Easy Street said: "
Far from being reticent over full automation, I’d be surprised if insurers aren’t looking forward to it, if not actively investing in research to help bring it about"
Well the insurers/underwriters that I know and remember won't be campaigning for it at all. Underwriters have their Names or shareholders that they are responsible to, if they were to take unnecessary or experimental risks they would be sacked at the next board meeting. The premiums they would require to set just to cover manufacturers product liability, passenger legal liability and third party legal liability would be astronomical initially and probably more than airlines or manufacturers are prepared to pay, cheaper to employ pilots, even if most of the systems are fully automated and only require monitoring.
Will the functions of the cabin crew be automated as well? All the safety drills required for any kind of emergency, even something as simple as oxygen masks that fail to deploy and need the CA's biro stuck in the small hole to free them will be both difficult and expensive to automate. Will Cabin Crew be prepared to fly without a human cockpit crew? Better ask the Cabin Crew. I can see the kerfuffle now, if the cabin crew function is automated. Automated PA, "Will the passengers in row 36, seats A to C now go to the vending machine to receive their meal" for these pax to discover the special menu options are not available and there is only chicken or fish left!
Finally, the Elephant in the Room, security. Whatever automated systems and their control are incorporated they will need to be 110% interference proof, as well as the security system designed to protect them and that will include preventing an armed attack by dedicated suicidal terrorists on a remote ground control somewhere along the route.