Pilot Program Scrapped

[Ace757]

Just saw this on FOX News:



A program being tested in Dallas to get airplanes to take off and land without pilots was scrapped today. This was after there were aircraft separation issues in the airport environment. Planes were getting to close to each other, and even sometimes turned into each other on departure. Its now back to the drawing board.



Well I guess those computers are not reliable enough to take our jobs yet. This must be a sad day for all of the airline CEO's. It looks like they are just going to have to deal with us for the foreseeable future.

 

[Flying Freddie]

How can they call it a pilot program if there were no pilots?

I bet it was funded by Lorenzo.

 

[sweptback]

Obviously Fox lost something in the reporting.

I wonder if this had anything to do with the RNAV departures. They started with little fanfare one day, and now I don't believe they're doing them anymore. Or if they are, they sure don't do them all the time.

 

[airbaker]

Yeah I think it has to do with the discontinuation of the RNAV departures out of DFW for AA. They just put out an internal memo stating that it was being pulled due to a high amount of "deviations" to the profile (whether that was pilot error or software error, I'm not sure)

 

[Lolikoka]

Dallas Morning News had an article

Yesterday's Dallas Morning News had an article on the RNAV departure program at DFW if you can find it at www.dallasnews.com. They said that the program would be tried again with the autopilot on; apparently they were led to believe that "pilot technique" following the flight directors had something to do with the deviations. The article also said that some planes got 2.78 miles apart, with a 3 mile separation being the minimum. Take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Gorditas]

This was about the RNAV departures. Long before they printed the charts (it feels like there are 50 of them) the company told them that we would have problems with the climb gradients required by the procedures. Even the CRJ-70 which climbs very well would have problems on hot days. We had training department instructors in the sims verifying the problems, and from what I heard directly from one of them was that there was little to no room for error. Also, they were having to climb at slower airspeeds to meet the climb requirements. To my knowledge, we weren't the only ones having these types of problems.

 

[USCtrojan]

They can certify an airplane with no pilots, but it doesn't mean the flying public would utilize the product. I'm betting very few, except the ones that don't care about their lives, would fly on an airplane with no pilots!!

USCtrojan

 

[klhoard]

I wouldn't bet on that if the ticket price was low enough.

 

[StopNTSing]

They can certify an airplane with no pilots, but it doesn't mean the flying public would utilize the product. I'm betting very few, except the ones that don't care about their lives, would fly on an airplane with no pilots!!

USCtrojan

The flying public may care if there's a pilot(s) up front, but boxes sure won't.

 

[Dorkpilot]

Didn't people once say: "there will never be less than 3 people in the cockpit!"

 

[capt. megadeth]

The flying public may care if there's a pilot(s) up front, but boxes sure won't.

OOOOHHHHHH! Now you just crushed my UPS or FedEx dreams dude....what is up with that?

 

[BlueBusDriver]

Cute kid Baker.......

Looks like she has a proud "Blue" Daddy.

Congrats....

BlueBusDriver

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

It's just a matter of time guys, heck in a 100 or so years, they'll be laughing at the fact that there were people driving these aerospace vehicles around, just like we do today about how it took two brothers who made bicycles years to get a plane to fly a hundred or so feet at 5mph...

 

[JetPilot_Mike]

I just want to know when I can take out all those **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** DFW RNAV SIDs from my Jepps....the number and space they take up is unreal.

 

[FastCargo]

Actually...

...I just want to know when we go to E-Jepps with a Tablet PC based device that you attach to the yoke when you do an approach.

FastCargo

 

[TonyC]

...I just want to know when we go to E-Jepps with a Tablet PC based device that you attach to the yoke when you do an approach.

FastCargo

My guess: <2 yrs

A little too big for the yoke, so it's mounted off to the side. Better than Jepps, think Lido !

 

[JetPilot_Mike]

...I just want to know when we go to E-Jepps with a Tablet PC based device that you attach to the yoke when you do an approach.

FastCargo

Right about the time hell starts to keep my beer cold!

 

[walden]

FastCargo,
Just had to tell you I really liked your Heinlein quote. True, so true.

 

[SWAnnabee]

Making us obsolete

I am afraid to say it, but I think it is inevitable that pilots are replaced with computers, maybe in one or two more generations. How many of you care if the train you are on is computer or human controlled? How about a cruise ship? Does it really bother you if there is not a Captain on baord. Now take a look at what is happening right now with these web links.
http://www.robotbooks.com/robotic-airplane.htm
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0816/web-uav-08-19-04.asp
http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/fire_plane_010904.html
http://www.robotbooks.com/Mars-plane.htm
Good food for thought for those young now and thinking about getting into this industry.

 

[maddoggiestyle]

The kids of today are so computer savvy at such a young age that I bet the flying public won't think twice about boarding a pilotless aircraft someday. Plus robotic technology is growing at such a feverish pace. A perfect example is my Roomba. It cleans my house better than a French maid ever could!