Ok, last off post topic blurb
Excrab
Yes I agree with you by moving some controls you would be able to operate the 737 or the likes of as single pilot ac. But for how long, 2, 3, 4, 5 sectors/hrs/ turn arounds, not to mention eating using the toilet etc. It is more about the premise of your argument that the second modern day crew member is purely there as a redundancy which I don’t totally agree with.
I would argue that there are two pilots because the work load at times can demand as much, not the other way round by saying that regulation is the only reason we have two pilots due to a perception from the past.
Historically I understand what you are saying about having 1 or 2 pilots. It would seem that many things were done ( especially during the war ) out of necessity / technology and or the knowledge of the time. It shows that 1 crew ops can be done but to what level of safety is another thing all together.
Ultimately, I agree with you that CRM is not the reason we have two pilots, but more a product of having two pilots. It was formally introduced in part because it was realised that you can’t fly modern jet aircraft on your own. Both pilots needed to be in the loop, the captain only airlines scrapes of the past are solid evidence of this.
I am also not totally convinced that prior to 1980ish no form of crew cooperation existed. Like many things in our wonderful world of aviation it takes a great deal of time to formally introduce things that some pilots/companies have been doing for a while.
