This one is for Courtney.
I'm just curious as to what you would have all these pilotless aircraft of yours do when a solar flare knocks out the satellites they are relying on to navigate?
Remember one of the things keeping aircraft safe is something called redundancy. When one system fails another takes over. I see no redundancy in a pilotless aircraft.
Furthermore the flying environment is a highly dynamic environment. Do you honestly think that it is possible to program an autopilot to handle every combination of factors that could be thrown at it? As an example how do you think it would interpret weather radar returns?
How would it decide when and where to go in the event of it being unable to reach its destination? Remembering that weather is also highly dynamic. You seem to forget that pilots are not only there for their handling skills but also, and I would say more importantly, for their decision making abilities.
And lastly, when would you be prepared to send your family off on a fully automated flight?