Times Article
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Times Article
haha have a read:
"There have already been successful test flights of pilotless aircraft across the Atlantic and the Pacific, and there are ambitious plans for unmanned cargo craft regularly to fly these routes. It is a strange human vanity to imagine that error-prone human beings are best suited to flying aircraft. Pilots may tell you different, but apart from wearing smart uniforms and tickling air hostesses under the chin, their main function is to sit idly by while the on-board automatic pilot does the donkey work. Now the American aviation industry is planning to replace them with teams of pilots flying aircraft remotely from centralised command centres."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...569882,00.html
"There have already been successful test flights of pilotless aircraft across the Atlantic and the Pacific, and there are ambitious plans for unmanned cargo craft regularly to fly these routes. It is a strange human vanity to imagine that error-prone human beings are best suited to flying aircraft. Pilots may tell you different, but apart from wearing smart uniforms and tickling air hostesses under the chin, their main function is to sit idly by while the on-board automatic pilot does the donkey work. Now the American aviation industry is planning to replace them with teams of pilots flying aircraft remotely from centralised command centres."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...569882,00.html
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It is also a strange human vanity to imagine that error-prone human beings are best writing non-sense newspaper articles.
I posted a thread about future pilotless full-automatic aircraft in the Tech Log or Questions forum a few weeks ago.
Just imagine the beautiful world without humans:
No pilots
No lawyers
No doctors
No politicians
No unions
No press
No pprune
Just peace and love on this planet! Welcome to paradise!
I posted a thread about future pilotless full-automatic aircraft in the Tech Log or Questions forum a few weeks ago.
Just imagine the beautiful world without humans:
No pilots
No lawyers
No doctors
No politicians
No unions
No press
No pprune
Just peace and love on this planet! Welcome to paradise!
Pilots' Pal
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Can't see a problem with any of these proposals. It would save airlines loads of money. It would also save prospective pilots from having to undergo a charisma bypass prior to qualifying.
I assume there are no plans to introduce automated engineers?
Bus 429
The Pilots' Pal!
I assume there are no plans to introduce automated engineers?
Bus 429
The Pilots' Pal!
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The problem with these articles is that the majority of passengers who are not familiar with flying airliners think that we just sit there doing nothing! How many airports are there that have the necessary equipment to accept autolands? And who is going to pay to upgrade the ones that aren't? What about airports that can not have autoland status because of the incursion of obstacles on the approach path? etc. etc.
What about developing problems on a takeoff? How will a computer recognise those?
Will people really be willing to sit in an aircraft knowing that there is no one up front?
What about developing problems on a takeoff? How will a computer recognise those?
Will people really be willing to sit in an aircraft knowing that there is no one up front?
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Hmmmmm.......don't these bleatings sound like:
Wireless operators
Navigators
Flight Engineers
First Officers on ULH flights
Although the article contains the usual journo pap, there is probably a grain of truth in there somewhere.
Wireless operators
Navigators
Flight Engineers
First Officers on ULH flights
Although the article contains the usual journo pap, there is probably a grain of truth in there somewhere.
ex-Tanker
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Employment Opportunity for the Future
This is great news! I look forward to joining a ground team - just imagine... No turbulence, unruly pax, slot worries, missing baggage, spilled coffee, sim checks... the list goes on. We still get to fly the machine and have even more time for chucking the ladies under the chin.
Where do I apply?
I presume that the "In Charge" will make the appropriate calls to get level/route changes when there is weather around and keep an eye on the radar and TCAS, as well as run the emergency checklists in case of fire etc.
It's all good for us boys - life just got a whole lot easier...
Where do I apply?
I presume that the "In Charge" will make the appropriate calls to get level/route changes when there is weather around and keep an eye on the radar and TCAS, as well as run the emergency checklists in case of fire etc.
It's all good for us boys - life just got a whole lot easier...
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I would say another article about how "useless" and "lazy" pilots are, and what a coincidence at the same time that talks are being held about new european time regulations
.
A magazine in Italy (L'Espresso) last week issued a defamatory article stating that pilots are a privileged bunch that spends more time on the ground doing nothing than airborne (doing nothing as well of course)
Obviously the comparison was with a ground employee but the hours per day flown were made on 365 days, speaking only of "flight hours" and forgetting about "duty hours" and ground duty time such as courses or sim.
.A magazine in Italy (L'Espresso) last week issued a defamatory article stating that pilots are a privileged bunch that spends more time on the ground doing nothing than airborne (doing nothing as well of course)
Obviously the comparison was with a ground employee but the hours per day flown were made on 365 days, speaking only of "flight hours" and forgetting about "duty hours" and ground duty time such as courses or sim.
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B747-400Pilotless
So here we have this heavy 747-400P on finals at, say, LAX being asked to 'sidestep', automatics try to contact the 'grounded' pilot just as a light aircraft calls, "crossing your zone" or some such frequency blocker, inbound B747P continues without being aware of the requested sidestep and lands on a blocked runway, 400 pax and $200milions worth of aircraft incinerated.
Either the journo has recently been dumped by a pilot or has just failed to become one.
Either the journo has recently been dumped by a pilot or has just failed to become one.
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Is it even worth replying?
I daresay EVENTUALLY we will replace human beings in all sorts of industries. Anyone remotely involved in aviation will know that it is a million miles away at the moment. In ideal circumstances the technology is there but unfortunately the world does not always comply with the engineers dream. In fact it rarely does.
We should be more interested in the timing of this article rather than the article itself.
