dr dre
If you are serious about this topic please read this. All of it.
In the mid 60s I was a safety pilot for the Blind Landing Experimental Unit at RAE Bedford on their Comet 3B doing cross wind autoland trials with a component of over 30kt. To watch that system flare, smoothly remove the drift angle and squeak the wheels onto the numbers over and over again, convinced me that automatics could achieve standards of ‘flying’ that I could not match.
I have put quotes round flying because I believe the word means different things to different people. To avoid ambiguity I suggest we separate out the tasks of flying into ‘steering' the aircraft and ‘operating' the aircraft.
By steering, I mean controlling any flight parameter. By operating, I mean every other aspect of a flight from pre-flight preparation to selecting the appropriate flight parameters and filling in the Tech Log afterwards. I believe automatic systems are better at steering tasks while humans are better at operating tasks.
In reply to “What are you going to do when the autopilot fails?” my answer is that future automatic steering systems will not fail in a critical way. Unlike today’s autopilots which disconnect themselves in the event of a problem, future automatics will be designed to fail safe and carry on performing their functions. Just like today’s wing structures. Autoland, thanks to special certification standards, has not caused a landing accident since it was first used with passengers in the 70s. Sadly there have been quite a few steering errors by aircrew over the same period.
I am a future Captain climbing out of La Guardia when both engines fail. As the operator I decide the crisis needs a landing on the Hudson. I lift the guard protecting the Glide Landing button and press it telling the steering systems to set up the best glide. With my knowledge of the aircraft’s gliding performance I estimate the touchdown zone on the local area map that appears, draw the final approach track I want with my stylus, press the Glide Landing button again and thank my lucky stars that I did not have to use skill so save my aeroplane. Just knowledge.
As a future passenger I will always want my flight operated by a senior Captain and First Officer who have the knowledge to get us to our destination safely but without the need for them to use skill.