Whereas the known limitations of human beings don't cost lives?
Here's an interesting article on the possible impact of automation on the US trucking industry - how long before we're replacing 'truck' with 'plane' and rehearsing the same arguments all over again? |
Originally Posted by yellowperil
(Post 9921375)
how long before we're replacing 'truck' with 'plane' and rehearsing the same arguments all over again?
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yellowperil, it's not the limitations that cost lives (well, they do, too, sometimes), but the discovering of them. The more you rush into this, the more limitations you're going to discover rather than anticipate--in a situation where you can't just stop the vehicle and wait for help.
One known limitation: we already know that humans need some time to get their bearings when entering an unfamiliar situation, so when a plane calls a remote pilot for help, that better be some minutes before pilot input is needed: but if the plane is going to try and anticipate that, there are going to be a lot of false alarms, which are going to lead humans into treating alarms as not so serious. The unexpected challenge in avoiding accidents with the Google car has been to prevent other cars from hitting it: it needs to conform to human expectations when moving in traffic, or a fender-bender can result. If you do not research beforehand how automated planes can intermingle with traditional aircraft in congested airspace, you're going to have some avoidable accidents. Before we know of the limitations, can we really make an informed decision on whether it's worth it? You can dodge the question by saying "it's going to be inevitable", then you don't need to have a discussion on the merits; but you could be making a bad choice. (Well, it won't be bad for the tech companies driving the change--their bottom line is going to be assured.) |
No flight crew
I'll fly in an unmanned aircraft when the CEO of the airline will sit in the adjacent seat.
Not just once, but everytime. |
why does it have to be a new design?
It's all an issue of integrating the current electronics and sensors TBH and the decision taking software in the black box - It'll probably be the 737-5000 |
Originally Posted by Piltdown Man
(Post 9920345)
Mechta - I don’t agree. In fact I’d go along the line that millions of flights have ended incident free purely because there were pilots on board, not in spite of them. Until we grasp what pilots actually do to make up for the deficiencies in aircraft, their systems in the information supplied we haven’t a hope of removing them from aircraft.
Mathfox, The saving of 100kg is a bit of an underestimate. Once you take the pilots out, you can get rid of this little lot: instruments cockpit controls switches armoured cockpit door flight crew rest compartment pilots' seats pilots' luggage pilots' oxygen supply all air ducting all cockpit glazing windscreen wipers In other words, strip the cockpit out completely and there is room for another two or three rows of seats. What's more, the area currently occupied by the windscreens can now be the most aerodynamic profile possible, which has got to save a good few tons of fuel each year. Eventually, unless passengers can be persuaded to pay a premium for a view out the front, all airliner's cabins will be like the lower deck of a 747. If its a cargo aircraft, you won't need the toilets or galley either, unless carrying racehorses and their stable hands, and the latter can probably use the straw like their charges anyway. |
Mechta you are making a lot of false assumptions to support your argument.
Piltdown Man, you are of course right that many incidents have been averted by action on the part of the crew. However if that number is matched by the number of incidents caused or contributed to by the crew, then we are no better or worse off than in a robot airliner. |
You'd have to do more than go through incident reports. I don't write a report every single time I rescue the aircraft from its dumb automatics.
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Mechta makes some valid points
I'm old enough to remember when the pages of "Flight" were full of navs ,radio ops and engineers using exactly the same arguments now appearing here. If you can't show how many flights you may have saved you have no facts to argue against the bean counters and management both of whom would loveto dump everyone |
Ironically, some of the improvements that could make autonomous drone flights safe would also make human-piloted flights safer: ILS on every runway, automated traffic awareness not only in the air, but also on the ground, including general aviation.
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I'm old enough to remember when the pages of "Flight" were full of navs ,radio ops and engineers using exactly the same arguments now appearing here. The challenge to the tech heads is can they guarantee that the software required to operate autonomous airliners will be 100% reliable and unable to be hacked into? |
Originally Posted by Lookleft
(Post 9923187)
The challenge to the tech heads is can they guarantee that the software required to operate autonomous airliners will be 100% reliable and unable to be hacked into? I'm looking forward to self driving cars. They will make mistakes, but far fewer than humans. |
Er, can they guarantee today that the pilot is not suicidal, drunk, a control freak, or incompetent? |
So don't look for 100% guarantees.
