Pilotless Cockpit?

[Skyline]

LowlyPropCapt

LowlyPropCapt,

Well with all glass cockpits and minimal footprint training at the bigger airlines most of that stuff wont matter. If you loose all electrical and something happens that is outside of the checklists and manual then you are probably considered an expendable loss anyway. Try going to an interview prep company and flying a sim without moving map, GPS or a flight director and you might be in for a surprise. Hardball skills dull fast even with guys who fly IFR everyday in a modern automated cockpit.

The only serious emissions I think are the lack of single pilot IFR experience in a serious weather environment. My peers and I had to suffer years in piston twins over the cascades without most of the radios operating and few icing defences. I believe it takes a few years of that to truly become one with hardball attitude instrument flying. Automation creates a false sense of security. I don't know who you fly for but even in training a true steam gauge approach is rarely done anymore. All of the focus is on maximum utilization of the automation.

Skyline

 

[QueensPilot]

I read, about a year ago, (and this was in an article in either Plane and Pilot, or Private Pilot), an article where the author stated that it was rumored that Boeing was working on a single-pilot airliner as a successor to the 7E7. The author also stated that, interestingly enough, an Airbus spokeswoman had gone on the record and said that there would always be 2 pilots on their airplanes.

 

[ePilot22]

Goodbye NDB!

I remember being told in college 10 years ago that NDBs would be completely gone soon and that VORs would be gone by the turn of the century.

The last Jepp IAP revision I did, most were NDB approaches that were eliminated. FNL HAD a NDB Rwy 33 that is no longer. That's where I learned to fly with an ADF. APA is the only airport in range (less than X-counrty distance) where I can still go to shoot NDB appraoches. The real problem is that our rental aircraft have inop. ADFs and they won't be fixed anytime soon.

I was talking to an old pilot, he remembers when radio range was the standard for navigation and the NDB was cutting edge. He flew a Cirrus SR-22 the other day and was speechless about the glass panel.

The day will come when I sit at a flight school/club and tell some young kid about glass panels being cutting edge. He'll laugh and think I'm old.

I like the NDB!!!

 

[Traderd]

Does anyone ever think that the cockpit may become totally pilotless? If so how many years until that happens?

Any thoughts, opinions..........or facts on this idea.

I posted this link somewhere else. Lots of interesting ideas from some very bright individuals.

http://www.northropgrumman.com/unmanned/

If, or when it happens, my guess is the military will lead the way with cargo first, then reduced crews for pax then total uav pax. Followed in short order by civilian cargo then reduced crew and then maybe uav with pax.

The wild card in the speed of deployment might lie in markets other than here in the US. Japan first maybe?

 

[KigAir]

If, or when it happens, my guess is the military will lead the way with cargo first, then reduced crews for pax then total uav pax.

Does the military still use navigators?

 

[Singlecoil]

Once and for all: no one is going to get on an airplane with no pilots, and transport category aircraft will never be certified single pilot because of kidney stones and other physical ailments which can arise suddenly and completely debilitate the lone pilot. Never going to happen.

 

[Skyline]

Never Say Never

10 years ago I am sure that UAV's were considered James Bond nonsence. Now the Airforce is considering replacing half of their fighters with the latest one from Boeing.

I think we will have people up front for a while yet but perhaps they will just sit there and monitor systems throughout the entire flight and never touch the controls. We are mostly there now. We have the technology to remove the middlemen. ATC could send instructions direct to the plane. Taxing could be handled from the tower. No more pilot induced confusion. Pilots will only be taught the basics of aircraft systems and will have only a limited range of pilot training. Perhaps they could be mechanics or something.

Skyline

 

[Skyline]

Never Say Never

10 years ago I am sure that UAV's were considered James Bond nonsense. Now the Air force is considering replacing half of their fighters with the latest one from Boeing.

I think we will have people up front for a while yet but perhaps they will just sit there and monitor systems throughout the entire flight and never touch the controls. We are mostly there now. We have the technology to remove the middlemen. ATC could send instructions direct to the plane. Taxing could be handled from the tower. No more pilot induced confusion. Pilots will only be taught the basics of aircraft systems and will have only a limited range of pilot training. Perhaps they could be mechanics or something.

Skyline

 

[FN FAL]

Once and for all: no one is going to get on an airplane with no pilots, and transport category aircraft will never be certified single pilot because of kidney stones and other physical ailments which can arise suddenly and completely debilitate the lone pilot. Never going to happen.

The debilitativeness of the pilot will not hinder the flight. As soon as the pilot's telemetry indicates that he/she is unable to oversee the the automated system, the automated system will just make calls to itself:

"Speed 160, flaps 10!"

"It's in there dude!"

"Hal, don't call me dude!"

"O.K. dude."

"Speed 140, flaps 20, heading 130, Approach Arm!"

"Dude, it's done!"

"I told you to quit calling me "dude"!"

 

[pilotmiketx]

Anyone who's ever flown a highly automated airplane can attest to the fact that two pilots are needed. One needs to make sure "it" doesn't do anything goofy while the other one is troubleshooting the last time it did something goofy. The way I see it, every new software revision is job security.

As for the airlines, two pilots increases the odds that one will be sober.