Idea of airliners flown by solo pilots gains ground

[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!

 

[rigger]

Dunno folks

I think it already has happened just not on the "airline" scale yet. The corporate/91/135 world has been flying single pilot 10 pax jets for a number of years. The Faa bitched and screamed and then went along with the idea.....just a nudge at a time is all that is needed, It's less/not safe but done none the less.

I fly single pilot right up there next to the 150+Pax stuff all the time it's not a long stretch to think with the systems today whats the difference between the cessna jet and the boing jet???...smart no but LEGAL non the less....It's always about money......FOLLOW THE MONEY

 

[727gm]

The concept can go no further than pilots let it. The first step would be single-pilot with the ability to control the aircraft by link from the ground, in case of pilot incapacitation or physical needs(lav break).

If pilots refuse to operate any aircraft that can be controlled by someone NOT onboard the aircraft, the idea can go no further.

Of course, we have seen pilots willing to cross picket lines, etc, for various inducements, so it may happen, but ONLY through the assistance of traitors to the profession/safety.

 

[DrewBlows]

How does the guy on the ground know when the only pilot decides to do something stupid? If the guy on the ground is that involved, why pay the expense of additional systems that replace a second cockpit seat?

 

[trip]

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?

Your not taking out the human threat, your just renaming it and leaving it on the ground.

 

[sayrejm]

The population of this planet continues to increase exponentially, yet we strive to find ways to reduce the number of available jobs across all industries via automation and technology.

It is unsustainable.

 

[tomgoodman]

Expectation Management 101

A) Float a completely unrealistic but scary concept at workers.

B) Obtain concessions in return for not doing that which you were never going to do anyway.

 

[Tweaker]

Ding!

 

[Arkady]

Two quick & not-so deep thoughts from my jet-lagged noodle:

#1) Oh sure, getting to fly with a dog is cool and all but without the f/o, who is going to stroke the captains ego about stuff like how that 5 (gusting to 8) knot x-wind over the threshold was pretty nasty and was probably a micro-burst in the making ("Pretty sure I saw Jim Cantore broadcasting from the airport fence...") and how it screwed up what was going to be a truly righteous & epic grease job. And then listen to him go on for hours about his latest boat/airplane/toys, new house and ex-wives? (I suspect there are going to be a lot of lonely captains starting to sound like "Cybil" on the CVRs...well, more than normal anyway). As part of their severance deal - will they pay the former gear & flap operators to make audio recordings of the standard responses to fill this void in the cockpit conversations?

#2) Who will ya have ta' know & who will ya have ta' blow to get one of those sweet Airliner-UAV-safety-pilot jobs? (Sitting at home on the barcalounger/Capt Kirk's command chair in my pj's sipping coffee, watching my super-duper-747-9000x-heavy-space-cruiser plod along out over the Atlantic as I also check my email, do a little day trading, play with the dogs and order pizza while watching Super-Netflix 3D & wondering when the new contract will be T/A'd so I can get some more vacation time...and then when the wife asks me to mow the lawn I can say "Sorry Darling, sterile cockpit."). Pretty sweet gig - until they outsource it all to some non union guy in Bangladesh with 500 hours of MSFT Flight Sim time (...who then gets to be the lucky bastard sitting at home in his pj's, sipping coffee, checking his email....). Better hope the day trading works out...

 

[Fly-By-Cable]

FedEx, UPS will be first solo flights, and after years of data pax airlines will follow. All of that will happen when all of us are retired.

 

[UnstableAviator]

It only takes one plate of bad Panda Express....