking at it again!

[bvt1151]

Still a ways away, but check out that picture. If anything, this certainly puts pressure on two-man cockpits.

EU Unmanned Airliner Concept outlined

 

[Palomino]

wonder how well a computer can run a QRH or a Memory Item?

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

This month's ATW mag had another article relating to this. Said perhaps as soon as 5-6 years (too "optimisitc" IMO) - another 30-40 years is more "realisitic" perhaps.

 

[bvt1151]

wonder how well a computer can run a QRH or a Memory Item?

Pretty well, actually. Its the dealing with weather and the outside-the-plane factors that will doom it.

 

[luckytohaveajob]

Likely to be a cargo hauler first

This is what DHL, UPS, and FedEx want as the next generation cargo hauler.

 

[Hutchman]

This is what DHL, UPS, and FedEx want as the next generation cargo hauler.

Boxes don't care who is flying, people do.

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

The Air Force has already proven that this concept is on the way. I wouldn't recommend your young children to this profession anymore. The GlobalHawk is a fully GPS navigated and flown (no pilot on ground) airframe. Although the first prototype crashed on takeoff (I believe) this piece of machinery can taxi, takeoff, cruise, descend, land, and taxi to a parking spot within 6 inches of a designated spot. It may be on the horizon for cargo/passenger applications, but having seen a Predator UAV blast terrorists from their vehicle may at least put the days of a manned fighter/bombers in the military to be numbered. I think it will take at least 25-30 years before the public would accept a pilotless aircraft. Maybe they'll hire someone to pull the levers like in a train to open/close the doors and then call them pilots...

 

[FNG_that's me]

What happens when some hacker breaks the code and flys one of these pilotless planes into a building in NYC?

 

[dollacrackho]

the public would never accept a pilotless airplane. there will always be somebody up front to monitor things. the computer may taxi, takeoff, land and park the plane but there still has to be someone there on the 1 in a 100000 chance that something goes wrong. and if there has to be one person up there, than there has to be another person to be there in case the other person passes out or dies.

 

[AC560]

the public would never accept a pilotless airplane.

They said the same thing about trains, but I don't see anyone not getting on the ones without engineers.