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It doesn't need to be 100%. Technically it just needs to be better than people, but I suspect that won't be acceptable to the public and a significant improvement will be required.
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The rise of automation in aircraft is very much part of the amazing drop in accident figures even tho' the number of flights has (ahem) soared....
Personally I'd prefer a pilot but I suspect there'll be few on main-line passenger flightsin 50 years time |
One thing we haven't touched is that many airline managements seem to actively dislike their flight crews. Just look at the way they treat them..... Clearly viewed as grit in the operation.... arguing, moaning striking, need constant management (time and holiday allocation), training and RETRAINING....,sim costs, pensions......
Then just think of those lovely, quiet, obedient machines. Buy it and that's it... even updates itself...... and the bosses can concentrate on screwing cash out of the SLF and their bonus package...... I said 50 years...... maybe 20 will be more accurate........ |
The way that modern (so called) management treat their pilots is the same way mgmt treat staff in most other lines of work. over the last 25/30 years the 'cut everything to the bone' 'shareholders first' 'my bonus next' 'staff and customers nowhere' has become the normal process.
In due course, the cycle will move on but not soon. |
Paxboy. If it does move on it will only be to change the order. It will be 'my bonus first', shareholders - whatever, staff and customers - what are those?
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Hmmm. Take a look at the Ryanair thread here:
http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/6...-runway-7.html If so many pilots are unable to agree on how to successfully drive a 737 and where and when to actually take off, what chance a computer getting it right every time? |
that is the point of ourse "so many pilots unable to agree"
A machine will do the same every time........................ |
Originally Posted by KelvinD
(Post 9926406)
Hmmm. Take a look at the Ryanair thread here:
http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/6...-runway-7.html If so many pilots are unable to agree on how to successfully drive a 737 and where and when to actually take off, what chance a computer getting it right every time? |
Assuming the environment doesn't violate the assumptions made by the programmers.
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Yes, my first thought was 'Sudden rain squall that contaminates the runway'. But the landside human responsible (be it local for a remote airfield or at a large hub) will then tell the computers about the change in take off / landing parameters and the contamination and it'll all be wonderful. :8
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It'll be automated - pick it off from an automated electronic ATIS system
And sensors wiil check you ARE accelerarating/de-accelerating properly |
Ah yes, the ATIS with the AUTO-METAR such as in use at Heathrow, spewing out '///CB' whatever the hell that is? Never any CB around, yet always published.
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So you don't actually need to hack the drone to bring it down -- it's enough to hack automated weather information or its sensor system.
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Thinking about it I can see the pressure coming from 3 directions:-
1. The military are already looking at drones/unmanned aircraft to deliver supplies over significant distances - that will no doubt include R&D against hacking...... and if they can do it? 2. Amazon etc are looking at delivery by drones - so that leads to scaling up - packages, then van loads, then truck loads...... 3. Airline management want a more uniform, controled and lower cost operation It's going to happen I think - and maybe sooner than we expect......... after Mr B introduces the MoMA it's going to be hard for airframers/engine manufacturers to keep reducing costs by 15% per design iteration and single manned/unmanned will be an obvious way forward |
"looking at delivery by drones" makes for good PR, doesn't mean it's going to happen, or that it's even close to ready
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well it's in trials.................
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Flying cars are in trials. Just because something is in trials doesn't mean it is close to being a reality (doesn't mean its not either of course.)
