Idea of airliners flown by solo pilots gains ground

[lionflyer]

It most certainly will.

In fact the 'ultimate' goal is a pilot-less airliner with an "aircraft manager" (with the qualifications of what was formerly known as an airline pilot) on board who monitors the aircraft systems and in the event of irregularities works with a "control room" to be dealt-with...with ultimate aircraft control being automated and secondary control coming from a ground based control room.

There will be no conventional cockpit up front eliminating potential hijackings all together. The "aircraft managers" post will be capable of taxi only.

A system is under development that to boil it down to basics enables an aircraft to, via computers, use any and all controls in conjunction (variable thrust of engines, aerodynamic controls, and fuel shifting to allow an aircraft to fly essentially normally given any type of control/engine malfunction) all with computers in a system a human could not possibly be capable of.

We are at the beginning of an era where the hardware and software are so proven and fail-safe it is time to start addressing the weakest link in the system, namely the human element.

Sorry kiddo's, this ain't your Grand-dads airline industry anymore...

And then Skynet will become self aware and launch a massive nuclear attack against mankind. I agree it's comming,(UAV's) but it's still a long ways away. Just think "Sully"! A fully automated A320 with CAT3, would NOT have been able to land in the Hudson by itself.

 

[trip]

The UAV's are already pricing themselves out of work in the military, and they have pretty much been under wild wild west rules. Wait until the FAA gets a hold of them HA HA! nope I'm not worried.
That being said I could see the feds being paid off to certify a 1 man cockpit airliner.

 

[Fly-By-Cable]

It most certainly will.

In fact the 'ultimate' goal is a pilot-less airliner with an "aircraft manager" (with the qualifications of what was formerly known as an airline pilot) on board who monitors the aircraft systems and in the event of irregularities works with a "control room" to be dealt-with...with ultimate aircraft control being automated and secondary control coming from a ground based control room.

There will be no conventional cockpit up front eliminating potential hijackings all together. The "aircraft managers" post will be capable of taxi only.

A system is under development that to boil it down to basics enables an aircraft to, via computers, use any and all controls in conjunction (variable thrust of engines, aerodynamic controls, and fuel shifting to allow an aircraft to fly essentially normally given any type of control/engine malfunction) all with computers in a system a human could not possibly be capable of.

We are at the beginning of an era where the hardware and software are so proven and fail-safe it is time to start addressing the weakest link in the system, namely the human element.

Sorry kiddo's, this ain't your Grand-dads airline industry anymore...

Respectfully, I must disagree with you. Although aviation technology has made great strides over the years, you don't hear about system errors often thanks to the human element. From personal experience; I can't count how many times I've had to disconnect the auto pilot because it did something uncommended, or failed to capture a loc on a parallel approach. Asides from system errors, I've also been in situations where I was damn glad there were two of us. Personally, I don't think this will ever be approved for use in the USA.

 

[glasspilot1]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS,Bookman Old Style,Arial][/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS,Bookman Old Style,Arial]I think there will be just a dog and a single pile it in the fuuuuuture. The pile it is there to watch the plane and teh dog is there to watch the pile it (and attack him if he touches anything).[/FONT]

Boy, you botched that joke! Here's how I heard it from years ago:

"In the future cockpit, there will be just one pilot and a dog. The pilot is there to feed the dog and the dog is there to bite the pilot if he touches anything"!

 

[Superunknown]

Boy, you botched that joke! Here's how I heard it from years ago:

"In the future cockpit, there will be just one pilot and a dog. The pilot is there to feed the dog and the dog is there to bite the pilot if he touches anything"!

Love it !!!

 

[Metro752]

Will the pilot be connected to a heart monitor, and if he flat lines will the cockpit door automatically open, and all the PFD/MFDs say GAME OVER and the PAC Man game over sound effect plays on the PA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT-8Dm1VThc

 

[JT12345]

Those are the incapacitations that r reported. There are sudden or is it subtile incapacitations that are resolved by the other pilot routinely that go unreported. Then there are pilots that don't even know that they are impaired due to fatigue, but do a good job with checks and balances between them and the automation.

Embraer displays their disconnect with the reality of line flying, and the contempory airline industry.

With drone technology as a back up single pilot will be possible if the flying public accepts it. Remote control airliner. The technology will be here in 10 years, but not the public. I think they would rather pay an extra $5 a ticket.

 

[Superunknown]

The technology will be here in 10 years, but not the public. I think they would rather pay an extra $5 a ticket.

It's not the 5 bucks per ticket...it's the unquantifiable factor of taking another potential threat (human) out of the equation...

How much is that worth?

 

[SLUF4]

The articles always cite pilot incapacitation as the main safety drawback to single pilot ops, but to me the biggest safety risk is the fact that you're losing one brain and one set of eyes in the cockpit. The system of cross-checking that is in place now would be non-existent if we go to single pilot. Nobody ever mentions that

 

[StopNTSing]

Really bad idea....every system in an airliner has redundant systems for a reason.

A logical and concise rebuttal to this silly idea. Well said, sir!

 

[Superunknown]

A logical and concise rebuttal to this silly idea. Well said, sir!

He said as he's flying the airliner equivalent of the 'jet Cessna of the sky'....

 

[Jeff Helgeson]

How retro!....

So the one-and-only pilot is just going to leave the cockpit unattended while he uses the lav?

Hopefully this idea will die a quick death...

....I guess "relief tubes" will be making a comeback in a major way! : - laugh:

 

[Traderd]

Helicopters as well...

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/21/u-s-military-to-experiment-with-unmanned-helicopters/?hpt=Sbin

 

[BEfly]

Won't happen for a loooong time. Flying public won't go for it, FAA won't go for it, insurance certainly won't.

 

[BigPappa]

The cheapest piece of insurance you can have on a plane is the second pilot!