scroggs - a couple of points
....and that was 35 years ago!
I agree there have not been huge advances in aircraft design during those 35 years, merely incremental steps. In computing however, essential for any degree of autonomy, there have been many orders of magnitude of progress.
Where's the saving? And what's the point?
If we agree that the take-off and landing are the most complex areas to automate, then the first "unmanned" planes may have automated cruise but remote-controlled take-off and landing. A single pilot or ATC-er could be landing a dozen an hour.