Originally Posted by
KayPam
There are foundamental differences between cars and planes.
Airliners are operated by very few professionals.
Cars can be operated by almost anyone over 18.
There are some similarities; both are difficult challenges for full autonomy (cars probably more so - roads are an even more uncontrolled environment that the air), and the kind of people most keen on achieving it aren't necessarily the one's I'd trust to make a fully objective assessment as to the wisdom of attempting it. Especially as they're commonly the ones also keen on eroding the normal rules and processes surrounding safety-critical systems development, testing and certification.
Basically what I think will result from the current AI-Transport bubble is a bunch of "partial" projects
- Cars that are self driving some of the time, in some circumstances.
- But what's the use in that? If it can't bring me home from the pub half cut or take the kids to school, I'm not interested.
- Airliners that might allow pilots to nod off for a period of time.
- So not so different from today's tech.
- How does anyone think that the world's aviation infrastructure can be updated and certified to the point where we trust an airliner to 1) land at any airport on route / diversion, 2) taxi to the right place, 3) do all that in the foulest and fairest of conditions, 4) do all that with the requisite ground infrastructure going offline just as it commits to a landing, all this being basically the only thing that a modern airliner isn't trusted to do for itself today?
- I'd be interested to know exactly how an autonomous airliner is supposed to declare a Mayday or Pan, and what exactly is supposed to happen when it does...