I would never want to say that the human capacity for coming up with imaginative ideas or concepts must, at some point, come to an end. Everyone recognizes that without such capacities most of us would likely be living on the Euro-Asian land mass, "sea-going" ships would have been limited to being "seen" in a bottle, taking a trip to the bottom of the ocean would still remain in nightmares, observing balloons floating into the air would remain the purview of kids capturing their own “hot air” for “party-time,” we’d still be wondering about that big orb in the sky at night, and on and on and on. BUT, at the same time, there are probably dozens, at the very least, of such “crazy,” “nutty,” or “weird” ideas that were never to be seen or heard of again – even after a seemingly unwarranted amount of “hoopla.”

I think that doing such things are buried in the human propensities to seek to advance beyond their current situation – and since the beginning, the cost for developing even the barest of beginnings of any such propensity, while seeming to grow exponentially in cost, the commensurate results in advancements are invariably each immeasurably smaller and smaller. However, recognizing all this doesn’t seem to dampen the curiosity or the excitement with which those who are drawn to such longings virtually leap into the next step in their “nutty" or "weird” search for “newer” and “better.” Some such goals, perhaps most, are likely to fail … but, inevitably, at least some, are likely to succeed – and I, for one, cannot predict which category any of these “really out there” ideas are likely to fall. But, who would have ever guessed that putting a full-scale "night club" in a highly modified "trailer" of the "over-the-road," long distance tractor/trailer big-rigs, that are now often seen on US highways, the apparently ever increasing "rage" among the younger rich, would ever see the success that their current frequency would indicate? That's probably where the TV Series gets the name ... "Weird, Strange, True!"

At the moment (and I stress, at the moment), I cannot imagine passengers being willing to fly on "pilotless" airplanes - nor can I imagine flight crews flocking to "pilot" airliners from their secure and windowless environment in the forward portion of the aft cargo bin - regardless of the number of back-up systems or electrical busses. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Certainly, not me.

Pilotless aircraft will only happen when the Aircraft manufacturers are ready to sign all the cheques for any mishap and resulting court action.

Reality check: touchscreens are useless in turbulence, single pilot airliners are a risk to the public à la E190 crash in Africa last year.

There is a gulf between what constitutes engineers' and accountants' wet dreams and what is sensible from a regulatory and safety standpoint.

As real pilots will attest, there is nothing more annoying about cockpit instruments, EFIS and mechanical alike, than bloody fingerprints all over them!

I spend so many hours of my life cleaning the greasy marks off, I need to consider treatment for OCD......oh, wait.


Anyway, I can see the day large long haul aircraft have a windowless design, with an area reserved with skylight displays for all round clear vision. The pilot will sit in a central area, touch screen control displays and side stick for emergencies. They will be like a zoo for the passengers to look at. In a low central position. Curved displays all round, very Star Trek.

It will happen. Providing the redundancy and back ups are good enough, imagine the selectable screens with synthetic overlay or IR imaging as well. As all controls will be configurable, there will be no separate type ratings either.

Fortunately, I'll be long retired by then.

Adult Engineering Supervision Required.... "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should"

Here is the remote cockpit for a UAV pilot..

Lotz of those being trained up right now.

http://i60.tinypic.com/25amczl.jpg

O'Leary must be salivating at the thought......

So all those cameras, displays, digital processing units, power supplies and appropriate backup systems are lighter and cheaper than some sheets of perspex and glass?
Necessity is the mother of invention; this is not necessary.

which military aircraft have no windows?

British Army Aeroplane No1? :}

http://www.aviastar.org/pictures/eng..._aeroplane.jpg

http://static.thisdayinaviation.com/...RhJudDvbNy.jpg

Nothing new in aviation.