Unmanned Airliners

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beetle

New Member
Do you think pilots will be needed in the future or will everything be unmanned? How long before we will be stuck on the ground in an office?
 
I was thinking about this... I think there will always be a pilot... I mean I think its automated enough as is... the pilots are just there to turn the a/p's knobs and if anything abnormal happens... I say in 50 years pilots will be there just in case and thats it
 
I started the thread A300Capt. referenced before I went through 121 training. After having been through it, I can confidently say that we will be up front for a LONG, LONG time.


J.
 
beetle said:
Do you think pilots will be needed in the future or will we be stuck in offices?
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I think pilots will be obsolete by the year 2007. They will be stuck in offices. In fact, airline pilots will be all fired and be required to fly an airplane from a desk with a CH Products joystick.
























Is the :sarcasm: tag needed?
 
beetle said:
Do you think pilots will be needed in the future or will everything be unmanned? How long before we will be stuck on the ground in an office?
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You'll have plenty of opportunity for a career. Your grandkids, probably not.
 
beetle said:
Do you think pilots will be needed in the future or will everything be unmanned? How long before we will be stuck on the ground in an office?
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I suspect that people are never going to be happy flying in a pilotless plane - well at least in my forseeable future. Once people are commuting to Mars for work things may be different.

I can perhaps see a time when automation reduces the flight deck to a single person - there seem to be plenty of good reasons why that's not wise, but the almightly dollar might eventually drive it. It would only happen when the automation is complete (block out to block in) and the flight deck crewmember would only be there as emergency backup, to look good, and greet and say goodbye to the passengers.
 
beetle said:
. . . will everything be unmanned?
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It's already been done.




photo_femalecrew.jpg









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CFIse said:
I can perhaps see a time when automation reduces the flight deck to a single person
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The amount of automation already available to carriers can already make this a feasable concept. It all goes back though to CRM, medical issues, and workload. I dont see a single pilot 757 anytime soon or ever.
 
meritflyer said:
The amount of automation already available to carriers can already make this a feasable concept. It all goes back though to CRM, medical issues, and workload. I dont see a single pilot 757 anytime soon or ever.
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I agree - but you are reliant on the "pilot" - if the pilots keels over the automation cannot complete the flight. So you need a second pilot. However - if we reach the point where the automation is flying the total flight and the "pilot" is just there for backup - that's when I can see a single flight deck crew member being advocated.
 
Automation can already control nearly everything including landings. Pilots have already become systems managers (most airplanes). I just cant see the public jumping onto an airliner that has no pilotS. Its not like a train that moves on a track from point A to B.
 
meritflyer said:
Automation can already control nearly everything including landings. Pilots have already become systems managers (most airplanes). I just cant see the public jumping onto an airliner that has no pilotS. Its not like a train that moves on a track from point A to B.
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But a pilot is still needed to direct the automation. You can't have "un-personed" airplanes until the automation can take care of itself including handling ATC and weather issues etc. etc. When you have that (if you have that) the pilot is "merely" there as a backup.

The emotional issue of people getting on an airplane without a pilot would have to be got past - but I'm guessing if it was $5 cheaper you'd have no problem filling seats........
 
meritflyer said:
Automation can already control nearly everything including landings. Pilots have already become systems managers (most airplanes). I just cant see the public jumping onto an airliner that has no pilotS. Its not like a train that moves on a track from point A to B.
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And with all this technology, there's still an operator at the front of the train. Until they can fully automate trains, there's not much point even talking about airliners.
 
meritflyer said:
Strongly disagree.

Automation is only as good as its operator (pilots) and it doesnt always work.
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Well the good thing is that our opinions about something that will happen after we are dead don't mean a thing. And, of course, the automated systems that will do it all will resemble today's systems like the DC-3 resembles a 787.

Here's when people won't get shook about riding in pilotless aircraft: When they've arrived at the airport in their driverless automobiles, having not worried once about a crash because they are now unheard of (except in history books).

This is so inevitable it's almost like death and taxes.
 
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