A not so minor player contemplates the future of a single pilot flight deck. Has Boeing pondered this configuration?
Luiz Sergio Chiessi, vice president for aircraft market intelligence at the Brazilian company Embraer, the world's third-largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft, says: "We believe it is technically possible."
And Flight International, the respected British aerospace weekly, has concluded that Embraer is "the first manufacturer to break cover on the issue of single-pilot crews."
In doing so, Embraer is challenging the cockpit's last remaining taboo. Now that radio operators, navigators and flight engineers have fallen victim to cost-cutting measures, the pilot's right-hand person could also fall by the wayside. Until now, airlines have made only very discreet inquiries about the possibility of having one-pilot cockpits. Even Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer, has reportedly fielded questions on this issue.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,716225,00.html
Luiz Sergio Chiessi, vice president for aircraft market intelligence at the Brazilian company Embraer, the world's third-largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft, says: "We believe it is technically possible."
And Flight International, the respected British aerospace weekly, has concluded that Embraer is "the first manufacturer to break cover on the issue of single-pilot crews."
In doing so, Embraer is challenging the cockpit's last remaining taboo. Now that radio operators, navigators and flight engineers have fallen victim to cost-cutting measures, the pilot's right-hand person could also fall by the wayside. Until now, airlines have made only very discreet inquiries about the possibility of having one-pilot cockpits. Even Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer, has reportedly fielded questions on this issue.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,716225,00.html
