Although I can see uses for rotary winged observation UAVs, there is often a lot more to helicopter jobs than just the flying.

For example, who will carry the passengers bags, sign for the fuel and put the aircraft to bed at the other end of the journey? Top the oil up the next day? Ring for a taxi?

I reckon it won't happen in any big way in my lifetime.

Extension lead reqd?
 

I saw a photo of that Kmax drone, I think the remote control cable coming out the bottom is a bit short?
Marines To Test Lockheed's Drone Helicopter In Afghanistan

One of the current drawbacks compared to a maned flight is lack of situational awareness of ground activities by the remote crew.
This will change in the next decade or two as higher resolution imagers become available allowing for very wide angles of downward capture and view, ie
8x the res of HD.

Mickjoebill

Marines’ Robot Cargo-Copter Takes Flight in Afghanistan
 

Marines’ Robot Cargo-Copter Takes Flight in Afghanistan.

Pakistan is still blockading NATO war supplies passing through the port of Karachi in response to last month’s killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers by an alliance air strike. But inside Afghanistan, supply lines are about to get a lot safer for NATO’s logisticians. On Saturday, the Marine Corps flew history’s very first combat resupply mission using a robot helicopter. The unmanned Kaman K-MAX successfully hauled a sling-load of cargo out to an unspecified base, presumably somewhere in southern Afghanistan.

The successful first flight, plus a couple test runs earlier last week, “were in preparation for sustained operations,” Jeffrey Brown from Lockheed Martin told Paul McLeary of Aviation Week. Lockheed has partnered with Kaman and the Marine Corps to demonstrate two of the unmanned supply choppers in combat. Marines' Robot Cargo-Copter Takes Flight in Afghanistan | Danger Room | Wired.com

9A....so lets see here....the Robo-Chopper does it thing all day long over a very hot radioactive area...gets lit up doing so...then who is supposed to service the thing....a Robo-Engineer?

Come to think about it....there's the deal...no spanner twisters to deal with! Just type a few commands into the computer....shove a work card through a card reader....and zingo....work done...no tea breaks...no fag breaks...no surly attitudes....and if one decides to lay out on you...you just hit the kill switch and that it sorted.

That robo engineers we are already sending around near space :)

The facts are that we are supposed to send full resourced unit to danger site....
so just few "robo" refueling while operational.

Later you have secondary dose on that airframe, which is measurable and
under control - conditions of cooking reactor can not be....

If dose is just to much over to be possible to handle after decontamination,
just park on safe side distance and send next one. :ok:

Or scene can be also like "this" one :p

behind a successful mission of UAV there is an experienced pilot

Offshore pilots made redundant...........
 

Time to get out the dog food.

Article here.

Not just offshore pilots but pretty much all of us in mmmmmmmmm 50 years.
Kmax and the USMC have been using a pilotless machine to sling in supplies in Afghanistan. It's quite amazing to watch, it's slower than a good long liner but this is only the beginning. Automation is the way to go EG. The autopilot on the machine I fly is better than me, it never gets tired, I do!

Anyway I retire in 20 or so years so I think I'll be earning a living until then:D

Way back in 1962 as a brand new RAF pilot I was waylaid by a very senior engineering officer and informed that I was wasting my time as I would be replaced by missiles in a few years. Ever since they have made underground trains automatic there hace been continuous statements of how aeroplanes in general were the next in line.

Who do you blame if something goes wrong?

Apparently thats the best part - no-one!

As long as they don't let microsoft anywhere near it they'll do well.

:D
 

Better invest in some Apple shares than.... :D
In the year 2030, we get a the pilotcontrollS92 application for Iphone, where we fly remotly from the couch... :ok:

And Microsoft engineers! :E

Phil

The military doesn't quite count. They worry about being shot down and want no people on board at all, at any cost.

But as long as railroad trains, busses, airplanes and cars still need drivers on board, I wouldn't get too enthusiastic about pilotless civilian helicopters, especially when they are supposed to carry passengers..

You might be about 18 years too late on that one............

Check this out!

Hmmm

Our passengers who fly offshore on long sectors just can't wait to be flown in a pilot-less helicopter (not)

Its at least a generation away with commercial passengers on board, as attitudes to risk will have to change.

But, with Autonomous helicopters, (not those flown remotely) we could maybe go back to "single pilot" monitoring operations?

"Opinions wanted for UAV completely take over the helicopter in the long term future?"

IMHO, Yes.

And there are a number of very logical reasons for this.


Dave

When I was a kid, the future was all hover boards and heli cars. I'm still waiting. There's logic, and practical realities, demand versus cost.

Commercial operations? Without a pilot? Not going to happen. Who could afford the insurance?