Originally Posted by
I-FORD
Pilotless airplane?
It isn't going to happen.
The maximum I could forecast is a remotely piloted aircraft, the pilot still exists, it is just seated somewhere else.
The same happened to the navigators, radio operators, flight engineers.
They didn't disappear, in my cockpit they are all present, in the form of a PNF (or Pilot Monitoring as they like to call it now).
i think the worst we can expect in the near future (this being <50-100yrs) is a single pilot airliner. i would also expect trains and cars to be automated first. has anyone seen that documentary about the "automatic" car? they were having so many problems with it.... it just isnt funny. they are way off introducing that into the public. if they cant master that how are they going to make a 200 seat jet taxi from the gate to the holding (unless it is pulled)?
so i agree with what I-FORD is saying, as things become even more automated, the workload will reduce to the extent where there will be only 1 pilot on board the aircraft to monitor the systems. With CATIII approaches and autolands becoming more common these days the pilot can literally do very little! I would also expect en-route airways clearances to become automated in the near future, maybe through the FMS but i understand this is already occurring to some extent? By saying this i am basically implying that things will become automated to such an extent that a co-pilot will no longer be required, however it would be boring as all hell for the guy in the nose and i would sincerely hope that there is someone else onboard the aircraft who could resume his postion if something were to happen.