..........."monoploe" I had a chuckle at yr additional statement as for asking the guy (he being ATC) next to us (us being pilots) for track shortening!..........only to see he can't BS us by saying not avail due traffic 'cause we can see it all right there in front of us both!.............the mind boggles at what funny situations would arise if we (as in again 'them & us") where seated side by side on the ground in some ways both controlling the same plane !:-) Of course they would be funny situations 'cause looking at it any other way is just plane (yes plane) stupidity !!! & the most funniest is the fact that some believe in here that it will happen.....pilotless A/C in our time or anywhere near the forseeable future.............sheeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzeven Jules Vern would turn over in his grave at that thought!
Think about this.................a hijacker (obviously not one that's very bright, in fact are any of them?) boards a pilotless plane thinking it's a ploy to fool him that there are no actual pilots on board. At an opertune time he bursts thru the cockpit door (no further need for bullet proof doors now is there?) only to find......................yep......no pilot/s........well maybe a blow up doll just ic case. (ie: flying high!)so he sits there with no flight controls in sight (assuming there's s seat anyway) & thinks about his few flying lessons he took, hey just had a thought here, now technically it's not a 'pilotless' plane anymore !!............so yes there are advantages in having pilotless A/C but I think for now lets keep the guys/gals there just for instances like the above.................afterall why are we all here right now in PPRUNE?............'casue where pilots etc. or affiliated as such!!:-)
Capt wally :-)