Regards
Diesel
I daresay EVENTUALLY we will replace human beings in all sorts of industries. Anyone remotely involved in aviation will know that it is a million miles away at the moment. In ideal circumstances the technology is there but unfortunately the world does not always comply with the engineers dream. In fact it rarely does.
We should be more interested in the timing of this article rather than the article itself.
Regards
Diesel
ZbV
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Yip, now that be really smart. Lets put all our eggs in one basked . Instead of trying to figure how best get his sticky hands on hundreds of aircraft flying around the world Bin Laden and his cohorts just have to figure out how blow up one of these "Control Centers".
Another masterpiece of "professional" Journalism. NOT
But hey, they have to sell the toiletpaper somehow and it does give something for us to talk about.
Cheers
JJ
Another masterpiece of "professional" Journalism. NOT
But hey, they have to sell the toiletpaper somehow and it does give something for us to talk about.
Cheers
JJ
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I'll start worrying for my job when even I remotely consider getting on a pilotless aeroplane! Ask any radio-modeller how long he would trust his life to his radio gear, then start mentioning flying his model aeroplanes from over the horizon. You'd be picking him up.
So even the Times has now joined the Telegraph ("can you catch a pilot who's been drinking?") in pap journalism. I don't buy cr*p papers, and the last 2 bastions of reasonable daily news have now succumbed to the great uneducated dumbed down British Press. I just don't buy papers anymore!
So even the Times has now joined the Telegraph ("can you catch a pilot who's been drinking?") in pap journalism. I don't buy cr*p papers, and the last 2 bastions of reasonable daily news have now succumbed to the great uneducated dumbed down British Press. I just don't buy papers anymore!
Funny over the years the gap in the general publics actual understanding of what pilots do is getting wider & wider, hence the bean counters depressing pilots pay.
Had a decompression a few years back, guess on that day the pax understood why there is a very qualified driver up the front. Didn't get any comments about sitting there doing nothing!
Had a decompression a few years back, guess on that day the pax understood why there is a very qualified driver up the front. Didn't get any comments about sitting there doing nothing!
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hmmm.
I think we need to have more inflight emergencies. The airplanes are getting more reliable so we are percieved as doing less..
As soon as we do more engine failure work, we will get more "pilot saves the day" stories in the press and the public will love us and our salaries will go up..
Gentlemen, we have become victims of our own and technologies success..
I think we need to have more inflight emergencies. The airplanes are getting more reliable so we are percieved as doing less..
As soon as we do more engine failure work, we will get more "pilot saves the day" stories in the press and the public will love us and our salaries will go up..
Gentlemen, we have become victims of our own and technologies success..
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Ice pack and LR drivers, the depressing pilot's pay is not due to beancounters or technology. It's the pilots who accept it together with encreasingly worsening working conditions. Have a thorough reading at pprune, and you'll see how many pilots think it is normal to earn peanuts...and be treated like monkeys!!!
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Seen on TV this morning that Gary Kasparov is playing a GrandMaster's chess game against a computer.
Sofar it's a draw, 1-1.
Lads, I think our jobs are secure for the foreseeable future.
Mind you, virtual airlines are sprouting up all over the internet!!!
You don't even have to report for duty at a Ground Control Centre. Just sign on for duty at home. Bliss.......
(Not according to the Missus though.
:
Sofar it's a draw, 1-1.
Lads, I think our jobs are secure for the foreseeable future.
Mind you, virtual airlines are sprouting up all over the internet!!!
You don't even have to report for duty at a Ground Control Centre. Just sign on for duty at home. Bliss.......
(Not according to the Missus though.
:
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Who was the journalist on this? I wonder if he knows Macaskill of the Sunday Times? He at least had the courtesy to tell us of his ideas ("airlines and morale" on prune) and ask our opinions.
I know of a few cabin staff who didn't fancy travelling with some pilots, but I'm sure they wouldn't get on board without any at all. That would mean complete self service for the pax. Seeing the free forall on ej with free seating I'd hate to think of the enviroment if there was not an "in charge" on board.
Then read the post about the windy arrivals at LHR. The autolands would have been a very hit & miss affair.
Perhaps for only cargo and the new ground effect projects that are under study it might be feasable.
For pax. No chance. The idea of only the pilot and a dog is bad enough. That means we could be an eternal cruise pilot for our whole career. Wow!
And there's always the story of the first captain's PA on a the first fully automatic flight. "Ladies & gentlemen, Captain speaking. I'm actually on the ground at your departure airfield conrtrolling things from here and can see all that is happening. Half way to your destination I shall hand over to my colleague at your asrival airfield. This is a revolutionary day and I assure you nothing can go wrong..go wrong..go wrong.. " and that's without all the mobile phones going off.
I know of a few cabin staff who didn't fancy travelling with some pilots, but I'm sure they wouldn't get on board without any at all. That would mean complete self service for the pax. Seeing the free forall on ej with free seating I'd hate to think of the enviroment if there was not an "in charge" on board.
Then read the post about the windy arrivals at LHR. The autolands would have been a very hit & miss affair.
Perhaps for only cargo and the new ground effect projects that are under study it might be feasable.
For pax. No chance. The idea of only the pilot and a dog is bad enough. That means we could be an eternal cruise pilot for our whole career. Wow!
And there's always the story of the first captain's PA on a the first fully automatic flight. "Ladies & gentlemen, Captain speaking. I'm actually on the ground at your departure airfield conrtrolling things from here and can see all that is happening. Half way to your destination I shall hand over to my colleague at your asrival airfield. This is a revolutionary day and I assure you nothing can go wrong..go wrong..go wrong.. " and that's without all the mobile phones going off.