Re: Pilotless A/C
I was involved recently with UAV integration into civil airspace , and the FAA position on this is that UAV should fly alonside civil aircraft and follow IFR rules on IFR flight plans.
The procedures are getting in place ( see access 5 project from NASA/FAA ) but the hardware is not yet mature. The global hawks cross the Atlantic every week but it is not yet that convincing for transporting precious goods and humans.
But I foresee in not too distant future ( 5-10 years ) that some "Dull "civil applications like crop spraying , helicopter logging work, watching pipelines or electrical powerlines, or report / relay sporting events,etc. would slowly find they way into specified UAVs. Gallileo with its better precision/reliability/integrity than GPS will also open new ways.
Watching some time ago the (rather bad) "Stealth" movie featuring an UAV, I guess that sort is too far off ( why put a seat / cockpit on it anyway ? ) but on that movie the UAV tanker was a good example of what they soon probably will do.
As a civil pilot you still have some carreer in front of you , but if fuel prices soar badly due shortage or otherwise, the first one to go will be the small ones, as the A380s and the like are (much) more fuel friendly per Tkm or PK .
So try to get to A380 ,or 340/787/ 747/777 if you can , the future is there I guess. for quite some time still, at least the next 30 years, with humans at the controls.