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Old 21st Aug 2016, 08:57
  #55 (permalink)  
Loose rivets
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I'll fly on a pilotless aircraft when, and only when, the Systems can pass the 'Hudson' test. Sudden loss of all power, huge metro area below: interesting bit of programming!

Ah, but by then our autopilots will have every crash, every incident, every technical anomaly, stored to call upon - in less than a second.

Most of the current drones are remotely piloted rather than "pilotless". It's worth noting that they have a much worse crash rate than any manned type.
While on my walks on Walton's Naze, I came across a display showing a radio controlled rocket being tested during the war. There was it seems, a spinning pit.

The radio valves/tubes were spun up in a centrifuge and those that survived were used in the trials. Not many survived the launch.

N.B. I worked with one of the electronics guys in the 50's and despite telling me numerous tales about that era, he never once mentioned that research. I can only guess he was still under orders to keep quiet about it.

Oh, and he made an electric car which was licensed to be tested on the roads.
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