Originally Posted by
Earthmover
It just ain't so. Ever tried unscrambling an egg? My point was that the technology needed to render the whole air transport system completely pilotless may just be prohibitively expensive. I have no doubt that absolutely unimaginable advances in our industry are possible - given a blank cheque and say, the gross national product of a small country.
Call me old-fashioned, but being a paid up member of the old f#rt's club, I would prefer that when something is going badly wrong up front, that the person responsible for arranging my return to earth has his @rse up there with me ... rather than at that precise moment sitting drinking a caffe latte in some bar in silicon valley.
Hi Earthmover,
It looks like we're of the same generation hey! Indeed, as soon as I am prevented to fly an airliners myself, there is no way you'll find me travelling in the back of them. I love on an island, and I'd rather row my way to the continent than let myself flown to it, even with nowadays pilotfull aircraft.
However, different ideas on a subject being always stimulating for old brains, I do not share your view on "egg-unscrambling". First, it is chemichally possible, even if expensive. It is possible to turn lead into gold, just "pointlessly" expensive. But I do not thing that the humongous price of making the industry pilotless is pointless. I mean, not in the mind of some people who insist calling people "a market". WE, aviators will never put our butts in a pilotless aircraft. It does not necessarily mean that Mr&Mrs Beachmeat won't, if the ticket price is right. Remember, The whole dream of democracy is to raise the proletarian to the level of stupidity attained by the bourgeois. (Gustave Flaubert). Remember the fuss about ETOPS, EROPS? Remember the United 777 from AUK to LAX who went 190 (yep, one hundred and NINETY, not eighty) minutes on one engine over CEPAC before landing? 777s are still full swing over CAPAC, SOPAC, NOPAC with 380 SLF on board who just sleep as their arrival place&time is as much a sure thing as their departure's.
Again, I do not want to predict pilotless liners will happen. My point is that as we cannot perceive the present, how could we possibly predict the future and take it for granted that because of what we know today, we can project it on tomorrow.
A merry, serene and peacful Christmas to you all.