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Originally Posted by Tray Surfer
(Post 9919480)
Never, I hope. As, once again, humans seem hell bent on doing them selves out of a job.
e.g. train driver and employer in dispute - its the travelling public who suffer the most inconvenience and they are not a party to the dispute. Automate train operation like the vast number of metro's in the world and thats one more self-entitled, overpaid train driver put of the loop. Although like you, I doubt that aircraft will be fully automated in this century as a train can coast to a stop safely in most circumstances whereas the end state for any significant aircraft failure is 'death of passengers'. |
https://jrupprechtlaw.com/amazon-dro...azon-prime-air
Conclusion: Many have written on this topic because they see the technology taking off. They see the progress in the technology that many have made and assume that drone delivery will be allowed soon. They get the “West Coast” mindset where they think if enough money and technology are thrown at the problem, it will be fixed regardless of the law. Additionally, most writing on or marketing drone delivery do not understand all the legal issues. Aviation is an “East Coast” industry where the laws out of D.C. will heavily influence the business. Aviation is an extremely regulated environment. The faster the companies operating in this area realize that fact, the better off they will be so that they can actually do these types of operations. Amazon still has a long way to go before drone delivery can be experienced in real life by the American public, not just as a short clip on the internet. XKCD (Randall Munroe, CC BY-NC 2.5): "Crowdsourced steering" doesn't sound quite as appealing as "self driving." https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/self_driving.png |
" what humans want is not to be held hostage by other humans having an argument with another human and themselves becoming a casualty."
most humans want a flight that's as cheap as possible IMHO |
Most humans have never set foot in an aeroplane, nor will.
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The world need a buss-sized drone that can replace short flights, specially for transport across water. A passenger drone travelling around 200 km/hr could easily outcompete commercial airlines where flight time for a jet is 1 hour or less due to a drone could take off and land from small spaces near a parking lot with more convenient locations than an airport.
I see a drone with: - About 4 electrically driven propeller pods each side of a bus shaped body. - 2 petrol engines to create the power, with separate fuel tanks for security. - Batteries to boost power at takeoff and enough capacity to land safely if engines cut out. - Each side would have separate controls for 2+2 pods, so if 1 set cut out the drone could still land safely. - If landing on water the whole unit would be kept floating by airbags. - Completely automated flight but a single attendant for safety and to control that eveybody has a ticket and handle unruliness. - Remotely but cable connected pre-programmed flight destination to avoid possible hijackings. - Flight controlled by gps, safety by radar and lidar. - Laser based ground scan to find safe emergency landing spots. - Around 50 passengers per drone for versatility and about 5-7 tons payload. - Price for each unit would need to be in the Euro 500k to 1 million bracket to be competitive. Public interest and safety would be satisfied by the buss-drones beeing owned by regulated entities, and production and maintenance could be strictly controlled. A separate commercial drone-buss flying zone could be regulated for around 500-1000 meters above ground level. A nicer interior "private jet" version of the drone could be developed to replace helicopters and increase the market. Commuter routes into traffic congested city-centers is another market. |
Short flights are only attractive if you can essentially turn up and go - as with a car or a train. When you have to arrive 90 minutes before the flight and go through all the security hassle they become unattractive. Plus of course the airport doesn't make any money unless they can trap you in the shopping arcade
Short range Bus Drones might work but only if they can operate like a bus - ie independent of large fixed airfields, security etc etc |
Originally Posted by vikingivesterled
(Post 9930448)
- Around 50 passengers per drone for versatility and about 5-7 tons payload.
- Price for each unit would need to be in the Euro 500k to 1 million bracket to be competitive. ...and production and maintenance could be strictly controlled. The problem with quadcopter-type drones when scaled up, is the velocity and noise of the downwash. When V-22 Ospreys were sent to help after the Nepal earthquake, they were rapidly withdrawn when it was found their downwash just added to the destruction. |
Originally Posted by Mechta
(Post 9931055)
The problem with quadcopter-type drones when scaled up, is the velocity and noise of the downwash. When V-22 Ospreys were sent to help after the Nepal earthquake, they were rapidly withdrawn when it was found their downwash just added to the destruction.
Now there were those things with downward-directed airflow operating over water that you don't much see any more except where the situation demands amphibious operation... ah yes.. hovercraft. (Top speed is ~150 km/h). They were commercially viable across the English channel until the tunnel was completed. |
like traveling in a washing machine TBH
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