What makes a jet need 2 pilots
A long time ago the first Citations required 2 pilots, then the SP version came out. At that time you needed 2 pilots on anything above 12,500 lbs and an ATP. Then came dispensations and a single pilot could tootle along at the blistering speed of 330 kts.
Now we have Cj4's and Phenom 300's at FL450 doing 450Kts with PPL's as SP PIC. These aircraft top out at nearly 18,000 lbs. Yet a Lear 45 at the same weight and speed need 2 crew.
Obviously avionics these days from Garmin, Collins and Honeywell must look like something out of Star Wars to a 1950/60 pilot, auto flight systems, auto throttles, Huds etc. Even the number of switches has reduced to few dozen at most in the G5000 system.
Could the single pilot idea climb to even higher weights, maybe to the Citation 10/ Lear 85 weight around 37,000 lbs or maybe even higher. It seems speed is not the issue, systems are getting more and more simpler to operate, autopilots are ever more capable, synthetic vision and moving maps have done wonders for SA.
So is it the weight that makes an aircraft unsuitable for single pilot ops. I'm not arguing for or against single pilot ops, just considering the practicality of it. Would be interested to hear from anyone who has flown the same type both SP and as a crew in regards to workload etc.